August is the best time to buy these items

Summer is winding down, but sales are ramping up.

Consumer Reports tracks the prices of many of its top tested products all year long, so they know deep discounts when they see them.

Here are some standouts for this month’s Best Time to Buy list.

First up on the list of August back to school sales: technology – everything from laptops to computers, printers and routers.

Consumer Reports found a Mac Mini for $649 at Amazon. Testers say it’s fast and performed well in owner satisfaction surveys.

Strengthen your connection and make it more secure with a router upgrade. Testers like the Netgear Orbi Mesh Router System. It’s $97 at Amazon and scored high in distance tests.

Another item that can go a long way this school year: a tablet. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 is $530 at Amazon.

And how about a robotic vacuum to help keep that college dorm or apartment clean?

CR says the Eufy RoboVac is extremely quiet and excelled at cleaning and navigating their test laboratory. It’s $220 at Amazon.

"Vacuums, in general, tend to go on sale all throughout the year, so my best recommendation is to never pay full price for a vacuum,” said Samantha Gordon with Consumer Reports.

When popular products do go on sale, they can be gone before you know it, so don’t wait too long to take advantage of sales on items you really want.