11 Money-Saving Secrets Walmart, Target, and More Don’t Want You To Know

If you're like many families, a lot of your monthly budget goes to big-box retailers like Walmart, Target, and Costco. However, you can limit the amount of money you give to these stores with a few money-saving tricks. 

Check out our list of favorite tips for saving money on everyday essentials you purchase at major retailers, both in the store and online.

Target's Circle isn't just a reward program; it's a savings ecosystem. You can join Circle rewards for free and access automatic deals (applied at checkout when you're signed in), bonuses, and perks with Target's partners.

To up the savings, you can apply for a Circle card. Target offers these as credit, debit, or reloadable cards, all of which offer 5% savings and free two-day shipping on most purchases. 

This 5% stacks with other deals as well. The Mastercard Circle card also grants you 1% - 2% cash back toward a Target gift card on purchases outside of Target.

If you want to stop wasting money on impulse purchases at the grocery store, opt for Walmart pickup instead. The prices are the same as they are in the store, and you'll save hours strolling the aisles and hauling groceries out to your car. 

Plus, when you shop online or in the app, you're much more likely to stick to your list instead of grabbing an item from an endcap that you don't really need.

When you order groceries and other essentials in the Walmart app, sometimes you can find manufacturer coupons associated with your desired product. 

To get the coupon, simply click the box — no clipping necessary. The app will credit your Walmart account with cash to use on your next purchase.

Even if you're planning to pick up your purchase in the store, you can use a web extension for extra cashback when you shop online. 

By installing apps like Rakuten, TopCashBack, Ibotta, or Capital One Shopping, you'll earn cashback at major retailers like Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, and more.

Target and Walgreens often run these types of deals. You purchase a specific item or combination of items and receive a free gift card toward a future purchase. (Target's policy prohibits using these gift card deals in conjunction with price matching.)

Buying refurbished can be a great way to save money shopping for electronics. The products that make it into the Walmart Restored program have 80% to 90% battery life still in them. 

They're thoroughly inspected, tested, and cleaned and come with a one-year warranty. Through Walmart Restored, you can save on a variety of products, from food processors to laptops to headphones.

Lawn care and power tools are expensive, and sometimes you just need them for one-off jobs. 

In cases like these, you can save hundreds by renting them from Lowe's or Home Depot rather than shelling out the money to buy them. Home Depot also carries a selection of used tools for sale.

Take your savings to the next level by buying discounted gift cards for you retailers you shop most. You can often score deals on gift cards from online sites like CardCash or Raise.com. Occasionally, large retailers like Sam's Club run sales on gift cards as well.

CVS has two rewards programs: ExtraCare and ExtraCare Plus. The first one is free for anyone to join —; just sign up for an account on the CVS website. It earns you 2% back in Extra Bucks rewards on your CVS purchases and up to $50 in rewards at the pharmacy.

An ExtraCare Plus account costs $5 per month, but you get a $10 monthly bonus reward, free same-day delivery, free shipping, and 20% off CVS Health brand products. If you shop at CVS often, the ExtraCare Plus membership could help you see significant savings.

Some stores will match their competitor's price for an identical item. This can save you the trouble of visiting multiple stores to get the best prices, though not every retailer will do this. 

Home Depot, Lowe's, and Target will match competitor's prices. Walgreens and Walmart will match their own websites but not competitors.

Many big-box stores have a spot dedicated to last-chance sales on inventory they need to clear out. While these shelves usually contain a hodge-podge of random products, every now and then, you can find deep discounts on something you need. 

These deals will vary from store to store and won't show up online, so you'll have to peruse the aisle when you're in the store to snag a great deal.

The most effective way to maximize your savings at these retailers is to use not just one strategy but several. 

For example, you can pay for an item you found at a 30% discount in the clearance aisle with a gift card you purchased for 10% off. 

Or you could use your Target Circle discount along with a Rakuten web extension to get 5% savings plus cash back for your online purchase. And don't forget to use your cash-back credit card to really stack the savings.

Each retailer has its own rules and how many of these can be combined, but once you get a feel for what company allows which strategies, you can maximize the savings on nearly everything you buy.