Lowes Home Improvement – Savings Ideas

Last Updated on Tuesday, 24 May 2011 01:03 Written by admin Sunday, 4 July 2010 10:36

This post is going to summarize much of what this site is about. Of course I oftentimes discuss the wonders of Lowes Home Improvement and how I much prefer their market plan over their main competitor, Home Depot, while keeping their selections and service on par with the Ace’s and Osh’s of the world. The great mix that is Lowes. But here I am once again going to focus on the what most are interested in – saving money. It’s not just a Lowes Coupon it’s a combination of smart shopping, planning ahead, and knowing when you are over your head. At the end of this post I will cover some ways to really leverage your lowes coupons as well as magnify your savings.

Have you planned your job before hand? Even a simple job like painting a fence takes a little planning and you can save a lot of money. For example if your fence has graffiti or other markings you want to put a thick primer coat over it. Remember thought that you do not have to primer the entire fence, well sometimes you do and other times you do not. You may just need to buy a quart of Kilz for the problem areas and then paint the rest with a single coat – that saves a lot of money!

The lesson is that you need to take a step back and think about what you are doing – thoroughly. If you are doing a job that requires a special tool, try borrowing the tool. Even a $15 tool can add 10% to a $150 job and oftentimes it is the little things that add up to a lot. Thinking ahead will also cover you in wasteful purchasing. For example 5 gallons of any paint usually costs about the same as 3 gallons of the same when purchased by the gallon. So do some math and determine how much paint you need. If it is anywhere near 3 gallons you may be better off grabbing the full 5. Same price yet you will have enough for touch up of for that extra coat in hard to cover areas. And with the extra you will not ruin the job by trying to spread the work out too thinly.
Another thing to remember is to shop shop shop. Look around at what you are purchasing and make certain it meets your needs. Sometimes vanity lights look exactly the same but one is $10 cheaper than the other – I do not know why – but $10 is $10.
Many of us scoff at saving $10 – I mean just grab the item and be done with it. But that is a quick way to losses. The other day I bought a medicine cabinet for installation in a fixer I was doing. The one I choose looked exactly the same to me as all the others but it was $8 cheaper. This takes practice but really, $8 then add that to the $10 for the ceiling light – are you understanding this? It all adds up – to A LOT!

Saving money by hiring someone is sometimes the best choice. I know it is counter intuitive but if you know someone that has a specific skill set – offer to hire them. If the job is small then you should be OK as long as it is someone you know that is expert and is accountable to you. If you are short on connections there is no shortage of contractors in any community weekly. They usually advertise “no job too small” – interview a few of them – go the extra mile and call a reference or two and hire them.. Never pay in advance and always hire licensed individuals. I know it is cliché but hiring non-licensed individuals works out sometimes – but your risks are far greater than simply hiring a licensed contractor. Surprisingly enough the licensed contractors can oftentimes be hired for as little as the non-licensed ones if you haggle over price a little.

Now let us cover a little on leveraging that precious Lowes coupon you have obtained. There are a couple of ways to amplify your savings. Of course we already covered shopping around for bargains and comparing prices. This is a skill that takes effort but worth its weight in cold hard cash. There are 2 primary ways you can leverage you coupon into additional savings. #1 find a friend that is a Realtor. They can purchase Lowes gift cards for a 5% discount. Purchase the gift card through the Realtor and then use your coupon – now you have saved 15%!! OR….. Purchase gift cards online through reputable sources that have an unused balance on them. Now I have never done this, I never bought from a Realtor either, but I have seen online where you can buy unused store credits for about 10% less than the value of the credit. So if it is a credit of $100 I have seen them sold for $90 and even sometimes less. Buy unused credits, use your 10% coupon and now you have saved a total of 20%! Now most of us will never go through that much trouble but the option is out there. In fact if anyone tries it let me know how it works for you – I would love to highlight the story and even plug your business if you would like.
Either way enjoy saving money and always Shop At Lowes!!!! They are the best!

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