Here’s what you’ve go to look forward to in February, based on previous years’ sales and coupons. It’s a pretty quiet month, but with lots of great opportunities for buying second-hand stuff:

• Old Navy Baby and Maternity Sale (end of week 1; should last for 10 days or so). Expect up to 40% off spring clothing. Last year we saw $5 tee shirts, $15 maternity dresses and more.

• More winter clearance shoe and clothing deals, though we’re starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel. Watch Amazon for coupons and special discounts on kids’ shoes and clothes.

• Expect more deals on last years’ baby gear styles as manufacturers debut their 2012 models.

• Amazon ran a two-day toy sale around Valentine’s Day last year with up to 40% off select brands. Sometimes Amazon doesn’t repeat their sales, but let’s cross our fingers!

• Winter clearance at consignment stores begins this month. Check in and stock up on warm clothing for next year!

• Consignment stores start buying spring and summer clothes. Take yours in and makes some extra cash!

• Church consignment sales start in early February. Look for steals on spring and summer clothing, shoes, gear, and more. To find a sale near you, check The Bargain Watcher or KidsConsignmentSales.com.

• Presidents Day sales at Kmart, Sears, Kohl’s, and others. Last year we saw free shipping at The Children’s Place, a great shoe sale at Amazon, and more. Gap.com ran a weird little “Up to 44% off 44 items” sale around Presidents Day.

• Spring fashions should go on sale at The Children’s Place during week three. Expect up to 33% off.

Here are Baby Cheapskate’s predictions for January, based on previous years’ sales.

• After-Christmas toy clearance continues through the 15th or so. Stock your gift closet with the hot toys from 2010 at rock-bottom prices.

• Look for Pediped’s Purchase for a Purpose sale some time during the first week of January at Pediped.com. We should see up to 50% off select styles.

• I hope to see a return of Gap’s “Extra 35% off sale prices” coupon at the end of week one.

• The Children’s Place’s Monster Sale went to “Extra 50% off” at the end of week one last year. It went to “Extra 60% off” on the 11th last year.

• Valentines Day sales should begin mid-month at photo printing and gift retailers like Shutterfly and Snapfish. Last year saw 50% off on photo cards, 20% off photo mugs and more. Look for a “free Valentines Day card” deal from Shutterfly.

• Cross your fingers and hope that Amazon repeats its baby sale at the end of the month. Last year we saw reductions on car seats, strollers and more around the 29th.

• Great finds at thrift stores, Freecycle, and Craigslist. Folks like to clear clutter as the year ends, leaving lots for second-hand bargain hunters to choose from this month.

• Look for great coupons for Kimberly-Clark (Huggies) products around the middle of the month with extra incentives and sales (especially at drug stores). I still expect Amazon Mom prices to beat in-store deals, however.

• Fabulous ExtraCare deals at CVS help you stock up on toiletries, meds, and paper products cheaply (mid month).

• Winter clearance continues, with the best deals on the warmest clothes–outerwear, sweaters, and fleece. Expect 50% off. Last year Old Navy went to 75% off clearance just after the first week of January. I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw that price cut shortly after the new year this year.

• You’ll find shoe deals galore as stores begin to try to get rid of winter items. Expect a couple of good coupon codes from places like Robeez.com, Piperlime.com, Shoebuy.com and Shoes.com as well as full clearance shelves. Amazon and Endless also run some great sales in January.

Look ahead: Those massive kiddie consignment sales at churches will start up in mid February.

December’s all about the shopping, of course. It’s also a great time to find closeout deals on strollers and other baby gear as retailers look to clear their inventory of the previous year’s models. Here’s how the month shapes up:

Black Friday and Cyber Monday have passed, but the toy deals keep right on going strong. You’ll find the very deepest discounts mid month as we approach the Christmas shipping cut-off day , which is around December 17. Many of these discounts will continue (with expediting shipping discounts and offers) through the 21st or so. After the shipping deadlines pass, we’ll continue to see hot deals in-store.

Clothing deals continue as well. Expect at least one more 25% off coupon for Gap.com as well as various coupons for 20% off or so and/or free shipping from stores like Old Navy, The Children’s Place and Carters/OshKosh. Expect hot deals on holiday clothing after mid-month. Last year on the 19th I told you that The Children’s Place had marked holiday items to 50% off. Try to wait until after the holidays to score the best deals on outerwear.

