2. Back-to-School Clothes

For clothing that's often back-to-school sales often offer the best deals, too, though Kalein recommends buying winter coats now because you can buy last year's styles cheap. And Diane MacEahern, author of Big Green Purse, and the blog of the same name, says that throughout the Northeast and much of the rest of the country, parents can wait for end-of-season discounts on fall clothing, since it hasn't been getting as cold as it once did in October and even November. The Big Green purse concept is to eliminate wasteful spending so that you can spend extra on quality, sustainable items and still save money – so MacEahern recommends said fall deals make shopping retailers like Nau affordable.

"In terms of clothing, 'green' clothes have a tendency to be more expensive than others," she said, "so buying them at the seasonal sales cycle is a great time to add them to your wardrobe."

Premium outdoor apparel is also on sale now, as Bill Kennedy, owner of Kenco, a 28-year-old independent outdoor gear shop outside Kingston, N.Y., knows. His clothing, from designers like Patagonia, is discounted as much as 50%. "I go and buy my stuff this time of year," he said with a laugh. "I say, I'd really like to have that shirt, and since I'm selling it at cost anyway, I'm going to grab it."