Things to Stock Up On In March 2023 (2024)

No need for the luck o’ the Irish when it comes to saving money this month. As long as you know the best things to buy in March, you’ll be shopping smart and stocking up on everything from groceries to household items. For example, you can earn up to 1,550 kicks ($6.20) when you scan and purchase select Häagen-Dazs products at multiple retailers. Oh, thank goodness March is also National Frozen Food Month!

At The Krazy Coupon Lady, we’ve been tracking sales since 2009, and these are the items and product categories that often see deep price cuts and greater coupon availability during March. Plus, don’t forget about freebies this month. From March Madness food deals to Pi Day pizza deals to St. Patrick’s Day food specials, we’ve got you covered on all the savings as we spring into a new season (yes, the first day of spring is March 20!).

Be sure to download the KCL app for money-saving deals, tips, and coupons, and more.

What to buy at the grocery store:

• St. Patrick’s Day foods: (think corned beef, cabbage)
• Soda pop
• Chips and dip
• Cereal (think: brands like Kellogg’s, Quaker, General Mills, etc.)
• Frozen foods (think: ice cream (expect deals at your local grocery story for Häagen-Dazs ice cream this month), entrees, veggies, pizza, desserts)
• Cleaning products on clearance (think: brands like Lysol, Clorox, Windex, etc.)

What to buy at the big box stores:

• St. Patrick’s Day clearance (think: decorations, candy, tissue paper)
• Makeup and skincare
• Craft supplies (think: yarn, paint, canvas, markers)

What major sales to shop:

• Ulta 21 Days of Beauty Sale
• Sephora’s OH SNAP! Sale
• Target Circle Week

The Best Things to Buy in March

1. Frozen foods

Make room in your freezer because March is National Frozen Food Month and promises frozen food sales galore. Look for deals on your favorite Häagen-Dazs ice cream (©HDIP, Inc,) frozen meals and entrees, veggies, pizza, chicken, side dishes, desserts, and juice concentrate. Summer months likely promise higher prices, so now is a great time to make sure your freezer is stocked.

Remember, if you have Shopkick, you can earn up to 1,550 kicks (a $6.20 value) when you scan and purchase select Häagen-Dazs products. This offer works at stores like Kroger, Publix, Ahold, Giant Eagle, and Meijer.

If you have Ibotta downloaded, you can redeem $1 off one Häagen-Dasz product using the app.

Plus, all month long, the above stores will also hold special in-store promotions from Häagen-Dasz. Since deals vary by store, you’ll just have to find your local store to find out the special savings. At Kroger for example, when you buy five or more select Häagen-Dazs, you can save $1 on each product.

Frozen food coupons:

• Birds Eye coupons
• Ice cream coupons
• El Monterey coupons
• Red Baron coupons
• Tyson coupons

2. St. Patrick’s Day-themed foods and decor

March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day, so you can expect sales on popular Irish foods like corned beef, cabbage, and Irish soda bread. After the holiday, be ready to save on St. Patrick’s Day decorations and products on clearance.

Check Walmart, Target, Joann Fabrics, Hobby Lobby, and Michaels for St. Patrick’s Day deals and clearance. If you’re serious about finding decent stuff, you need to be at the stores immediately after the holidays. Things go fast! Look for items you can repurpose for other holidays, like tissue paper, gift bags, and baking products.

3. Personal Care Items

We found that you can get extra good savings on personal care items in March. Dial body wash is a great example. Walmart’s everyday price of $4.48 beat out Family Dollar’s price of $4.75. You can find this list price on Dial’s 21 oz body wash items such as Silk & Magnolia, Marula Oil or Spring Water. Plus, the formula on these body washes are new and improved to clean deep but remain gentle on the skin.

4. Soda pop

March Madness, or that time of the year when basketball fans lose their minds over men’s and women’s college ball, starts mid-March. Here are the dates:

• First Four: March 14 – 15
• First round: March 16 – 17
• Second round: March 18 – 19
• Sweet 16: March 23 – 24
• Elite Eight: March 25 – 26
• Final Four: April 1
• NCAA championship game: April 3

Me? I’m just here for the deals the games inspire. So basically, I use it as a chance to stock up on soda.

Watch for soda prices to reach at least 50% off when you stack coupons with sale prices and/or Ibotta offers. Drugstores like CVS, along with Target, have offered great soda deals in the past.

Soda pop coupons:

• Pepsi coupons
• co*ke coupons
• MTN Dew coupons

5. Chips and Dip

We might have March Madness to thank for all the chip deals, but also, National Potato Chip Day is March 14, and National Chip and Dip Day is March 23. So there are loads of reasons to expect deals on chips and dip.

In addition to game-day snacks, you can use these deals to stock up for kids’ lunches. I’ve even found free Popchips Nutter Puffs in years prior.