You’ll also find wonderful photo print and gift deals during December. They’ll peak around December 10 or so, and many will run right up until around the 20th. After Christmas, you’ll find great deals on prints as photo printing sites compete for your holiday photo print business. You’ll also find clearance sales on all those photo gifts (ornaments, etc.).

December 16 is “Free Shipping Day,” which to me has always seemed more a gimmick than a real reason to shop, especially since so many retailers have already offered free shipping this year. Nonetheless, expect many retailers to offer free shipping deals of some sort on the 16th.

After Christmas you’ll find toy clearance sales, but the real savings to be had is in winter clothing and shoes. It’s always a shock to see the bright colors of spring clothing on the racks in late December, and it’s the need to make room for it all that drives winter clearance sales. Inventory will be best at this time, though the sales will continue long into January and perhaps through February, with the very deepest discounts at the end of the sales.

Clearance sales traditionally start late in the third week of December through right after Christmas day. Look for clearance sales at:

• The Children’s Place (a.k.a. The Monster Sale)
• Old Navy
• Gymboree
• Crazy 8
• Amazon
• Osh Kosh
• Carters and OshKosh

Look ahead:

• January is bonanza time for second-hand bargain hunters! Shop thrift stores and consignment stores, check Freecycle and Craigslist early in the month.

• Here at BC, I’ll keep you informed about the best clearance deals in January’s. We’ll also focus on the basics of saving money on baby stuff and on storage and organization (for all those new toys and baby gear items).

Are you ready for this? Stores are ramping up for your holiday dollars. Sales are running about a week earlier this year than last year. A few stores have already released their Black Friday circulars, and we’ll see several more next week.

The important thing to remember is that although sales will be good before Black Friday, they will most likely be as good or better on BF and in December. There’s no no need to rush through your shopping in fear that you’ll miss a deal. The exception? Photo gifts and other custom items. You’ll find the best deals on them during the second half of this month.

I’ll be bringing you lots of money-saving shopping tips and sharing tons of deals and coupons this month, so don’t worry about missing a thing.

Week 1:

• Baby Cheapskate’s 6th Bloggiversary is on Saturday. Get ready for several hot giveaways!
• Look for a 30% off coupon code for Gymboree to appear within the next few days. They’ve released one for the past three years. We should also see one for about 20% off at Crazy 8.
• Baby gear closeout deals continue as stores try to clear out last year’s models. Look for big discounts from Fisher Price, Graco and more at various retailers. Expect 30% to 50% off.
• I’ve got my eye out for a good code for The Children’s Place. They usually release one about this time.
• Last year Snapfish ran a 50% off photo books promo during week 1.
• Toys R Us had 50% off select toys at the end of week 1 last year.

Week 2:

• Look out for “friends and family” coupons to the tune of 20% to 30% off your purchase. Keep an eye on Gap brands, Crazy 8, Kmart, and Sears.
• Outerwear should go to 50% off at Old Navy starting the second weekend of the month, if not slightly before.
• The Babies R Us / Toys R Us Veterans Day sale typically offers some coupons and deals. I’ll post ‘em when I see ‘em.
• Expect several good coupon codes for shoes from retailers like Shoes.com, Shoebuy.com, and more. We’ve seen $20 off $50, 20% off, and others.
• Look for some good deals on photo gifts and cards this week. Expect at least 25% off.
• Last year LLBean had 20% off BOB strollers during week 2.

Week 3:

• The quiet before the storm. Some stores and sites will actually start their sales before Thanksgiving.
• Last year we saw a 30% off coupon for PBS.com around the 17th. Look also for coupons from Discover Store and Scholastic this week.

Week 4:

Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Need I say more? Don’t be surprised if Black Friday sales really start on Tuesday or Wednesday.

• Expect big discounts on toys (25% off and more), a baby sale, and 40% to 70% off kids’ shoes from Amazon.
• Old Navy’s Black Friday sales is one of the best out there. It’s my favorite time to stock up on Performance Fleece.
• The Children’s Place, Gymboree and Crazy 8 all had 30% off deals on Black Friday.
• Look for a 50% off sale at Kohls. Last year Fisher-Price toys were 50% off just after Black Friday.
• Look for Cyber Monday deals in the form of larger-than-usual coupons and site-wide sales at Stride Rite, LeapFrog, PBS Kids and more.

In December, week 1: Great deals on photo gifts and prints start in week 1 of December. 20% to 30% off.

