10 Ways To Save at Home Depot

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 veteran servicemembers and their spouses 10% off purchases. Visit the Home Depot website to find out how to get set up to receive military discounts.

Or find out if your military family qualifies to buy tax-free Home Depot merchandise at military pricing through the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) and Navy Exchange (NEX).

2. Know how to spot markdowns.

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

On the Home Depot website, visit the Savings Center to discover markdowns.

3. Buy “oops” paint for cheap.

Before painting any room in your house, check the “oops” paint section at 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.

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 price match guarantee.

Home Depot has a guaranteed price match policy for in-store and online purchases. If you find a current lower price on an identical, in-stock eligible item from any retailer, Home Depot may match the price.

Visit Home Depot’s handy price match help page to find out which items are eligible and how to request a price match.

8. 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 Home Depot purchase, simply visit a discount gift card site like GCX from Raise and purchase a Home Depot gift card for 5%-10% less or more than the face value. It is a quick, easy way to save money.

9. 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 specific projects.

10. 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.

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Reviewed August 2025