Home Depot is undoubtedly one of the largest home improvement stores around with 2,200 stores throughout the USA, Canada, and Mexico. They have an enormous selection of over 40,000 unique products that keep customers coming back for more.
Everyone from homeowners to real estate investors, to teachers and businesses make purchases here daily but they don’t all pay the same price. Why is that? Because some people have learned how to save money while shopping at Home Depot while others casually pay full price. If you like to get the best deals possible, take a look at this extensive list of tips, tricks, and hacks you can use to save your pennies.
Know How To Read The Sale Tags
Clearance items are not only gathered at endcaps but they are often sitting right on the shelves in their usual place. You’ll know an item is on clearance by the bright yellow clearance tag. To keep things organized, some stores have a method for their discounts and if you know how to look for clues you can figure out their strategy. There is a trick to reading the sales tags that will help you save money.
Is this the final price? Home Depot uses a two-tier approach to discounting their clearance items. All clearance items with a price ending in a “6” will be discounted again in 6 weeks. You can check the date it was put on clearance near the bar code. 6 weeks from that date the item will go on sale again, if there are any left, usually up to 50% off. Take a risk and wait for the lowest price or buy now and be sure you don’t miss out, the choice is yours.
However, if the clearance price ends in a “3” then that item is the cheapest it will ever go. You can buy with confidence, knowing that you are getting the best deal possible.
Keep Track Of Annual Sales And Holidays
There are a lot of holidays, Home Depot celebrates many of them with sales! Here are some of the holidays and savings you should be planning to shop at:
- Spring “Black Friday” – Home Depot has a huge sale on landscaping items in April. This is a great time to get your yard looking nice for the spring and summer months.
- Red, White & Blue Sale – Home Depot has the best prices on grills, appliances, and lawncare for Independence Day with up to 40% off on some items in a 10-day long sale. You’ll find savings throughout the store as well.
- Memorial Day & Labor Day – Both holidays have sales and both are the best time to buy paint cheap, you can save up to $5 a gallon. There are lots of other deals to be had during these weekend holidays.
- Kitchen & Bath Event – Every year from mid-January to mid-March you can save big on kitchen and bath remodeling items. It’s a long-running event so you have plenty of time to take advantage of these low prices.
- Black Friday – The king of all sales events, save 50% on holiday decor, power tools, flooring, and much more. Plan ahead and stalk their website and e-mails to get clues on what will be on sale. You’ll have to shop early to snag the best deals.
- After Holiday Clearance Events – Right after the big day, shop holiday clearance to save anywhere from 50-90%. These items are normally near the “pro center.”
Take Advantage Of Discount Groups
Did you know that Home Depot has a Gardening Club? Once you sign up for free, you can get gardening tips in your e-mail. You’ll also receive promotions, discounts, the occasional freebie, and a $5 off coupon just for joining. There are no requirements, you don’t have to have a green thumb to be a member.
Active duty and retired military service members can get 10% off discounts every day. All Vets save 10% on select holidays as well (for honorably discharged vets). In fact, The Home Depot has a long history of hiring vets and donating to veteran’s causes.
Contractors can sign up for a Home Discount Pro account and save 30% on purchases over $1,500. You don’t have to technically be a contractor to sign up, just a big spender. If you need to make a one-time large purchase you can ask about bulk pricing.
There is even a discount for teachers, just ask a store associate for more information.
How To Get Home Depot Coupons
Everyone loves a coupon. These days there are so many ways to get coupons for your favorite stores. Here are a few ways you can get your hands on physically and digital coupons for Home Depot.
Get a $5 coupon for joining the mailing list. Once you are on the mailing list, you will get notifications about the “deal of the day.” You can also find a Home Depot coupon book in the store, usually located in the cleaning aisle.
Here’s a coupon hack for you. The Home Depot used to provide moving coupons to people who changed their address at the local post office. They no longer do that but Lowes does and The Home Depot will match Lowes prices and coupons. Here’s an additional tip, you can buy these coupons on eBay if you haven’t moved recently.
You can get coupon codes online at Koopy.com with all kinds of discounts for online shopping. Even when you shop online, you can often pick up your items at your local store to avoid shipping times or costs.
Price Matching At The Home Depot
If you love shopping at Home Depot but occasionally see lower prices elsewhere, don’t worry! You can request a price match online or at the store. If you’re about to make a purchase at Home Depot you can quickly check prices with competitors to see if there is a saving to be found. Here are some of their top competitor stores to stalk:
- Lowe’s
- Target
- Walmart
- Best Buy
- Staples
- True Value
Home Depot also happens to be one of the sites that work with the website Paribus which scans your receipts and lets you know if there have been any recent price drops that could save you money. They will even help you get the money back with minimal effort. If you shop online a lot, and who doesn’t these days, you can recoup a lot of money.
Shopping Online And Subscription Services
When you shop online you sometimes find special sales and deeper discounts. For example, you can check out the Home Depot deal of the day. Sometimes you can even pick up your item at the store to skip shipping costs or wait time. Big box stores are often able to offer lower prices on their websites.
Do you find yourself regularly making a trip to the hardware store to buy the same items over and over again? Home Depot has a subscription service where you can save 5% on items you use monthly. You can pause or cancel subscriptions at any time. You do have to have a free Home Depot account online and have a credit card on file. There are no membership fees. This is a great way to get cleaning supplies at a discount!
Free Services From Home Depot
Savings are great, but free is even better. Here are a few free things that you might not have known you can get from Home Depot.
- Lumber Cutting
- Pipe Cutting
- Free Workshops
- Free Kids Workshops (arrive early, fills up fast!)
- Wire Shelf Cutting
- Computerized Paint Color Matching
- DIY Tips On Their YouTube Channel
A Few More Cost-Saving Tips For Home Depot
As you can see, there is almost never a reason to pay full price when shopping at your favorite hardware store. You can get discounts, coupons, and holiday savings all-year-around if you plan it right. Here are a few more tips to save even more.
#1. Get cheap paint and lumber in the “Oops Bins” – when someone else makes a mistake you can buy the items at a deep discount.
#2. Rent tools instead of buying them if you only need them for one job.
#3. Buy discounted gift cards at places like Gift Card Granny.
#4. Sign up for a Home Depot credit card to earn rewards.
#5. Do the survey on your receipt to be entered to win $5,000
#6. Use The Home Depot Rebate Center – this can save you a lot of money on home appliances!
Leverage all of this cost savings advice to find the best possible deals on your next purchase. A bit of knowledge and planning can net you huge savings at checkout on all your favorite products. Be sure to check our blog for more savings tips. Have a savings tip we missed out on? Leave it in the comments below!
