The Best Ways to Save Money Shopping at Target Stores

It’s 7:30pm, my boys have just gone to sleep. I check the fridge to see what snacks we have and what I’m going to make the kids for breakfast tomorrow. Great…we are all out of essentials, and I have to head out to the store. You might think that this would upset me after taking care of the kids all day? Nope, I am thrilled. I get to head on over to Super Target, alone, and they have free WiFi and Starbucks (which I wish was also free!)

Don’t get me wrong, if I was shopping at Target with both kids, I would not be super excited. Ummm, hello Scary Mommy’s Target With Kids post?! But going to Target post-kiddo-bedtime is a whole different ball game, my friends.

So, what’s a gal to do after she has loaded her cart up with every imaginable grocery known to man, plus 27 pounds of dog food, and no less than 5 unnecessary items from housewares…oh, and those yoga pants hanging off the side of the cart, too?!  Definitely need those!

Everyone knows it’s impossible to get out of Target stores without spending a mandatory $100-150 every.single.time. But, have no fear, I am here to help you save big bucks before you blow your life savings in the check-out lane!

Here’s how ya do it:

1. Get a REDcard!

Ok, Target offers two different types of REDcards. One is a credit card. Do NOT get that one. You will just buy more unnecessary crap. The other is a REDcard debit card. Get that one. It’s directly linked to your bank account, so it’s the exact same thing as using cash or your debit card…BUT you get to save the same 5% as the other REDcard holders. Awesome! So, we already can deduct 5% off of our bill!

2. COUPONS!!

Target is pretty amazing when it comes to using coupons. There’s so many different kind of coupons that they accept, too, and you can combine them! At the end of your Target purchase, the cash register usually prints out some “targeted” (pun intended) manufacturer coupons for you. They also offer mobile coupons texted directly to your cell phone that can be scanned at the register (text COUPONS to 827438 to receive them!)

Manufacturer coupon for diapers printed from cash register

Recent Target coupon mailer

Target will even mail you a book of coupons, too! Oh, and check their website for other coupons.  Yes, you can use your manufacturer newspaper coupons there, too. The best part about this is that you can stack the mobile coupons, manufacturer coupons, and Target coupons! This is a lot of potential savings if done correctly…and really excites me!

3. CARTWHEEL!!!

(If you think I’m referring to a gymnastics move, you need to get with it, girl. Please, do us both a huge favor, and grab your cell phone now…and go to the app store and download Cartwheel. Your life will be so much better, I promise!)

Ok, now that we are on the same page, browse through the app and locate the stuff you want to buy. There’s always amazing savings on Cartwheel. This can be used in addition to the REDcard savings and coupons!! I love the deals on groceries,  especially fresh produce and snacks that my kids love. The 15% off of area rugs recently isn’t a bad deal, either! I actually bought my area rugs for my home when Cartwheel had a 30% off special. Check it out, you’ll be surprised at the great deals that you can find on there.

Screen shot from Cartwheel

4. Other apps… 

There are a bunch of money saving & coupon apps available. The two that I use the most are Shopkick and Snap by Groupon. Shopkick lets you earn “kicks” (or points) for walking into stores and scanning products, which can be traded in for digital gift cards. I use mine at Target for even more savings. Snap by Groupon lets you scan your receipts and earn cash back on items you have purchased. Pretty cool.

Shopkick screen shot

Snap by Groupon screen shot

By combining all of these tactics, you can definitely amp up your Target savings, which can add up to HUGE numbers!

True story, this past holiday season, Target gave out AMAZEballs coupons (1 per customer!) for 20% off your total purchase!! Well, I was lucky enough to get one of them. I did most of my holiday shopping in one trip. With that coupon, combined with my REDcard, Cartwheel, and Shopkick, I managed to save over $600 in one trip!

My total bill was around $1,200.I got a 60″ Vizio TV, tons of clothes, a KitchenAid Mixer, toys for the kids, and a bunch of other stuff. Huge score on Christmas gifts!! Thank you Target!

Here is the savings from that epic Target trip:

Please let me know if you have any other additional tips or tricks that I may be missing out on in the comments below! 🙂