Redoing something in your home? Gift Cards on eBay are a great way to save money if you know what you're doing!

Get together a budget of what you know you're going to spend at a certain store - i.e. Lowe's, Home Depot, etc.

Take that amount and start shopping around on eBay for gift cards from that store. These DO NOT have to be for the whole amount, it can be a few gift cards with amounts that add up to your budget. Be sure you buy these from trustworthy...99% or higher feedback and no recent negs!... sellers, and do your homework to make sure you don't buy a high risk item...if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

Late at night is the best time to shop, in my experience. Items going off at weird times like 2am aren't as likely to have a last minute bidding war as ones going off at normal hours like the late afternoon. Also, don't overlook the great opportunities inherent in a buy it now...what you're looking for are things like a $100 card selling for $85, and so on and so on. Sure, it's only a savings of $15, but if your budget is $1000, all of a sudden ten instances of that "pocket change" add up to over $150! Anyone who does a lot of home improvement can tell you that you don't just cut out coupons for these kinds of expenses, so it's well worth the time investment.

Coupons ARE available, but choose carefully and don't overdo it - again, trustworthy seller and only choose one...using more than one in a store will probably get you turned down and politely asked to leave. A lot of people are selling coupons that were only given out to employees and such, so your using them in the store will raise an eyebrow...read all the fine print provided by the seller. DO NOT  and I can't stress this enough! DO NOT SAY IN THE STORE YOU BOUGHT THE CARDS OR COUPONS ONLINE. There are policies and things like that in force, and while they might have begrudgingly signed off on your hefty discount when the coupon was courtesy of your "brother's friend", they're allowed to put the kibosh on the whole process if you mutter the source of your gains. Be smart, discreet, and use common sense. No, you're not doing anything illegal or immoral...but the big stores aren't going to redeem your awesome coupon without your working for it a little. They don't like eBay precisely because the little guy can make his remodeling more affordable with a little time and the click of a mouse.

Best of luck to everyone out there...remember, if you're paying full price you don't have to be!