If you’re a smart shopper, choosing the best time of year to buy your appliances will ensure you get the best deal for the right product. Energy efficient appliances are big purchase, but can save you a lot on your utility bills. That’s why you need to think strategically before shopping for items like refrigerators, washing machines, and more.

Here’s what you need to know about when to shop for kitchen appliances:

First things first: what makes a great appliance?

The best appliances on the market are determined by a few key criteria—they’re durable, reliable, and economical. You don’t want to invest in anything that will need constant repairs, perform its functions imprecisely, or drive your monthly electric bill through the roof every time you use it. A premium product doesn’t have to be pricey either. The trick is to have a bit of patience.

Getting the best value

Part of knowing when to purchase your appliances means knowing when new products are being released. Consumer Reports offers month by month stats on the best times to purchase various items, but as a general rule, stores will put new inventory items on the shelves during September, October and January.

While it’s true that these new products are likely to be quite expensive, there’s an upside here for smart shoppers—namely, that the line of products being replaced will drop their prices significantly. If you’re willing to buy an oven or blender from the previous year, you can save a lot of money by doing it just as the new models are coming out. This arguably makes “new release months” the best time of the year to buy appliances that are energy efficient and well-made without paying top dollar—including Energy Star certified products by brands like Samsung and Blomberg.

When to bargain

Don’t always assume you have to pay the price listed on the label, either. There’s plenty of evidence to suggest that haggling works—you just have to choose the right time to try it. Here’s something you may not know: many stores are under pressure to meet monthly sales quotas, which means that the closer you get to the end of the month, the more pressure is on them to move product—even if it means reducing their prices. Try haggling with merchants during the last few days of the month, and you’re much more likely to get that elusive discount.

Beat the rush

If you’re intent on getting a good deal but don’t want to deal with hordes of other thrifty shoppers, you might want to get really specific about when you shop—even going so far as to narrow it down to a single day out of the week. While it’s true that many bargain hunters shop for appliances during the last weekend of each month, the stores are far less crowded on weekdays. We recommend going on a Thursday afternoon, if you can spare the time.

Don’t assume that getting new kitchen appliances has to be stressful, time consuming and expensive. If you’re willing to adjust your schedule a little, you might find that it’s actually the opposite—affordable, quick, and worry-free. The biggest thing to remember is that you need to wait for the stores to have an incentive to cut costs—whether that incentive comes in the form of a new model or a monthly quota. Have patience, keep your eyes open, and you’ll be sure to reap some major savings.