The deals you're seeing on everything from houses and cars to televisions and furniture won't last forever. As the economy improves in coming months, they'll evaporate. Luckily, for a host of goods and services, the sale of the century (literally) is still on. A look at 10 things you may want to buy while they buying's good.
1. A Car
With the auto industry suffering, manufacturers are offering huge incentives on their swelling inventories of new cars. Buyers with good credit can get 0% financing on most types of cars and some cash rebates can be upward of $6,000. Don't rule out a used car either: The February 2009 Consumer Price Index shows a 10% decrease in used car prices from a year ago.
2. A Vacation
Need a break? Now's the time to take one. According to Expedia.com research, average hotel prices in many desirable destinations have plummeted. For example, hotel prices in Las Vegas are down 34% from a year ago. Average Caribbean cruise prices have fallen 8% compared with the first quarter of 2008. Several travel agents also bragged about booking week-long Alaskan summer cruises for as low as $1,000 per person, including airfare and taxes.
3. High-Dividend Stocks
The S&P 500 is down 40% from a year ago and could fall further, but for those willing to brave the market and wait, deals abound. Inflation could make it an even better time to buy. Washington's bailouts and ballooning budgets may make stocks with a history of high dividends a good option--they take advantage of today's low stock prices and implicitly protect investors from future inflation through regular dividend payments.
4. A Laptop
Paul Ryder, vice president of consumer electronics for Amazon.com, says laptop prices have dropped thanks to the interest in netbooks. Although the Consumer Price Index does not break out laptop computers from others, it seems to broadly support this claim, with personal computer prices falling 13% in February from a year earlier.
5. A Television
Each year it seems as though TVs get cheaper and cheaper, but this year those decreases are starting to make larger flat-panel TVs far more affordable. The radio/television category in February's Consumer Price Index was down 9% from a year ago as more manufacturers get into the flat-panel business, driving prices down.
Click here to see the full slide show of 10 Things to Buy Before the Economy Improves.
Market Data 
Markets 
AI
