28 Insider Home Depot Hacks to Help You Save More Money

Knowing when all the major Home Depot sales hit is just the start of saving money at Home Depot. The Krazy Coupon Lady experts have been testing money-saving hacks at Home Depot for over a decade. And we’re sharing our top tricks for spending less and scoring the best Home Depot deals whenever you shop.

First, saving money at Home Depot always starts with being a good customer. The more you visit your local store and get to know the employees, the more these money-saving hacks pay off in the long run.

After years of testing different Home Depot discounts, freebies, coupons, and little-known shopping secrets, we rounded up an updated list of our top tips for saving money at Home Depot. Spoiler alert: the free Home Depot moving coupons are no longer a thing.

Before we get to the good stuff, download the KCL app and “favorite” Home Depot to stay up-to-date on the latest deals and tips.

Home Depot Savings Hacks

1. Ask for open-box items or floor models for up to $50 off.

If you find items that are floor models, repackaged/open box returns, or overstocks — it’s time to put your haggling hat on!

Tips from the pros: Home Depot employees are authorized to offer as much as a $50 “customer satisfaction” discount without seeking a manager’s approval. But this isn’t a hard-and-fast rule, so your mileage may vary. And you’ll have better luck if there are visible scratches or aesthetic defects on the item.

2. Buy paint off the "oops" shelf for up to 95% off.

Home Depot uses the “oops” shelf for paint that didn’t mix right. In other words, the color is slightly off from what it should be. You’ll see a small shelf behind the paint counter scattered with a few clearance items — including paint for up to 95% off.

On the “oops” shelf at my store, I found a gallon of Behr Ultra paint and primer for $2 (reg. $39.98). You normally won’t find multiple cans of the same shade in this section. But if you’re not picky about color, buying “oops” paint can help you save on a small project or two.

3. Scan the clearance shelves for secret penny items.

When items reach their highest clearance discount, Home Depot employees take them off the shelves and out of the system. But they don’t always remove everything they need to. And when you scan these items, they’ll ring up for $0.01.

How do you find Home Depot penny items? Look out for clearance tags ending in these prices:

• Prices ending in “.04” — 50% off

• Prices ending in “.03” — 75% off

• Prices ending in “.02” — 90% off

The closer the end price is to “.00,” the more likely the item is (or will become) a penny item.

4. Look for clearance prices ending in ".02" — that’s the cheapest price you'll get.

Some Home Depot clearance tags tell you the exact discount you’ll get for that item.

When you see a yellow clearance sticker with a price ending in “.02,” it means that item is 90% off. That’s the highest discount you’ll get on a Home Depot clearance item. You won’t find a ton of items for 90% off on the clearance shelves, but when you do, make your move.

5. Check the Home Depot Deal of the Day for up to 60% off.

I’ve been tracking the Home Depot Deal of the Day for a while now, and I personally think they’re better than Lowe’s daily deals.

The Special Buy of the Day is an online-only deal that changes daily. Home Depot drops a different offer every day, like up to 50% off power tools or up to 40% off ceiling fans. The discounts are generally high (between 40% and 60%), and a wide range of items are eligible.

But the catch is you only have 24 hours to grab these deals, so you don’t have a ton of time to decide.

6. Leverage everyday bulk pricing for 10% - 20% off.

Home Depot’s bulk pricing works on top of sale prices. So if an eligible item is on sale for 30% off, you’ll score the sale price plus the bulk discount.

Some Home Depot items have bulk pricing year-round, like window shades, light bulbs, and select paint supplies. You don’t always have to buy hundreds of the same item to qualify. You can even save 10% - 20% off plants and flowers in the Garden Center with bulk pricing.

Filter your online search by “bulk pricing” or look for the black and yellow bulk pricing signs in stores to find eligible items.

7. Get a $5 coupon when you sign up for Home Depot emails.

When you subscribe to Home Depot emails, they send you a $5 coupon for your next purchase of $50 or more. You can use your coupon in stores (not online) for up to two weeks after they email it to you.

It’s not as good as the Home Depot moving coupons we used to be able to get, but hey, it’s something.

RELATED: See more of our favorite Home Depot discounts.

8. Check the recycling area in the Garden Center for free nursery pots.

Not every Home Depot has a recycling area in the Garden Center (my store doesn’t). But I’ve seen proof from other shoppers that this area does exist.

Look for a small corner in your Garden Center with a sign that reads “Recycling Area.” This is where employees drop empty nursery pots and planters for recycling. It’s harmless to grab some for reuse at home, but it’s always best to check with an employee first. Ask nicely, and they’ll more than likely say yes.

