How to Save Big on Your Home Depot Purchases

Let's face it, most of us need to make big purchases for our homes. Whether it be a new appliance, new garage doors, a remodeling project, etc. you can bet you will be paying big bucks when it comes to home improvement. And one of the places that most of us shop is Home Depot. Their prices are already usually pretty low, so getting discounts on top of these "low" prices are difficult but can be done.

The easiest way to save at Home Depot is by using the right credit card in your day to day life. There are many rewards cards that will earn you gift certificates to Home Depot. I personally use Blue from American Express. Every dollar I spend becomes a point, and when I have accumulated enough points, I can cash them in for Home Depot gift cards. I went for a long time without cashing in any points, and when I needed to make a large purchase recently, I found $450 in gift cards were available to me from American Express.

Did you move recently? Many of our biggest purchases for the home happen right after we move. When you register your change of address with the post office, they will ask you if you'd like a coupon to Home Depot. This coupon will come in the mail and will be for 10% off any purchase up to $4000.

Look for Lowes coupons too. If you are offered a Lowes coupon (there's one offered when you change your address with the post office), take it, even if you don't have a Lowes near you. Chances are your local Home Depot will accept it. It works in reverse too. Home Depot coupons usually work at Lowes.

The competition also works in your favor if you find a lower price advertised. If you find a lower price in a competitor's circular, bring it into your Home Depot. They will match the lower price plus 10%. This could add up to significant savings! Home Depot online will price match to many other online retailers as well, but you lose out on the extra 10% off.

Did you know that if you are an AARP member you can buy gift certificates to many stores at a reduced rate? AARP members can currently purchase gift certificates for 4% below retail. You can purchase up to 5 $100 gift certificates per day. On a large purchase, this can add up to a significant savings.

From time to time Home Depot will partner with credit card companies to offer its members 20% off coupons. If you ever see one of these, grab it. They are rare, and should be treated like gold.

Some people who don't need these coupons grab them anyway, and then sell them on Ebay. You could look to Ebay for a coupon if you want, but buyer beware. Many of the coupons on there are bogus. It's a headache to try to fight for your money back and it can be an expensive lesson to learn if you get taken.

The same is true for gift cards on Ebay. Many times people have gift cards they do not want for sale on Ebay. They usually go for 10-20% below their face value. Once again, buyer beware. These can be faked. They can be stolen. If you got caught using a stolen gift card, I'd imagine you could be prosecuted. To me, the reward is not worth the risk.

Buying from Home Depot at the right time can also be a big help. Currently Home Depot has a promotion going on where you get a gift card by mail for appliance purchases over a certain dollar amount. It won't help you take money off the price, but it will help you out on a future purchase.

All of this information was found in my efforts to buy a washer and dryer on a shoe string budget after buying my new home. I hope it will help others who are in the same spot!