If you’re working on a DIY home improvement project, chances are you have or will spend a good amount of time at The Home Depot. But if you’ve got time to plan a bit, you don’t have to blow your budget there. We’ve compiled a list of tactics you can use to save up to 20% on your purchases at The Home Depot:

1. Use Discounted Gift Cards:Head over to Gift Card Granny, Plastic Jungle or another similar site to take advantage of discounted gift cards. You should have no trouble finding Home Depot gift cards at an 8% or 9% discount. It may take some time for the gift card to ship to you, so just make sure you plan ahead.
2. Use Coupons:Keep your eyes peeled for printable coupons or coupon codes. For example, you can head over to RetailMeNot right now and find a coupon for 20% off of all small appliances, with free shipping on orders over 45%. You can also currently sign up for their Garden Club to get a $5 off of $50 coupons and earn up to $300 in exclusive email savings annually.
3. Use Coupons from Other Home Improvement Retailers:Home Depot is actually happy to accept coupons from their competition. So, for example, you could bring in a Lowe’s gift card and use it on your purchase at Home Depot. There’s actually a specific coupon that you can always get from Lowe’s: head to their website and go to their “moving” page. Fill out a form to receive a 10% off coupon good for any purchase up to $5,000. These coupons are a godsend if you’re working on a big home improvement project!
4. Group Your Purchases Together:If you’re working on a larger scale home project, group all of your purchases together. If your order totals at least $2,500, you can take your material list to the Bid Room to score bulk discounts. of 10% to 20%. Take it from AZ Wholesale:
   

   The Home Depot “Bid Desk” or otherwise called “Pro Desk” is well known by contractors, but most home owners and investors don’t know that this is also available to the general public. The guys working at the desk can become your heroes when you submit your order through them. The only drawback is time. This process is not for the instant gratification types, it takes a day or so for your order to be processed by Home Depot corporate offices.

5. Just Ask for a Discount:Home Depot employees are actually allowed to approved up to $50 off a day without manager approval. So if you’re looking to shave a bit off of the price tag of a slightly damaged items, for example, don’t be shy. Speak up and you may be surprised at the benefits you’ll reap.
6. Use Veteran/Military or Teacher Discounts:If you were or are in the military, you can flash your identification in order to get 10% off of your entire order at Home Depot. And if you’re a teacher, you’ll be able to skip paying sales tax if you’ve got your tax exempt paperwork handy.

Sources: Epic Finances, eHow, AZ Wholesale and Leading Landlord