9. Look for leaf freebies in the Garden Center to regrow at home.

Some plants — like Snake Plants, African Violets, ZZ plants, and Begonia —  can regrow from a single leaf. This means you don’t need to buy a whole new plant to get full, green foliage again. All you need is a fallen or broken leaf to start the process, and your Home Depot Garden Center is a great place to find them.

The first rule is not to break off leaves from healthy, living plants. This is unkind to both the plants and employees at your Garden Center. Aim to pick up leaves on the floor that would otherwise be swept up and thrown out. 

Again, it’s best to check with an employee before you help yourself to leaf freebies.

Home Depot Shopping Hacks

10. Use Home Depot in-store mode to scan barcodes as you shop.

If you have the free Home Depot app downloaded on your phone, open it while in a store to launch “store mode.” With Home Depot store mode enabled, you can quickly see how the store is laid out and use an in-app barcode scanner tool to check for hidden clearance deals or price discrepancies.

11. Use Home Depot's price matching to lock in the best deals.

Home Depot price matches any other retailer for identical products, online and in stores. So if you find a lower price for the same drill set, ceiling fan, or dishwasher at another retailer, you can ask for a Home Depot price match.

Their policy has a few exclusions you’ll want to remember, though. For example, you can’t stack a price match with any other sale or discount. And they don’t match clearance prices, Black Friday prices, or one-time-only promos. But price matching is a handy hack for saving when you’re looking at regular prices.

12. Buy appliances for up to 70% off after a big sale.

If you’re hoping to save money on Home Depot appliances, trying shopping after a major sale (specifically, Black Friday).

A Home Depot employee in the appliance department gave me the inside scoop for this hack. He said after their Black Friday sale, they markdown most of the current floor models on display.

You’ll typically find previous-year models or appliances with a few scuffs or scratches on them. But discounts for these items reach up to 70% off regular prices.

13. Shop for plants during Spring Black Friday in April to save up to 70%.

The best time to save money on Home Depot plants is naturally, during the spring and summer months. But their month-long spring sale in April takes the cake every year.

Spring Black Friday has more deals on plants and flowers than any other Home Depot sale. Discounts on annuals, perennials, shrubs, and trees are generally at their highest — up to 70% off.

14. Shop for holiday decor after Christmas to save up to 75%.

Just like Halloween decor, Home Depot Christmas decor gets deep discounts after the holiday. Some deals start around mid-December, but everything leftover on Dec. 26 is automatically 50% off.

If items still remain by early January, discounts jump to 75% off. These are the cheapest prices you’ll get on Home Depot Christmas decor. I’m talking about clear mini lights for under $1, holiday wreaths for $2.50, and tabletop trees for $4.50. If that doesn’t get you into the store, perhaps the 6.5-foot LED Christmas trees for $12.50 will seal the deal.

15. Shop for Halloween decor the last week of October for 50% off.

It’s hard enough to find Home Depot animatronics (like Skelly the Skeleton) in-stock, even at full prices. But if you shop just a few days before October 31, you may find them for 50% off. This is when Home Depot’s Halloween clearance starts online and in stores. And my best advice is to act fast.

Halloween items get even bigger discounts the first week of November — up to 75% off. But by this time, the most popular Home Depot Halloween decor items are long gone.

16. Shop for clearance plants in July and September to save 50%.

Home Depot has clearance plants throughout the year, but you’ll likely find more plants for 50% off during seasonal inventory changes. This can vary depending on where you live, since plants in warmer climates don’t have a high frost risk. But usually, Home Depot swaps out Garden Center items in July and September.

In July, Home Depot clears out spring blooms to make room for summer plants. In September, they clear out most plants in the Garden Center to prepare for cooler weather.

17. Always buy mulch when there's a 5 for $10 deal.

Spring Black Friday isn’t the only time you’ll find mulch for $2 a bag. If you missed the April sale, wait for the Home Depot Memorial Day Sale to score the same 5 for $10 deal. You don’t need to buy five bags to get the $2 sale price.

You’ll usually find the $2 price on 1.5 cubic-foot bags of Scotts Earthgro mulch. But sometimes, Home Depot drops the same deal on 2 cubic-foot bags of Vigoro mulch. Since the bag size is bigger, you get more mulch for $2 in this case.

RELATED: We can help you understand all the best mulch sales each year.

18. Return plants to Home Depot up to a year after you buy them.

This Home Depot shopping hack never gets old. The standard Home Depot return policy gives you 90 days to return items. But you have a whole year to return annuals, perennials, shrubs, and trees for a full refund. You can even return them dead in exchange for a fresh plant.

