PC Magazine has written a series of articles outlining the best times of year to buy various tech gadgetry. We all know the pain of buying a new computer or flat screentv , only to find out a month later that the same product is now on sale for 30% less. Different types of products are discounted at different times of year. Knowing when to buy is as important as knowing what to buy.

So, here’s a calendar summary of the best times of year to buy various electronic goodies:

• Cameras.
  Buy in January or February. Presidents Day weekend is ideal, in fact. How come? Camera makers introduce their product lineups around the beginning of the year to coincide with the major electronics shows like CES. Thus, the old cameras are deeply discounted. If you can stand to have last year’s model, you could save 30-50%.
• MP3 Players.
  Buy in late August to mid-October. Again, this is when the new models roll out, so you can pick up the old ones at a discount.
• Cell Phones. Buy any time your contract is about to expire. Your current carrier will want to keep you and offer you discounts. And any new carrier you might switch to will do the same in order to grab your business.
• A Personal Computer. Buy during the Holiday Season, Back to School Season and Inventory Clearance Season, which comes after the Holidays (January and February).
• HDTV. Buy anytime between Thanksgiving and the Super Bowl. Black Friday and Holiday sales are the best, followed by inventory clearance/Super Bowl sales in January.
• Printers. Buy at the beginning of the year and the end of the summer.
• Computer Monitors. The Back to School period, post-Thanksgiving holiday sales and January-February inventory clearance time

When to Buy a Camera, MP3 Player, or Cell Phone (PCWorld)