24 Hobby Lobby Savings Hacks You Need to Know

There needs to be a Hobby Lobby scented candle.  You know, the moment the glass doors open and your nostrils are filled with the aroma of inspiration and DIY success? Yeah, that smell.  This needs to be a thing.

I love me some Hobby Lobby (mostly for their killer yarn selection) but also because there are so many ways to save at Hobby Lobby.  Did you know that they price match and that you can get a price adjustment up to 2 weeks after your purchase? Heck yes you can! Here are 24 Hobby Lobby Saving Hacks you need to know before you step foot in the store.

24 Hobby Lobby Saving Hacks

1. Use your Hobby Lobby coupon!

Hobby Lobby always has a 40% off regular price item coupon. You can find it on their website (on your phone), in their mobile app, or in the back of the phone book. Yep, find an actual real-life phone book and in the back there may be a full page of Hobby Lobby coupons. These are great to keep in your wallet or purse in case your phone dies in the store.  Guilty!

Note that the coupon does state one coupon per person per day. You could have your significant other get in line behind you with a regular priced item, or your kids, or you could just come back tomorrow – up to you!

2. Price match

Did you know that Hobby Lobby will match the price of a competitor (such as Michael’s, JoAnn etc)? It’s true! As long as the item is an exact match and you have the physical ad they will match that price for you. There are some stipulations of course, like you can’t use the 40% off coupon in conjunction with a price match and they will not honor percentage-off sales. Do the math to make sure price matching will in fact give you the best deal.

3. Know what items NEVER go on sale

By knowing what items never go on sale, you’ll know to either find a better deal on Amazon or to use your coupon! Unless it’s an excluded item, of course.

Cards and Party and Hobby supplies never go on sale, so you’re better off buying the plates, cups and bowls for your next party at Dollar Tree instead.

4. Ask for full price

Ya say what now? Yep, if an item is on sale (like furniture for instance that is always 30% off) ask them to ring you up full price so that you can use your 40% off coupon instead! I’ll take that additional 10% off, thanks.

Instead of taking the sale price on fabric (because we’ll learn in #10 that fabric is also always on sale) ask the employee cutting your fabric to write down the full price since you’ll be using a coupon.  Need more than the 10 yards allowed on the coupon? Come back and get the rest tomorrow! It’s worth it (if you don’t have a friend with you, of course).

5. What you see is what you get

Hobby Lobby does not have extra stock in the back room.  What you see on the shelf is what they have.  So don’t bother asking and…

6. Get a Rain Check!

If an item you’re looking for is on sale (better than you can get with your 40% off coupon!) ask for a rain check.  You’ll be able to use that next time you visit Hobby Lobby to get the same amazing price you’re missing today. This will also free up your coupon for something else on your list!

7. Don’t shop online

It is better to shop in-store at Hobby Lobby than at HobbyLobby.com. The selection is better and the prices are the same! Did I mention that you skip the shipping cost?

8. If shopping online, wait for free shipping

If you absolutely must shop Hobby Lobby online, wait until they offer FREE shipping with $59+ online orders.  This happens a couple of times per month so sign up for their emails to be alerted!

9. Need a lot? Order in the store to save!

If you’re working on a massive project or you’re needing dozens of items for a class project etc, order through your store (when the item is on sale!) instead of ordering online. Most stores get truck once per week so you won’t have to wait long AND you save the shipping cost AND you’ll get the sale price of when you ordered! Any employee can help you with this, no need to hunt for a manager.

10. Know your sales cycles

Just about everything in the store goes on sale at some point or another. Knowing WHEN those sales happen can save you big time! For example we know that cards, party supplies and hobbies never go on sale (thanks #3!) but flowers, ribbons, yarn etc? Those all go on a rotating sale schedule.

Always on sale

Furniture
Fabric
T-Shirts
Trees & Plants
Frames and Posters

Never on sale

Cards
Party supplies
Hobbies
Candy (unless clearance, but only after the holiday)
Silhouette Machines & Accessories
Cake Decorating
Gift wrap (unless clearance)

Every other week

Yarn (specific brands rotate, some kind of yarn or another is almost always on sale)
Floral
Ribbon (includes spools of tulle)
Frames (shadow boxes etc)
Home accents (includes some candles)
Scrapbooking

Tip! The ribbon and the floral always alternate weeks. So if ribbon is on sale THIS week, floral will be on sale NEXT week. Also, if framed/canvas art is on sale this week, next week will be wood and metal home accents turn etc.

Every three weeks

Art supplies
Crafts
Jewelry making

Keep an eye on your favorite items and you’ll have that sales cycle down pat!

11. Price adjustments

This is quite possibly my favorite Hobby Lobby Savings Hack of all time. Say you’re needing some yarn to finish a project and you just can’t wait until next week when it goes back on sale. If you HAVE to buy it now, go ahead and buy it. Then come back with both your receipt AND the product (even if you’ve used it in a project!) next week when the item is on sale and they’ll give you the difference!

Doesn’t that just rock your world? Note that this policy does not apply to clearance and you have 14 days from the date of purchase to receive your adjustment.

