Trader Joe’s is a mainstay in my families monthly shopping adventures. My wife and I find that if you shop smart, TJ’s can provide a great value on many items. Plus, my kids love to frantically search the aisles for the stuffed beaver in order to score a free lollipop at the register. Anyways, I wanted to take this opportunity to break down a bunch of my favorite savings hacks and tips for Trader Joe’s. Here they are in no particular order.

1. Frozen Fruit is Expensive

A bag of frozen fruit at Trader Joe’s is very expensive compared to Walmart and Costco.

As a matter of fact, a small bag at TJ’s is more expensive than the large 64 oz bag at Walmart.

We are talking frozen fruit here, typically for smoothies or desserts, so why pay more than you have to.

Skip it and save money by purchasing elsewhere.

PRO TIP: FOCUS ON CORNERS AND END CAPS

I was chatting it up with a friendly crew member the other day and asked him where in the store do you find the best deals?

He said without blinking, “in the corners and the end caps”.

I was like, “the corners?” He then explained that the back two corners of the store almost always have either a food sample station or deals on new-to-the-store products.

He then also explained that endcaps have the hot seasonal items that tend to sell out really quickly and shoppers should always check them out FIRST.

Stuff like Candy Cane Joe-Joes, Spiced Cider, and anything Pumpkin Spice.

2. Trader Joe’s Accepts Coupons

While Trader Joe’s does not have in-house coupons, they do except manufacturer coupons on items they stock.

A couple great coupon resources include Hip2Save and All Natural Savings.

While most of their items are their in-house brand, they have many national brands as well which often have coupons available.

These include Columbus sliced meats, Pellegrino, various beers, and some of the snack foods.

3. Frozen Meals are a Steal

Frozen meals at Trader Joe’s are typically a great deal and are usually at least $2 cheaper than traditional grocery stores.

Not sure which ones taste good?

Head over to the website What’s Good at Trader Joe’s and read a bunch of in-depth reviews on their frozen meals so you have a good idea which ones to try out and which ones to pass on.

PRO TIP: SHOP EARLY, MIDWEEK

This one may seem obvious as Trader Joe’s can get very crowded on weekends.

But an employee told me recently that Mondays can be just as crowded as Sundays.

She went on to say that Tuesday or Wednesday, 30 minutes after they open, is the SINGLE BEST time to shop at TJ’s and avoid the crowd.

4. Buy the Frozen Mac ‘N Cheese

This one falls into the “Who Knew?” category.

Turns out the frozen mac ‘n cheese is da bomb and way better than their boxed version.

While I’ve never tried their boxed mac ‘n cheese, the reviews, shall we say, are not glowing.

5. Tote Your Own Bag

Some Trader Joe’s locations will reward you nicely if you tote your own bags.

You’ll be entered in a $25 gift card raffle when you spend at least $25 and use your own bags.

Be sure to fill out the raffle ticket when checking out or ask the cashier if you don’t see one.

It’s a win-win for you and the environment.

PRO TIP: YOU GOT NOTHING TO LOSE

If you try a frozen meal and decide you don’t like it, they’ll take it back as part of their VERY generous return policy.

Literally all you have to tell them is you “Didn’t like it” and they’ll take it back, no questions asked.

6. Specialty Cheeses are a HUGE Deal

Our fridge is almost always stocked with specialty cheeses from Trader Joe’s.

I’m talking about smoked cheddar, brie, and blue cheese to name a few.

Why? Because they’re absolutely delicious and at least 35% cheaper than any other grocery store in town.

PRO TIP: AVOID PRE-SLICED CHEESE

Don’t buy the pre-sliced cheeses as you’ll pay a premium, up to 30%, compared to buying the blocks and slicing it yourself at home.

See Also: Does Trader Joe’s Offer Delivery? Yes, and Here’s How

7. Buy Bunches of Bananas

At just $.19 cents each, bananas have always been a great deal at Trader Joe’s.

Amazingly, the price of bananas at TJ’s hasn’t changed in over 20 years and has almost reached Costco hot dog meal for $1.50 prowess among bargain shoppers.

It’s also a cute story as to why Trader Joe’s has stuck with the 19 cents per banana policy and has to do with the classic “I’m too old to buy green bananas” joke.

