It's the worst time to buy bathing suits -- it's the middle of the summer. Makes sense. Why would I need to purchase swimwear in July? Bathing suits seem to be in abundance around March and April when the snow is just making its gradual escape from the sun. Even if you do buy those super cute bikinis when you have a plethora of options to choose from, they are usually marked at full price and never on sale.

I became very frustrated the other day when it took me several hours scouring the mall to find a bathing suit. I ended up buying from some unexpected places that I haven't shopped at in a long time.

Garage. Last time I shopped here there was a limited selection, but what they did have was marked down a lot and it was buy one get one free, so you didn't have to pay for the top and bottom. Also, it was very easy to mix and match tops and bottoms.

Aerie. I bought my favorite bikini from Aerie last year. It's not wired so it doesn't look like a bra (I'm over that look), but it has enough structure and lift to create a flattering but natural look. They call bathing suits like these "perky" triangles. They also have many others like trendy crochet bikinis and cute one-pieces.

Victoria's Secret/Pink. Most bathing suits are on sale right now, since the company has decided to cease its swimwear line.

Abercrombie & Fitch. A lot of people stopped shopping here because the company seemed to fall behind in trends for a while. However, a friend of mine works there and has gotten some really edgy and cute one pieces.

Topshop. This is more on the expensive side of the bathing suit industry, but the website features tons of choices and unique monokinis.

Hollister. When I couldn't find a bathing suit anywhere, I decided to try this brand's website and actually got a cute, good-quality crochet bikini for under $30.

Target. While Target's not great with sales, it always has a large selection of bathing suits that will last.

Fabletics. Though you won't have the thrill of strutting out of the mall with bags hanging off your arms, this online site has some great bathing suits for very affordable prices. If you sign up as a VIP member, your first outfit (top and bottom of a bathing suit) is $25 and when there's a sale, sometimes it's only $15.

Around this time though, it's most promising to buy online.