GREEN GROWING GARDEN SAVINGS

WRITER: TANYA SENSENEY

Have you noticed that over the last six months more big-box stores are printing coupons in your Sunday inserts? Lowe’s, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, and more have all joined in. Retailers are aware that by offering coupons, consumers are more likely to buy. You can chalk it up to a slow economy and fierce competition. This is great for spring time, because you can even save on your outdoor hobbies like gardening and landscaping.

Home Depot has launched a new and improved Home Improvement Club and, also one that I love, the Home Depot Garden Club. It is free to join the clubs and you can do so at www. HomeDepot.com. When you join the Garden Club, Home Depot will email and/or mail you coupons for any of your garden needs. With the coupons from the Garden Club last year I was able to get:

• 4 rose bushes from buy-one-get-one-free coupons

• 30 perennial flower plants using several different coupons

• 4 indoor plants from buy-one-get-one-free coupons

• 2 trees for my yard from a buy-one-get-one-free coupon

• Bags of fertilizer using several different coupons… and much more

As part of the Garden Club, you also receive valuable advice and resources during the planting season, just as you do with the Home Improvement Club. I suggest joining both clubs as a great resource for your home.

Did you know that Lowe’s and Home Depot will honor each other’s coupons? Yes, they will take their competitor’s coupons! This is a great savings for you the consumer. Ace Hardware and Lowe’s also are great places to save on everything spring. If you walk to the back of the Lowe’s Garden Center you will find racks of plants, flowers, and perennials that are marked down to 10 cents and up. There is nothing wrong with them except they need a little more TLC.