Where to find the best 4th of July deals today

Former editor-at-large for Shape Magazine and lifestyle and beauty journalist Bahar Takhtehchian shares her best and brightest Fourth of July deals for maximum savings.

In general, July is one of the slowest retail months, so retailers offer up great discounts to entice people to shop. This is a great time to save big on everything from summer clothes, to home and garden goods, travel and even electronics.

Plus, you can reap deep discounts on even more items later in the month thanks to Amazon's Prime Day which takes place on July 16 and lasts 36 hours this year.

Both are great places to shop, but if you want to relax at home and spend quality time with friends and family on this holiday, online shopping is your best bet.

Let's break down the deals!

Since most stores put their summer clothing on display as early as April, July is the time of year where retailers unload old inventory to make room for fall finds. Save on swimsuits, shorts, T-shirts and more.

• Old Navy: Save up to 60 percent off sitewide
• Disney: Save up to 60 percent off clothing, toys, and accessories
• Nordstrom: Up to 50 percent off select styles
• Brooks Brothers: Up to 40 percent off spring and summer styles
• Sephora: Save up to 50 percent off in-store and online
• Bergdorf Goodman: Up to 75 percent of select designer duds
• Club Monaco: Save an extra 30 percent off sale items

July is the time of year when retailers put fitness apparel, footwear and exercise equipment on deep discount.

• Dick's Sporting Goods: Save up to 70 percent off footwear, apparel, fitness equipment and more
• Modell's: Up 20 percent off and free shipping on select items
• Famous Footwear: Buy one, get one 50 percent off clearance items

July is a great time to upgrade your kitchen, garden, deck, patio, or living room with deeply discounted items.

• Ace Hardware: Get free assembly and delivery on all grills $399 and up
• Macy's: Up to 50 percent off select furniture including beds and sofas
• Wayfair: Up to 70 percent off select items
• Lowes: Up to 40 percent off patio furniture and outdoor goods
• Sears: Up to 60 percent off select appliances
• William-Sonoma: Up to 75 percent off kitchen appliances

If you're looking to trade in your phone or want to get a head start on back-to-school gadget shopping, now is the time to shop.

• HP: Up to $200 off select laptops
• Walmart: Up to $100 of select Apple products
• Microsoft: Up to $200 off select laptops
• Best Buy: Up to 30 percent off smart home items

There's still time to book a last-minute summer vacation and save money while you're at it. If you're able to plan ahead, booking your winter fall or winter getaway now can save you big bucks.

• Hotels.com: Up to 40 percent off select travel packages
• Sandals: Up to 65 percent off last minute travel deals to Jamaica, St. Lucia or Grenada
• Funjet Vacations: Up to 35 percent off Cozumel vacation packages
• Viking River Cruises: 2-for-1 cruise fares on select 2018 and 2019 river and ocean cruises

On a patriotic note, there are a lot of retailers that give significant discounts to military families.

• Ford: Active duty and veterans get up to $1,000 off eligible cars
• Sam's Club: Active and former members of the U.S. military and their spouses get a $10 gift card when they sign up for a membership
• Home Depot: Military veterans get a 10 percent discount
• Outback Steakhouse: Active military, veterans, police officers and firefighters with valid state or federal identification get 20 percent off
• Lenovo: Active military, reservists, veterans and immediate family member get 15 percent off their entire purchase

Last year, Prime members enjoyed flash sales on everything from televisions to Instant Pots. This year, the 36-hour event boasts more than 1 million deals for Prime members around the world. For the first time ever, Prime members receive 10 percent off hundreds of sale items at Whole Foods Market stores. And from July 14 through 17, Amazon Prime members get 10 percent back at Whole Foods.

TVs, smart home devices, kitchen tools, groceries, toys, fashion, furniture, appliances and back-to-school supplies. Anyone can join Prime or start a 30-day free trial to participate in Prime Day.

Yes, TVs, smart home products and all Amazon devices, especially Alexa-enabled devices like the Echo, Fire TV, tablets and more. TODAY Shopping put together this handy guide with everything you need to know.

It's possible that we will see competitors offer some big deals in the TV, home, fashion, and furniture categories.