Baby Bargain Forecasts are based on previous years’ sales, deals and coupons. Stores don’t always run the same deals each year, but they quite often do.

Related: Early Shopper’s Guide to Holiday Savings: Tips to Help You Save Big

I can’t believe it’s October already. Besides ghoulish decorations and costumed kiddies, October brings some scary good clearance buys, pre-season (you know what season I mean) deals, and Columbus Day sales.

Here’s what I expect to see this October, based on sales we saw in previous years. These sales and coupons don’t always make a return appearance, but they quite often do.

• Costume clearance should ramp up after October 1. Look for discounts of 30% off or more.
• Look for some early outerwear deals. Last year Old Navy had a great deal on Frost Free vests for one day only at the end of week one. Gap had theirs 30% off at the same time. We’ve also seen October outerwear deals from The Children’s Place and Crazy8.
• We’ll see a few Columbus Day sales. Look for them at Kohl’s, The Children’s Place, Macy’s and other retailers. Babies R Us offered shoppers up to 50% off gear, travel systems, bedding, and more. Stride Rite also has one. Last year it was up to 30% off plus a coupon code for another 20% off purchases of $50 or more.
• Old Navy’s birthday is shortly after Columbus Day. Look for them to celebrate with a sale.
• Piperlime’s birthday is during the last week of the month. Last year they gave away $25 gift cards with purchase for one day only (Oct. 26). The year before they took 30% off kids’ shoes. Can’t wait to see what they do this year!
• Look for early bird sales of holiday cards around mid month from Shutterfly, et al. Aim for scoring holiday cards for 30 to 50% off.
• Expect to see some “pre-season” toy sales in weeks three and four. Look for them at Toys R Us and elsewhere. These may also come in the form of one-day sales at brand websites like Fisher-Price and Mattel. Last year Mattel ran one for $10 off $25 just after mid month. Fisher-Price ran a $10 off $30 sale a few days earlier.
• Watch for great model-year-clearance bargains to be had on everything that has a model year–car seats, high chairs, etc.
• Yard sales continue in warmer areas.
• Kiddie consignment sales continue.

Ready or not, holiday-themed sales start November 1. Or earlier.

Know of any October sales, deals or coupons I missed? Let us know in the comments.

August brings a wrap-up of summer clearance sales, a crop of fall clothing sales and the kick off of those wonderful fall consignment sales. Overall, it’s a pretty quiet month. Here’s what I expect to see this month, based on sales we saw in previous years.

• Deals abound on kids shoes in August. Shoes.com typically has one of their biggest clearance events of the year during mid to late August and issues a code for an extra 25% off sale prices.

• Look for a 20% off site-wide sale at LeapFrog.com early in the month.

• Fall and back-to-school sales continue. Expect a fall sale at The Children’s Place. Old Navy typically has a kids’ sale during week two with up to 40% off clothes for boys and girls (last year it started around 8/11, though sales have been running a week or so early all year). Old Navy and Gap also released some nice coupons in August last year.

• Gap’s Give and Get sale started August 26 last year and lasted for three days. (again, we could see it closer to mid-month this year). Get 30% off. Sign up for emails if you haven’t already to get the code for online use. Looks like Gap has nixed the G&G sale in favor of a 30% off “Thank You” sale.

• Look for a Gymboree Circle of Friends (i.e. 30% off) sale around mid-month. We also saw 25% off at Crazy8.com at that time.

• Babies R Us started their trade in event during the last week of August last year. The event let you turn in old baby gear at Babies R Us (in-store) and get a coupon for 25% off a baby gear item from select brands.

• Shop tax-free. Most states’ tax holidays are the first or second weekend of the month, just in time for back-to-school shopping. Here’s a state-by-state list of sales tax holidays. Check your local newspaper for more local details. Diapers may be tax free in your state–that’s a discount of 5% to 10% depending on where you live!

• Consignment stores start accepting fall clothing at the beginning of August. Time to cash in with last years’ winter clothes. Read about it here.

• You’ll start seeing fall consignment sales this month, too. Check for sales in your area at The Bargain Watcher.com or KidsConsignmentSales.com. Shopping consignment sales is a GREAT way to save money on baby items. It’s also a fun thing to do when you’re pregnant (not as fun with baby in tow). Many larger sales have websites. Check for special shopping hours for expectant moms and for “no strollers” shopping times.

For September: Labor Day baby sales (love those!).

Know of any sales or deals I missed? Let us know in the comments!

photo by redtwolips via Flickr