12. Clearance is your friend

If there’s one thing I know for certain, it’s that clearance and I are BEST friends.  Like BFFFFs (is that too many f’s?) Know the clearance areas of your store but don’t be afraid to walk the entire perimeter either.  Just think: if they’re clearancing out a bunch of cute home decor, they might not put that right next to the other, full price home decor they are trying to sell. Make sense?

While clearance can be scattered throughout the store, there should always be at least one main area for deep, deep discounts.  You’ll find things up to 90% off that aren’t necessarily ugly or damaged – they just need to make room.  Check to see how many clearance tags there are. The more the merrier!

13. When do they get truck?

As most Hobby Lobby stores get a truck once per week, you’ll want to know what day of the week that is for your store. On truck day employees will be hustling to get all of that product on the shelves and the store will be busy. I like to take my time, so I go on the day after they get truck if possible. Or…

14. Go mid-week in the morning

My favorite time to shop Hobby Lobby is at 9:00 on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday morning.  The place is like a ghost town and I can take my time perusing the clearance without feeling like someone’s waiting on me to move, I can touch all the yarn without fear of judgement, and I can get out of the store without hardly waiting in line.  Only go on a Saturday afternoon if you absolutely have to.

15. Know the best deals

Two things that I always, always, always buy at Hobby Lobby? Poster board and tissue paper.  Colored poster board goes on sale 2/$1 quite frequently and the quality/options/COLORS are better than the dollar store in my opinion.  Also, the value on the tissue paper is insane (especially when you use a coupon)!

P.S. Get the super fancy wood-like poster board to use as a backdrop for your craft photos! 😉 See more on that here.

16. Get their credit card

I’m not normally one to sign up for credit cards, but did you know that Hobby Lobby has their own rewards credit card through U.S. Bank? Get 5 points for every dollar spent at Hobby Lobby (am I the only one thinking cha-ching here!!?) and if you use your Hobby Lobby Visa card at any other retailer you’ll get 1 point per dollar spent there as well. When you get to 2,500 points they’ll automatically email you a $25 Hobby Lobby gift card.  You also get a 1,000  point bonus if you use your card within 90 days of opening the account! That’s almost halfway to your first $25 reward right there. Sa-weet!

There is no annual fee for those with good credit standing but there may be an annual fee if your credit isn’t so hot. Be sure to look for that when you join.  Since I am also passionate about personal finance and credit score health, I feel the need to recommend paying off the balance in full each month.  More on that here.

17. Buying supplies for church, school, or national charitable organizations?

Get an additional 10% off for purchases made with an organizational check or credit card. See your local store manager in regard to obtaining this discount.  I have heard (though not tried myself) that this works for organizations such as Boy and Girl Scouts as well!

18. Damaged?

Is an item noticeably damaged? If its something you can fix yourself (or position the item so the damage can’t be seen), ask for a discount and you could get an extra 10% off.

19. Read the fine print

With every department-wide sale in the store, you’ll want to see if there is any additional sale information or exclusions included on the sign.  Just because wicker and boxes are on sale that doesn’t mean the entire selection is – there may be a few exclusions and you don’t want to be surprised at the register.

20. Know the BIG Clearance dates

Twice a year Hobby Lobby does massive clearance in Home Accents. These clearance events happen after Christmas (not just Christmas items) and after Mothers’ Day. Items start at 66% off and stay there for a few weeks to a month, then it goes to 80% off then 90% pretty quickly after that. Jump on it.

21. Check seasonal AND regular merchandise

Just because something is on sale in the seasonal department (because seasonal is almost always 40% off after it’s been on the floor a short while) that doesn’t mean you won’t find a similar item in the regular aisle for cheaper. Need green ribbon? Check the St Patrick’s Day section but ALSO check the regular ribbon section. One might be on sale for $4.99 while the other is $4.99 regular price (and then you can use your coupon)!

22. Know your Pattern sales

Do you sew? Sometimes I use sewing patterns for crochet inspiration and every once in a while the Simplicity patterns go for 99¢ and McCalls patterns go for $1.99. When you’re looking at some patterns with a regular retail up to $15 – $19? This is a KILLER deal. Which is why it gets its own number in the list.  😉 

23. Get a job

Do you sell your handmade wares? Not only do Hobby Lobby employees get a 15% discount, they also have some of the most competitive pay rates as a national company and they offer benefits for full-time workers.  Politics aside, just think about the increase in profit margin if you were able to get an additional 15% off the supplies!

24. Christmas set up as early as May

Because makers and crafters are always looking months ahead – whether for craft fairs or gifts etc – Christmas set-ups hit the floor as early as May.  They also go on sale shortly thereafter at 40% off all through the holiday.  Clearance starts shortly after (or even before!) the holiday so hit up that Christmas clearance when you hit up the BIG clearance event that happens every January.

More ways to save at your favorite stores:

16 Ways to Save at Michaels
10 Tips for Saving Money at Jo-Ann Fabric and Crafts
Top 13 Ways to SAVE at Lowe’s Home Improvement
16 Ways to Save Money Shopping at CVS
Nine Ways to Save at the Movie Theater
Ways to Save at Kroger (from an Extreme Couponer turned Frugalista)
9 Easy Ways to Save Money Without Using Coupons