PRO TIP: CONSIDER A PART-TIME JOB

I recently sat down over a couple beers with a friend who’s been a crew member at Trader Joe’s for a couple years and got the inside scoop on their employee discount and other cool job perks.

Back in 2020, they raised their employee discount to a whopping 20% off EVERYTHING, up from 10%.

The discount is good for part-time and full-time employees and you can get it at ANY location across the country.

So if you’re feeding a large family and looking for part-time work, dropping off an application at Trader Joe’s should be at the top of your to-do list.

8. Shop For Packaged Non-Perishables

“Packaged non-perishables.” A great alternative rock band name, and also the single best reason to shop at Trader Joe’s.

Not only are most packaged non-perishables inexpensive, but they’re very high-quality and typically organic.

Quinoa is a great example and is sold for $2 less per pound when compared to Whole Foods.

Ask the Reader: What money savings tips or tricks for Trader Joe’s did I leave out? Let me know in the comments, thanks.

By Kyle James

Photo by Mike Mozart.

How to find screaming deals at Target is a popular topic among shoppers these days. If you’re not shopping smart and looking for ways to save, the retailer can easily become a black hole of overspending. So I decided to cut through all of the clutter and come up with the only 5 Target shopping hacks you’ll ever need to save money at Target.

Tips that will give you insider information on the retail giant and a leg up on how to spot deals that the average Target shopper will have no clue about. Drum-roll, please…

1. Shop for Target Items at Goodwill

I was in my local Goodwill a few weeks ago and found a Target branded Mossimo shirt on the rack that was brand spanking new.

My deal radar went off and I asked an employee if they get Target surplus items regularly, and she verified that they “do indeed” and they’re actually considered a Target Salvage Store.

She said they typically come in once a month, within the first week of the month, and include housewares, clothing, and sometimes toys.

So if you love Target, but never shop at Goodwill, it may be time to change your shopping routine.

Also, be aware that just because it came from Tar’ Zhay, doesn’t mean Goodwill will always price it cheaper than the Target clearance price.

But in most cases, you can score a great deal on Target items at your local Goodwill store.

PRO TIP: GET A TARGET RAIN CHECK

If an item is on sale at Target, but sold out, you should head to the customer service desk at the front of the store to request a paper rain check.

Target will guarantee the sale price for 30 to 45 days, depending on the state the you live in, and give you a paper rain check to bring back in (to any Target location) when the product is back in-stock.

The exceptions worth noting includes products on clearance, “Price Cut” items, “Temporary Price Cut” items, and stuff sold on Target.com.

See Also: 7 Target Clearance Tips: Learn How to Save BIG at Tarzhay

2. Crack the Target Clearance Sticker Code

If you learn to crack the price tag code at Target you can time your purchase to maximize your savings.

Check out the Target clearance sticker above, do you see the tiny 70 in the upper right hand corner?

That number signifies the percent off the original price.

I have it on good authority from a Target employee that they mark down items by the following increments, 15%, 30%, 50%, 70% and 90% off.

Clothing and shoes are marked down at 30%, 50% and then 70% (and then go salvage).

Seasonal Items goes 30, 50, 70, and only the non-”big name” items go to 90. Everything else goes 15, 30, 50, 70 and then salvage.

Typically an item will stay at the current markdown percentage for 10-14 days before getting marked down further.

PRO TIP: CHECK INVENTORY LEVELS AND WAIT IF NECESSARY

So the takeaway here is if they have a bunch of an item and it’s marked at 30% off, wait and come back and you stand a great chance of getting it for 50% or 70% off.

 3. Sign up for Target Coupon Alerts

Most Target shoppers are already aware of their mobile app which gives you access to a whole bunch of coupons and deals.

But perhaps the easiest way to ensure you don’t pay full-price on your next Target shopping trip is to sign-up for their mobile coupon alerts.

Once you’ve signed up for these little-known alerts, you’ll get coupons sent directly to your smartphone that can be redeemed directly from the screen.

No clipping required and no need to dig-up a coupon specific app while checking out. You can even pick the time of day you want the coupons delivered.

See Also: Learn How To Stack Coupons at Target and Save Big

4. Get a Target Price Match

The Target price match policy has been discussed before on my blog but is still a bit of a mystery to many Target shoppers.

