By: John Matarese , Emily Hanford-Ostmann

The Fourth of July weekend is a major opportunity to save on big-ticket items for the home, with retailers rolling out deep discounts on patio pieces, mattresses, appliances and more.

Shopper Janet Green went to the home furnishings store Watson's with a shopping list built for summer.

"Needed a new filter for a pool," she said, "and I need some patio furniture."

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Watson's is holding its Great American Sale with storewide savings of 30% to 50% off. The store's deals extend beyond furniture, covering pools, spas and patio umbrellas.

Sales manager John Kathmann said the holiday weekend is a strong time to buy in-stock furniture and other products. He warns that the next shipments could cost more due to higher shipping fees.

"We've bought a lot of inventory ahead of time before the petroleum prices went skyrocketing," he said. "The next round of inventory that we're going to get is going to see decent sized increase in prices."

Watch as we tour an outdoor store and find some great July markdowns:

Great July sales, and what to buy right now

What to buy now, and what can wait

Retail insights expert Stephanie Carls of RetailMeNot said shoppers should not overlook mattress deals this time of year.

"This is a mattress holiday wearing a cookout costume," she said.

Carls said mattresses hit their deepest markdowns of the year in July. Stores also discount washers, refrigerators and other appliances ahead of the arrival of fall models.

However, Carls said don't rush to buy a grill despite all the advertised deals.

"You'll see grill sales everywhere, but the real markdowns do come at the end of the summer when the stores need that space," Carls said. "Wait until September and then that same grill — that price is going to drop very, very hard and very quickly."

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Carls also said most back-to-school shopping can wait, as the bigger sales and sales tax holidays arrive later in July and August.

Shopping expert Claudia Lombana said July is also an ideal time to hit clearance racks for off-season items.

"Winter shopping, whether it's for new bedding or sweaters or socks or even holiday decor," Lombana said. "This is a really great time for consumers to take advantage of mid-year clearance sales."

More firework-worthy deals 

Other savings to find around July Fourth include:

• Camping and hiking gear from outdoor retailers like REI
• Seasonal apparel and footwear from brands like DSW and Old Navy
• Air conditioning units from brands like Frigidaire
• Sunscreen and other suncare products from stores like Walmart
• Outdoor games and pool toys from retailers like Target

This holiday weekend, beat the heat with some Independence Day browsing.

"We've got over 100 sets of furniture. We've got over 50 hot tubs on the floor, tons of pools on the pool lot," Kathmann said, so you don't waste your money.

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