I have a love/hate relationship with The Home Depot. On one hand, they carry an awesome selection of home improvement products, tools, and supplies at competitive prices. On the other hand, it can be hard to get answers to your questions as each department only has two employees at any given time, and one of them is usually a clueless kid. I know because I WAS that clueless kid not long ago, mismatching paint until my orange apron had every color of the rainbow strewn across it.

But anyways, I wanted to take this opportunity to share my seven favorite “insider” ways to save money at the Home Depot, many of which I learned when I was wearing the famous orange apron.

1. Look For Damaged Packaging

This tip involves looking for damaged boxes or packaging when shopping at The Home Depot and politely asking for a discount.

I did this awhile back on a damaged kitchen sink box when doing an interview with Inside Edition.

The box had a slight tear in one of the corners, but there was NOTHING wrong with the actual sink.

I asked an associate for a 15% discount and they offered to take 10% off for me saving me a good chunk of change.

When I worked at The Home Depot we were trained to give out these types of discounts to get rid of damaged stuff.

ALL employees actually get $50 a day to hand out in discounts, without getting a manager’s approval, which I think is pretty cool and empowering.

Bottom-line, managers want to get rid of ANYTHING that’s even slightly damaged, so use this to your advantage and learn to haggle a good deal at The Home Depot.

See Also: Home Depot Will Often Give You the Lower Price If Item is Stocked in Wrong Spot

2. Pay Attention to the Cents on The Price Tag

This one comes from my article on Cracking the Price Tag Code. Pay attention to the cents on the Home Depot price tag.

If the item has an ending price of .06, it means the product is on clearance and will be lowered again in 6 weeks if it doesn’t sell out.

If the price ends in .03, it’s a final markdown price and the lowest price you’ll ever see on that product. If it doesn’t sell out in 3 weeks, it will be removed from the warehouse and liquidated.

Bottom-line, by looking for items that have an ending price of .06 or .03 you’re guaranteed to get a good deal.

3. Always Buy Paint on a Holiday Weekend

Having worked in the paint department, I am quite familiar with the times of the year when Behr paint goes on sale.

The dates to remember are any long holiday weekend, especially between the months of April and October.

So think Memorial Day, Father’s Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day.

Paint will be $5 off per gallon and $25 off for a 5 gallon bucket.

Sometimes you’ll have to mail-in a rebate to get the discount and sometimes you’ll get it when you checkout.

If you’re planning a big paint purchase, you can save a good chunk of change by timing your purchase to coincide with one of these holiday weekends.

See Also: Home Depot Employees Tell Me The BEST Ways to Save

4. Score a Rebate

Check out the very easy to search Rebate Center on the Home Depot website before you make ANY significant purchases.

Many shoppers aren’t a fan of rebates as they’re worried they’ll forget to redeem them.

If you’re in this camp, try this little hack…address the envelope for the rebate and add the stamp right away.

Once the stamp is added I guarantee you’ll mail in the rebate.

I recently did this “trick” with a rebate on Behr paint that I bought to paint my daughter’s bedroom and it definitely works.

See Also: Dislike Home Depot? Check Out These Smart Ways to Save at Lowe’s

5. Get Price Protection

When I worked at The Home Depot I was amazed with how few shoppers knew about our price protection policy.

If you buy something from Home Depot, and they lower the price within 30 days, just bring your receipt back in and get the difference.

Tip: If you make a big ticket purchase, add a reminder to your smartphone calendar and check the price once a week for the next 30 days.

If the price drops, come back in and get some money back.

6. Are You a Veteran or Active Military?

If you’re a veteran or active military member, you NEED to take advantage of newly revamped Home Depot Military Discount.

The discount is a flat 10% OFF the vast majority of items they sell.

The easiest way to get your discount is to download the Home Depot app and create an account if you don’t already have one.

Then once you’re on the Account page, just tap Military Discount Benefit and follow the instructions to get verified.

Once verified, you’ll just pull up the barcode within the app when checking out in-store.

The employee will scan it and you’ll collect your 10% discount.

To pull up your barcode within the app follow these steps:

1. Go to Menu, then My Account.
2. Then tap Account, to access the drop-down menu.
3. Next tap Military Discount Benefit.
4. Then the Barcode will pop up.

7. Get a Price Match

If you find a lower price at a local competitor, (think Lowe’s, Ace Hardware, Menards) Home Depot will happily match the lower price.

Item must be identical and in-stock at both locations.

From the Home Depot website, “Excludes special orders, bid pricing, volume discounts, open-box merchandise, labor and installation, sales tax, rebate and free offers, typographical errors and online purchases. Online purchases are subject to price match only.”

Ask the Reader: What’s your best tip to save money at The Home Depot? Let me know in the comments.

By Kyle James

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, probably for smoothies or desserts, so why pay more than you have to.

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.

YOU HAVE 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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Bonus Tip #1: 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.

Bonus Tip #2: Shop the 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.

Bonus Tip #3: Consider a Part-Time Job at TJ’s

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.

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.

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

So the takeaway here is if they have a bunch of an item at 30% off, for example, 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: Did You Know You Have 1-Year to Return Cat & Jack Clothing Items to 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.