There are two categories of people – department store and fashion shoppers versus those of us that could spend our afternoons at Home Depot or Lowe’s choosing a ceramic planter or a new closet light.

No matter where you are at in life, whether you love to renovate, are selling an old apartment or buying a new house, home improvement stores together with Pinterest can easily start ruling your live. If you are one of those DIY people, sales staff might address you by name, but chances are you will never get tired of exploring at Lowe’s or Home Depot.

Whatever your projects are, even if it’s just a flower bed updates or bathroom repainting, none of those things are cheap. Chances are we don’t have Joanna Gains’ budget or her talent, so shopping has to be calculated and restricted to not ruin our credit with those renovations and updates.

That being said, there are quite a few ways to cut costs without cutting corners at your local home improvement store. Let’s take a look at some obvious and some less obvious ways to save:

• Marked down merchandise

Both of the home improvement giants periodically mark down products both online and in-stores. Home Depot displays clearance items at the end caps. Lowe’s distributes discounted goods on the shelves next to regular priced items and marks them with yellow price tags. For some people scavenging for those yellow tags becomes a well-paying hobby because some amazing finds can be had for 1/3 of the price.

• One-day sales

Both of the retailers have some fleeting sales, where the deal can be great, but it will last just one day. If you want to take advantage of such deals, sign up for email or text alerts.

• Best yearly sales times

These two retailers have similar sales patterns as all other retailers. You can expect to find kitchen and bath sales right after the New Year. Early April will be the prime time to shop for everything outdoors – grills, patio furniture, appliances, and everything garden. Right after every major holiday you will find huge (up to 90%) discounts on seasonal décor and holiday-related products. Black Friday will always bring some of the best discounts. And finally, paint will be the cheapest during every holiday weekend, so you can definitely plan some wall sprucing up during Memorial or Labor Day weekends.

• Paint discounts

Let’s continue talking about paint. It can definitely get expensive. To save some serious money, start your paint shopping at the “oops” section, where you will find colors that didn’t quite match what somebody else was looking for and are now for sale with steep savings. Home Depot takes $5 off those cans, while Lowe’s will sell them for about $10 each.

• Price matching policy

Both retail giants will price match the competition online and in-stores. At Lowe’s you’ll need to bring the lower price proof and you will get the deal. Home Depot goes even further – they will not only match the competitor price, but will add extra 10% off.

• Military discount

Both stores offer 10% off for active and retired military members, so bring the ID and head to customer service to find out the details.

• Coupons on eBay

You should check out eBay for coupons before heading to any of the stores. You can find electronic and printable coupons for both merchants and deals like $20 off $100 or 10% off total receipt price. You’ll find plenty of Lowe’s coupons, priced at $2-$4. Home Depot coupons are more expensive. As long as you use caution and do some research about the seller, you won’t have any problems with legitimacy of the coupons.

Lowes Coupons:

• 10% OFF Your Purchases
• 75% OFF Clearance
• Free Shipping on Orders of $49 or More

• Join the loyalty programs

You will get $5 off your next purchase for just joining Home Depot Garden Club. Being a member you will get many coupons via your email, so you won’t have to pay full price for some items. Lowe’s will honor most of those coupons.

• Reading the price tags

Home Depot – if the price ends with $.06, it will be reduced one more time. If it ends with $.03, grab it and run as it’s the lowest it will ever get.

Lowe’s – yellow price tags mean permanent clearance sale or a temporary, 60-day price reduction.

• Plant return

Both stores offer one-year guarantee on perennial plants, so if your green thumb wasn’t totally green and something is not doing so well, make sure to bring it back with the receipt for a full refund. Home Depot also stands behind its promise that all fruit trees will produce. If you have their Bonnie line plants and Miracle-Gro soil without any results, at the end of growing season come in for a refund.

• Discounted lumber

If you have a small to medium size project, check out discounted or “scrap” lumber first. Those pieces are pulled out because they are too short or don’t match in size. You can find scrap bins in the middle of Home Depot lumber section and buy them for as much as 70% off. They will have purple tags.

• Text alerts

To always be in the know, sign up for Home Depot and Lowe’s text alerts and you will never have to miss another sale or a special discount event.

• Ways to get 20% off at Lowe’s

eGifter currently offers 10% off home improvement projects gift cards, so if you will add 10% off Lowe’s coupon from eBay, a total of 20% off will be yours. There are a few other sites that sell discounted gift cards, like Raise.com and Gift Card Granny. Make sure you check the eBay coupon expiration date and restrictions before buying.