Chips and dip coupons:

• Pringles coupons
• Doritos coupons

6. Cereal

March 7 is National Cereal Day, so look out for awesome sales on cereal, and stack low prices with coupons. Cereal is an ideal item to stockpile because if your family is like mine, they consume it like crazy. But also because it has a good shelf life when unopened — six months to a year. (A month or less when opened, but my cereal never lives that long.)

Cereal coupons:

• Quaker coupons
• Kellogg’s coupons
• General Mills coupons

7. Cleaning Products

Did you know that 75% of us participate in spring cleaning? Yep, three out of four Americans will give their homes a thorough once-over every year according to an Ipsos study. That’s a lot of us, and it’s also a lot of cleaning supplies. Since March 20 is the first day of spring, it’s unsurprising that we tend to see deals on cleaning products all month long. It’s the best time to stock up for the rest of the year.

Cleaning Supply coupons:

• Lysol coupons
• Clorox coupons
• Comet coupons
• Dawn coupons
• Pledge coupons
• Windex coupons

8. Makeup and Skincare

Two makeup and skincare sales you’ll want to write down on your calendar: Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty Event and Sephora’s OH SNAP! Sale. They’ll both start on March 12 and run for three weeks.

Historically, this has been Ulta’s sale and their time to shine. But in recent years, Sephora has elbowed their way in by offering all of Ulta’s deals to Sephora customers. Thing is, Sephora customers are sometimes also Ulta customers (although not always, I know some people have their fave). But if you’re trying to find the best deal, keep this in mind: in 2022 Sephora sweetened the pot by offering free shipping with no minimum purchase, while Ulta required a $35 spend in order to get free shipping. So all things being equal, shop Sephora if we see a repeat of this.

Here are a few makeup and skincare deals I saw during Ulta’s sale in 2022:

• MAC Select Lipstick Bullets, $10.50 (regularly $21)
• Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Pads, $30 (regularly $60)
• Too Faced All Brow, $12.50 (regularly $25)

Here are a few makeup deals I saw during Sephora’s sale in 2022:

• ​​Anastasia Beverly Hills Luminous Foundation, $19 (regularly $38)
• First Aid Beauty Pure Skin Face Cleanser, $12 (regularly $24)
• Clinique Quickliner for Eyes Intense Eyeliner, $11 (regularly $22)

9. Jeans for the Family

March 5 – 11 is Target Circle Week. It’s a sales event that happens twice a year (March and again in September). This is a great time to buy jeans. Expect to see at least 30% off men’s, women’s, and kids’ jeans if you’re a Circle member. Don’t worry if you’re not a member; it’s easy to sign up for Target Circle offers. Also keep your eyes peeled for other apparel deals. Especially for kids! Back-to-school season is the absolute best time to buy kids’ clothing, but come March you may be looking for some replacements, as your kids may have grown or blown holes in the knees of everything.

Learn more about how to shop Target Circle Week.

10. Craft Supplies

Over 10 years ago, the Craft & Hobby Association created National Craft Month in order to introduce younger generations to crafting. But you can utilize it as a way to replenish your crafting stockpile. Check out stores like Michaels and Joann Fabrics for coupons and deals on your favorite supplies.

In 2022 Michaels hosted free craft workshops every weekend in March.

March Honorable Mentions:

Tail-end winter clearance

While February was truly prime time for shopping cheap winter clearance, a lot of stores, like Dick’s Sporting Goods, have winter clearance sales that last through March.

Home Depot Kids’ Workshop: March 4

Check with your local Home Depot to see if they’re offering the in-store Kids Workshop event. Register as soon as you can in order to secure a spot.

Pi Day: March 14

International Pi Day is a riff on the mathematical “pi,” (3.14). In 2022 7-Eleven sold pizzas for $3.14. In the past, Blaze Pizza has done this too. Watch for McDonald’s to offer free pie with a purchase (an in-app coupon). Track all the Pi Day deals here.

St. Patrick’s Day Deals: March 17

On St. Patty’s Day, look for all kinds of freebies and deals. For example, when you wear green to Krispy Kreme, you can get free donuts. Kona Grill puts corned beef sliders on the menu, and Applebee’s offers $5 St. Patrick’s Day co*cktails.

Lowe’s Kids’ Workshop: March 18

Like Home Depot, Lowe’s offers kids’ workshops. Also like Home Depot, register early to be sure you get a place!

DQ Free Cone Day: March 21 (predicted)

Even though Dairy Queen Free Cone Day was suspended for two years (2020 and 2021), it was a thing in 2022, so I expect to see it in 2023. Also look for deals at Ben & Jerry’s.

International Waffle Day: March 25

IHOP usually offers a deal on waffles, but last year’s deal was underwhelming.

31% off a scoop of ice cream at Baskin Robbins: March 31

All scoops are 31% off on March 31!

Wait until April for …

Gardening supplies like mulch and yard pavers (Lowe’s and Home Depot Spring Black Friday starts April 6).

See all the best things to buy in April.