If at the time of purchase, or within 7 days, you find a lower price from Target.com, Amazon.com, Walmart.com, BestBuy.com, ToysRUs/BabiesRUs.com or in a competitor’s local printed ad, they’ll happily give you the lower price.

Simply go the “Guest Services” desk and tell them about the lower price.

They’ll then use their tablet to verify the price, make sure the item is in-stock, and identical, before giving you the lower price.

5. Shop on the Right Day of the Week

Are you aware that Target employees markdown specific departments on different days of the week?

By knowing the day, you can walk into your store and find a plethora of items recently marked down or recently put on sale.

From my article on markdown days, and courtesy of All Things Target.com, here is what you need to know:

• Monday – Electronics, Accessories, Kids Clothing, Books, Baby and Stationery
• Tuesday — Domestics, Women’s Clothing, Pets and Market (food items)
• Wednesday — Men’s Clothing, Health and Beauty, Diapers, Lawn & Garden items and Furniture
• Thursday — Housewares, Lingerie, Shoes, Toys, Sporting Goods, Decor & Luggage
• Friday — Auto, Cosmetics, Hardware, & Jewelry

Use this information to save money on stuff you would be buying anyways; not as a green-light to buy marked-down stuff just because it’s on sale.

See Also: Employees Tell Me the Best & Worst Buys at Target

Ask the Reader: How do you save money at Target, or do you just head to Walmart or Amazon.com? I look forward to your comment.

By Kyle James

Photo credit to Mike Mozart.

I hate to waste money on ANYTHING! Being a self-proclaimed coupon nerd, this is probably pretty obvious to most of my loyal readers by now.

So when I stumbled upon an old Visa gift card in my desk drawer recently, which was about to expire (GASP!), it was clearly time to put my frugal skillz to work and figure out an easy way to get my money off the card. The original balance was $25 and I knew I only had a few bucks left on the card.

Luckily I discovered that Amazon will let you buy an Amazon gift card by using an unwanted Visa gift card as your form of payment. Then you can simply spend the Amazon gift card whenever you’d like as they don’t expire.

Step 1: Activate the Visa Gift Card for Online Use

1 –  Go to the gift card company’s website. (Usually listed on the back of the gift card)

2 – Follow the steps to “Check your balance and access your account”.

3 – Once in your gift card account, follow the steps to “Shop Online”. Usually as simple as adding your zip code to the card/account.

Step 2: Add your Visa Gift Card to Amazon Wallet

1 – Simply log-in to “Your Account” on Amazon.com.

2 – On your account page, click on “Payment Option”which will take you to your “Amazon Wallet”, then click on “Add a Credit or Debit Card”.

3 – Next, just add your Visa gift card to your Amazon account like you would with any debit or credit card.

Note: This should also work on any gift card with a MasterCard, American Express, or Discover logo on it.

Step 3: Get an Amazon Gift Card Delivered to Yourself

1 – First of all, you’ll want to know the exact remaining balance on your Visa gift card. If you’re not sure what it is, just call the number on the back and they’ll tell you.

2 – Next, visit the eGift Card page on Amazon.com. You’ll want to use an eGift Card as they offer e-mail delivery.

3 – Under “Amount”, pick “Set my own” and enter the amount remaining on your Visa gift card.

4 – Enter your own e-mail address as the “Recipient E-Mail” and choose “Now” as your delivery date.

5 – Once you reach the checkout page, simply select your Visa gift card as your form of payment.

6 – Once finalized, your Amazon gift card will show up in your e-mail inbox within a couple hours.

Shop on Amazon and Redeem your New Gift Card

This step is fairly self-explanatory.

Just shop on Amazon like you normally would and when you reach the payment page, simply apply your new gift card to your purchase and you’re golden.

Scenarios When This Tip Works Best:

1 – If you have a Visa gift card with a small balance on it, and you’re not sure when you’ll ever use it, this tip is for you.

Especially since many Visa gift cards have an expiration date on them. Get them turned into Amazon cash and use them up before they expire.

2 – Also, if you have a significant amount on a Visa gift card, let’s say $125, and you want to buy a new $600 HDTV from Amazon, this tip will also be beneficial.

This is because Amazon does NOT let you split transactions on 2 different cards. But they do let you use a Amazon gift card in conjunction with a regular credit card.

Happy savings.

By Kyle James

Photo credit to frankleleon.