19. Ask an employee to cut your wood for free — most stores cut as many pieces as you’d like.

If you’re wondering how to get a 10-foot piece of lumber in the back of your sedan, remember that Home Depot cuts wood for you. So you don’t have to spend money on a brand new saw or rent a truck to transport it yourself.

The wood-cutting policy varies from store to store, but most locations cut as many pieces as you’d like for free.

20. Attend a free kids' workshop at Home Depot every month.

The free Home Depot Kids’ Workshops are a KCL favorite. On one Saturday per month, Home Depot holds a free, in-store workshop for kids to build a project.

If you register ahead of time and show up for the event, kids get a free Home Depot craft kit to work on in stores. Some of the past workshops in 2024 included a DIY delivery truck, lattice planter, and a flower picture frame.

21. Get free installation when you spend at least $699 on carpet or $396 on appliances.

Home Depot usually has a deal going on where you can get free carpet installation if you spend $699. And around the time of big Home Depot sales (like Memorial Day), you can usually find an offer for free appliance delivery and installation when you spend at least $396 or more.

With the carpet installation offer, they’ll even rip up and haul away the old carpet materials for you. Other installation services (like door installation) can come with hefty fees, so be sure to get a quote from other contractors before you commit. For example, Home Depot door installation fees can range anywhere from $159 - $1,378 per door.

Here are a few other installation services that Home Depot offers for an added cost:

• Blinds

• Cabinets

• Ceiling Fans

• Countertops

• Flooring/Tile

• Garage Doors

• Garbage Disposal

• Windows

22. Get a cheaper four-hour truck rental at Home Depot than at Lowe's. 

Lowe’s beats Home Depot for most of their truck rental prices. But if you’re looking for a four-hour pickup truck rental, you’ll get a cheaper price at Home Depot.

Lowe’s four-hour truck rental costs $69, while Home Depot’s four-hour truck rental costs $60.80. So, you’ll save about $8 if you rent from Home Depot instead.

23. Skip Home Depot tool rentals and go to Lowe's instead.

When we did our deep dive into Lowe's vs Home Depot, we discovered that Lowe’s tool rentals are cheaper than Home Depot tool rentals.

If you’re renting tools for a four-week period, Home Depot has lower prices for a few tools, like 12-inch miter saws and electric pressure washers. Otherwise, Lowe’s beats Home Depot’s prices by up to $266 per tool rental.

24. Grab $2 poinsettias in stores on Black Friday — it's their best deal.

Almost everything gets discounted for the Home Depot Black Friday sale. But for KCL, the $2 poinsettias are an annual favorite.

Regularly, these 1.5-quart poinsettias cost $6.98. But for one day only on Black Friday, you can buy them at Home Depot for just $1.98. That’s a whopping 70% off the regular price.

You can only get the poinsettia deal in stores on Black Friday and they tend to fly off the shelves. So be sure to head to your local store early the day after Thanksgiving.

25. Save up to 10% on Home Depot gift cards from CardBear.com.

Buying discounted gift cards is one of my favorite money-saving hacks. Luckily, you don’t have to search hard for discounts on Home Depot gift cards.

You can buy Home Depot gift cards from CardBear.com for up to 10% off the face value. Then, when you find a Home Depot deal you can’t miss, pay with your discounted gift card to stack on more savings.

26. Subscribe to Home Depot auto-shipments to save 5%.

Home Depot subscriptions are just like Amazon’s Subscribe & Save. You can have certain items delivered on a recurring basis and save 5% on your purchase. All you need is a Home Depot account to start, skip, or pause your deliveries at any time.

If an item is eligible for a Home Depot subscription, you’ll have the option to “subscribe and save 5%” on its online product page. Or, you can visit their subscription services page to shop all eligible items.

27. Use the Ibotta app for up to 4% back in rebates at Home Depot. 

Using the Ibotta app is a great way to squeeze out extra savings. If you shop on HomeDepot.com through Ibotta, you’ll score up to 4% back in rebates, depending on what you buy. Items like furniture, decor, storage, small appliances, and more are eligible for these rebates.

Ibotta also has a few in-store rebates on Home Depot items, like $2 back on Energizer lights.

28. Skip Home Depot's credit card — it's not worth the small perks.

The Home Depot credit card isn’t much to write home about. As a cardholder, you get a few benefits, like a longer return window and special financing on $299 purchases or more. But otherwise, the credit card doesn’t offer rewards or points on your purchases.

So unless you’re regularly making large purchases of at least $299, it’s not worth signing up.