How many of you think of Target as the “$100 store”? Many of us joke about it- but it's true! We head to Target intending to purchase only one or two things, and leave with a bill totaling over $100! So today I am going to give you a few tips that hopefully can change all of that- and show you how to actually save money while shopping at Target!
Save Money While Shopping at Target by Using a “Deal Site” to Find the Match-Ups!
My favorite deal site is Cindy Livesey's “Living Rich with Coupons“. Each week she and her staff match together the current sales and promotions at Target with the available manufacturer's coupons and Target coupons and Cartwheel offers to help you find the best possible “rock-bottom prices” at Target.
Each week, I spend a few minutes on Cindy's site checking out her deal match-ups for Target (as well as CVS and ShopRite) to make sure that I don't miss any good deals!
Download and Use the Target App!
You'll definitely want to take advantage of the coupons available in the Target App! Within the app you can join Target Circle and receive access to weekly deals, you can save Target coupons to your online wallet, load in your RedCard details, and more!
The key is to not forget to scan the coupons in the app at checkout!
Note: Cartwheel was moved into the Target app in 2017- so everything is there for you in one place!
Make a Shopping List and Stick to It!
Know why you're headed into Target, and don't allow yourself to browse up and down the aisles just to see what's going on there. The temptation becomes too strong to add things to your cart whether you need them or not, and whether they are a good deal or not.
So make a shopping list based on what you need and what is on sale, and then stick to your list!
Always Pay with Your Target RedCard Credit Card!
Every time you check out at Target and pay using your Target credit card you will save 5% off your entire purchase. That's not in the form of a rebate, it's not in the form of points that you need to redeem, it actually just comes right off your total bill! So don't miss those 5% savings!
And of course, as with all credit cards, you want to pay off the balance at the end of every single month to avoid finance charges- which would wipe out your 5% savings right away!
Remember that Target Accepts Manufacturer's Coupons!
Target accepts both manufacturer's coupons, the kind that you find in Sunday newspaper inserts or online at places like Coupons.com and Red Plum.com, and they also accept their own Target coupons which you can also sometimes find in a Sunday sales flyer, or within the Target app.
But the best part is is that Target allows you to “stack coupons”- so for the same item you can use both a manufacturer's coupon and a Target coupon at the same time- and the shelf price of the item will be reduced by the combined discount of those two coupons!
So always take advantage of stacking coupons when they are available.
Take Advantage of Target's Clearance Sales
Target regularly marks down their merchandise to clear out their inventory of current merchandise and make room for the next season's goods. You want to take advantage of their clearance deals because the prices are fantastic!
I specifically shop Target's toy clearance twice a year- the weeks in early January following the holidays and the weeks late in August following all of their summer promotions.
Target usually begins by taking a markdown on the inventory of about 1/3 off, and then after a week or so later, it will take the remaining inventory and price it at 50% off the original price. And a week or two after that they'll take all of the remaining items (and they usually consolidate them into one or two aisles) and that inventory gets marked down by 75% off!
This is when you want to strike! I will go in there and I will buy a bunch of toys to put away in our “birthday stash” so that when my children are invited to birthday parties I can gift a fantastic toy worth $25 or $30 and I've only spent $4 on that item. Score!
Rather Watch Than Read?
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Looking for more great ways to save money?
- 3 Quick Tips to Save Money at the Grocery Store Every Week!
- Free Printable Grocery List (to help you figure out the lowest possible price to pay per item!)
- How to Save Money by Shopping at CVS!
- Some Unique Ways to Save Money While Raising Kids!
- How to Save Money on Hair Cuts
- 5 Things to Do Before You Complete an Online Purchase
Do you have any great tips on how to save money while shopping at Target? Please share them with us in the comments!
Melissa says
Also, the Target RedCard can be a debit card, connected directly to your checking account, if you don’t need yet another credit card bill to pay. We LOVE the RedCard.
Melinda says
Hey Sharon,
I love this post and all the advice. I’m not sure your aware of Chartwheel, another program that target put outs, and you can also use the regular coupons, target coupons and chartwheel app coupons (some offers are 5% up to 20% off items) the chartwheel app is the last coupon that can be scanned, (besides the extra 5% from using one of the target cards).
Sharon says
Thanks for this Melinda- I came across Cartwheel recently on Living Rich with Coupons, and then forgot to go back and look into it. I am certainly going to do that now- thanks for the tip!