Tricks to Save More Money at Target

Be sure to check Target.com for coupons before you head to the store. You’ll find coupons for groceries, clothing, housewares, office supplies and more, and these store coupons can be used in conjunction with manufacturer coupons and Cartwheel offers (more on that later) to create a really sweet deal.

Turn your cell phone into a source of savings by signing up for Target’s mobile coupon program. A fresh batch of store coupons will be sent to your phone one a month, along with a barcode that can be scanned at the register.

Cartwheel is Target’s new social coupon program. Log in; choose the coupons you want; then have the cashier scan your personal barcode at the register to deduct your savings. Get the app to store your barcode on your phone, or print out a paper copy, and carry it with you.

A couple nice things about the program:

• Each deal can be used up to four times. So, if you buy four boxes of eligible cereal, your Cartwheel discount will be applied to each box
• Cartwheel coupons can be stacked with Target coupons and manufacturer coupons

End caps – it’s a fancy term for those shelves that appear at the end of each aisle, and a term that belongs in every frugalite’s vocabulary. Why? Because that’s where most of the clearance goodies end up. Get in the habit of walking the outer perimeter of the store, and you may just nab a bargain.

Tip: Target marks down its clearance in increments – 15, 25, 30, 50, 75 and 90% off (the first reduction amount varies by department). If you’re not thrilled with the current clearance price on an item, it may be worth holding out for another markdown. Just bare in mind, clearance items move quickly, and holiday merchandise is usually the only stuff that goes 90% off.

Target also has a clearance section online.

Be sure to check your receipt carefully before tossing it. Target has begun printing high-value coupons at the bottom of receipts – a nice bonus for attentive shoppers.

It’s no secret that combining coupons with sales can lead to big savings, but it’s also no secret that doing so takes effort. The solution? Let someone else do the work for you. Couponmom.com matches the weekly Target sales to manufacturer coupons, so you don’t have to.

Like freebies? Then, it’s time to become friends with the trial-size section at Target. Cut out all the newspaper coupons for new products (that don’t have size restrictions), and match them up to items in the trial section. You’ll be amazed at how many things you can get for free, a few cents or even at a profit.

Shopping the after-holiday sales at Target can lead to big savings, especially when you know when to shop. While the markdown schedule will vary some from store-to-store, here’s a general guide:

50% off – the day after the holiday
75% off – three days after
90% off – a week after

Snag an extra 3% off every purchase by purchasing discounted Target gift cards through Gift Card Granny,

Target.com lists up to five deeply discounted items on it’s Daily Deals page each day. These items are available for one day only and ship free. If they offer something that you need, it can be a fantastic deal.

What does shopping at Goodwill have to do with saving money at Target? Not much, but it does have a lot to do with saving money on Target merchandise. Since the retail giant frequently donates its unsold merchandise to Goodwill, a little thrift shopping could lead to big Target savings.