11 Ways To Save at Home Depot

by Jeffrey Morris

Everybody has at least one home DIY project they’d like to get done! Why not do it as cheaply as possible?

Home Depot is the largest home improvement retailer in the United States with more than 2,300 stores in North America. Whatever home improvement project you are doing, make sure you know how to save money at Home Depot. Start with the following tips.

1. Take advantage of discounts for military personnel.

Home Depot is renowned for its keen interest in military personnel, active duty service members, and veterans. Home Depot offers active, reserve, and veterans a 10% discount on Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Independence Day. Family members of disabled veterans can also claim this benefit.

2. Know how to spot markdowns.

If you really want to save at Home Depot, then you need to know where to find markdowns. Clearance items and markdowns are usually located on the end caps of the aisles.

Home Depot uses a unique style to label markdowns. Whatever item has a price tag ending in “.06” is a clearance item. The figure “.06” means that the price of the item would be reviewed again in six weeks if it is not sold within the period.

3. Buy “oops” paint for cheap.

Do not paint any room in your house without checking the “oops” paint section of a Home Depot store. This is actually one of the best discounts you can get at Home Depot.

The “oops” paint section contains good paint that was returned simply because it wasn’t the color the customer requested. Once paint is opened, Home Depot can no longer sell it as new even when it was not used by the customer who returned it. In this section, you can find a paint that would usually sell for about $100 for about a third of the price.

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4. Rent tools at Home Depot rather than purchase them.

One reason why Home Depot is popular is the ability to rent home improvement tools as an alternative to purchasing them.

For instance, at the time of this writing, you can easily rent a Kushlan electric cement mixer for $48 a day, rather than purchase the same for $410. This is equipment you would only use once. By renting it at Home Depot, you have saved $362.

5. Watch out for exclusive one-day deals.

Exclusive one-day deals are a great way to save at Home Depot. These deals are updated daily. They are usually tagged as “Special Buy of the Day.” When buying one of these deals, you can get up to 31% discount for items you purchase.

6. Shop via Rakuten and get cash back.

Another way to save money when shopping at Home Depot is to shop via Rakuten or another cash back shopping site. You may not always find a cash back offer or coupon, but it certainly does not hurt to check.

7. Enjoy the Home Depot guaranteed low price on in-store purchases.

Home Depot has a guaranteed low price policy for in-store purchases. If you find a current lower price on an identical, in-stock item from any retailer, Home Depot will match the price. All you need is to do to bring the ad, printout, or photo along to the register for validation.

8. Score a price match online, too.

Home Depot’s price match policy also works for online purchases. Once an item is in your online cart and available to ship to your address, you can score a price match should the item be offered for less on an eligible retailer’s site. You must contact a Home Depot associate during checkout to get the price match.

9. Buy a discounted gift card.

The discounted gift card trick is one of the little tricks that people never hear about. Next time you need to make a purchase at Home Depot, simply visit a discount gift card site like Raise.com and purchase a Home Depot gift card for 5%-10% less than the face value. It is a quick, easy way to save money.

10. Participate in a free workshop.

Home Depot stores offer free workshops for several DIY projects. Your savings come from getting all the step-by-step guidance you need for your DIY projects from the Home Depot training team. This ensures that you do not have to pay a contractor to carry out certain projects.

11. Take advantage of tax exemption.

Home Depot exempts teachers and educators from paying sales tax on items that are purchased for school with school funds. All you need to qualify for this category is a validly issued tax exemption. You can then create a tax exempt ID on Home Depot’s website.

Reviewed August 2023