Cash-strapped first-time buyers looking to move into their dream property this month will pay less for essential home interior goods and appliances than at any other time of the year, according to a new study.

The annual ‘First-Time Buyer Shopping Price Index’* by leading shopping price comparison site, idealo.co.uk, tracks online retail prices to pinpoint the cheapest and most costly months of the year to kit out a new pad.

From fridges and ovens to garden sheds and outdoor dining furniture (like this rattan garden dining set, for instance), the site tends to have examined 12-month pricing data across 39 home-related product categories and found that bargain hunters can make up to 2,989 in savings – simply by purchasing at the cheapest time of the year.

The study exposes the monthly discrepancy in online retail prices and found that shoppers will pay through the nose on goods to the tune of just 42 in August on average annually across all product categories, compared to a whopping 502 in October.

The following reveals how each month ranked across all 39 product categories, from cheapest to most expensive, and how hard shoppers will be hit in the pocket as a result:

August – 42
November – 84
June – 123
May – 127
September – 153
January – 192
December – 315
July – 335
April – 338
February – 339
March – 445
October – 507

With 43%** of first-time buyers now paying their own mortgage deposits and average house prices increasing by 10%*** in the last year, the top 5 biggest online retail price discrepancies – and therefore savings to be made – are:

Home cinema systems: 371 cheaper in September ( 669) on average than in March ( 1,040)
Barbecues: 339 cheaper in July ( 210) on average than in October ( 549)
Lawnmowers: 266 cheaper in August ( 396) on average than in February ( 662)
Sheds: 192 cheaper in May ( 517) on average than in January ( 709)
Garden furniture: 170 cheaper in July ( 175) on average than in April ( 345)
When it comes to the smallest saving to be made, shoppers should not procrastinate over buying a kettle when moving into their new home. Only 4 can be saved on average by purchasing it in January ( 60) compared to April ( 64).