6 Ways to Save More at Ikea

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Ikea might just be the top home furnishing store for frugal folks across the nation. The products are stylish but inexpensive – as long as you don’t mind using a little elbow grease to assemble them.

People trying to save a buck love Ikea’s low prices. But learn a few tricks and you can hang on to even more cash at the popular Netherlands-based retailer. Following are five ways to save at Ikea.

1. Enjoy complimentary child care

Ikea is “a store where the whole family is welcome,” and the retailer underscores that message with gratis child care. According to Ikea:

Småland is our free supervised play area near the entrance. You can enjoy your shopping experience knowing your children are having a fun time. Children must be potty trained and be 37” to 54” tall. Please see your local store for more details.

2. Join the Ikea Family rewards program

Enroll in Ikea Family, and you will be eligible for discounts and special offers. For example, each month, Ikea puts a host of products on sale just for rewards members. As the store says:

These are products across our entire product range – everything from mattresses to kitchens to candles.

You’ll also get other perks, including:

  • Free coffee or tea in the Ikea Restaurant
  • Monthly discounts on food items at the restaurant or the Swedish Food Shop
  • Eligibility to enter a monthly drawing for a $100 gift card
  • 90-day price protection — if an Ikea item drops in price within 90 days of your purchase, you are refunded the difference
  • An extra 30 minutes in Småland, the Ikea supervised children’s play area
  • One-time buy-one, get-one coupon for a frozen yogurt cone in the Ikea Bistro

3. Get a free kids meal on Tuesdays

Ikea’s in-store restaurant offers a variety of flavorful fare at great prices. Right now, the store in Centennial, Colorado, is serving up eggs, breakfast potatoes, Swedish pancakes, turkey sausage and strawberry jam for only $2!

Shop at Ikea on Tuesday and you can score a free kids meal in the Ikea Restaurant. In fact, for each single adult entree, you can get two free kids meals for children 12 and under. Choose from several kids entrees, including:

  • Grilled chicken
  • Chicken meatballs
  • Swedish meatballs
  • Chicken tenders
  • Organic pasta

4. Sign up for Ikea’s moving program and get a $25 credit

Planning a big move? Ikea can help if you sign up for its moving program. When you do so, you’ll get a series of alerts that will keep you on track prior to your move. You’ll also receive checklists so you don’t forget anything.

Best of all, you’ll receive $25 off your next purchase of $250 or more.

5. Shop the ‘as-is’ section

Bargain hunters should be sure to stop by the “as-is” section at Ikea. Here you can find deals on all kinds of items. According to Good Housekeeping:

Stuff in the “as-is” room has been returned, used as display products, or is slightly damaged. But all that gentle use translates into better savings. We’ve seen people get sofas for just a couple hundred bucks, tables for half off, and $5 slipcovers

Some stores cut prices in the as-is section even lower on one day of the week. Ask your store for the scoop. Also, many Ikea fanatics say Monday is a great day to shop the section after people have used the weekend to return items.

6. Get discounted gift cards

When you shop Ikea — or many other major retailers — you can cut costs even further by using gift cards purchased at websites that sell them at a discount.

We’ve seen Raise and Cardpool sell Ikea gift cards at a discount of 5 percent or more. However, these bargain gift cards are just as popular as Ikea itself, and the last time we checked, both sites had sold out of Ikea cards.

Do you know of more great ways to save at Ikea? Let us know by commenting below or on our Facebook page.

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