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View Full Version : If you had $500 to spend at Home Depot



Zach England
12-19-2011, 3:23 PM
I have a $500 Home Depot gift card, but there is seriously nothing there I want. I wish I could buy my workbench lumber there, but I don't want to use doug fir and there is no southern yellow pine here.



How has it come to this?



Ideas?

Steve Southwood
12-19-2011, 3:30 PM
Sale the card to someone who can use it? If they are going to buy something there anyways, why not swap the 500 card for 500 cash?

Brian Tymchak
12-19-2011, 3:38 PM
Ideas?

If I had a spare $500, I'd upgrade the lighting in the shop. Wouldn't cover the whole cost but would put a decent dent in it.

Van Huskey
12-19-2011, 3:39 PM
I couldn't spend $500 at a BORG today. I would have to use it over time and buy home improvement stuff as the supply of quality woodworking stuff is limited. I spend the most in the early spring, almost always spending more than $500 for yard related stuff. Other than that my expenditures there are few and far between.

Derek Gilmer
12-19-2011, 3:39 PM
Chainsaw, shop vac, finishes, sandpaper, pegboard, peg hooks, nice sliding miter saw, work lights, extension cords, air tools, gallons of titebond, money toward an nice ztr mower. I could make it work for me :)

David Weaver
12-19-2011, 3:57 PM
For me (as a mostly hand tool user), air compressor, and if I had any left over, lighting and some electrical bits for the shop. A better air compressor for me would make it easier to work on the car, etc.

Most of the other stuff there is a waste. Pretty much the choices here are $3 a bd. foot radiata pine and poplar, $6 red oak, ... polyurethane and deck screws.

Yuck.

Bryan Morgan
12-19-2011, 4:06 PM
Rigid or Steel City 6" jointer. Other than that, I don't know. Normal stiff I get there I guess... paint, plumbing parts, that kind of thing. Maybe some Diablo blades. Extra battery packs for the Dewalt stuff I have.

David Weaver
12-19-2011, 4:15 PM
I just had a second thought.

I'd sell the gift card for $400 or whatever the going rate is for HD gift cards.

Better to have $400 worth of stuff you want than $500 worth of stuff that you're not sure about.

Brian Ashton
12-19-2011, 4:33 PM
I'd sell it and go to Lee Valley

curtis rosche
12-19-2011, 5:01 PM
insulate your shop and then get a smaller heater and air conditioner?

John Coloccia
12-19-2011, 5:25 PM
I'd probably buy a few bags of ice melt to start. You can stock up on Jorgensen clamps. If you look around, you'll find small things like this that cost a bunch of money that you'll be able to stock up on.

jason thigpen
12-19-2011, 5:59 PM
How bout clamps? Pretty sure my home depot carries bessey and Irwin.

glenn bradley
12-19-2011, 6:04 PM
You just have to get past the part about it being a BORG and the thought that you have to buy something big to make it worth your trouble . . .

Jorgensen parallel clamps - not my first choice due to weight but, nice clamps.
A dozen HD brand 2" spring clamps at $1 each.
Lithium drill/driver - Ridgids thru Makitas are there.
Bosch JS470E Jig Saw - the 159X replacement.
Several sheets of MDF for all those shop fixtures that come along.
A gallon of: DNA, Lacquer thinner and BLO.
Zinsser SealCoat – check the dates for a good can.
Titebond glue.
Pegboard pegs.
Fender washers
Threaded inserts
Small brass hinges (no, really)

Spend $500? No problem.

Dave Lehnert
12-19-2011, 6:23 PM
I purchased the Ridgid 12" sliding miter saw about a month ago. I like this saw A LOT! Kinda pricy right now at $569. I got it for $329.

http://www.ridgid.com/assets/thumbnail.asp?path=/ASSETS/180F33109212459C91C9C1CCD035D096/MS1290LZA_1_Final.jpg&key=%7B114D7CD6-5D36-4335-AA7C-55D61484FDFC%7D

Gary Hodgin
12-19-2011, 6:28 PM
I've never had a HD card with that much on it, but I often get $25, $50, and occasionally a $100 card. If there's nothing particular I want, I just keep it for buying little things. We usually get spring plants and such there. I use quite a bit of charcoal and when HD puts it on sale I'll use my cards to stock up. I don't buy hardly any woodworking stuff there anymore but spend quite a bit on other stuff.

Larry Edgerton
12-19-2011, 6:39 PM
Buy that $569 saw and then return it.

Then go someplace decent.

Eric DeSilva
12-19-2011, 7:47 PM
Buy yourself a gas grille. And a lot of propane refills.

Zach England
12-19-2011, 8:56 PM
Interesting. I am moving more and more towards hand tools and the only power tool I am interested in acquiring is a high-capacity bandsaw.

No lawn, so no need for a lawn mover. I don't grill on gas. One bag of ice melt would last me ten years (no driveway, only a few feet of front walk and sidewalk). Truthfully, I will probably just keep it and use it for little stuff--those sheets of MDF to build my next speakers, some 2x4s to build whatever it is I need to build, maybe some new tile for my bathroom if I ever get to that. The thing is this is not one gift card. It is a little thing my company hands out at Christmas time and I still have the card from THREE years ago. that combined with the cards form the last two years actually total a little over $600 now that I add them up.

I may take a look at kitchen faucets instead of repairing the drip in mine.

Too bad they don't sell Lie-Nielsen there. There'd be a no. 8 jointer in my future.

Gary Hodgin
12-19-2011, 9:30 PM
I'd probably spend 30-40 a month on cokes and m&m's. Hard to pass the m&m's up on the way out.

Brian Tymchak
12-20-2011, 7:34 AM
...The thing is this is not one gift card. It is a little thing my company hands out at Christmas time and I still have the card from THREE years ago. that combined with the cards form the last two years actually total a little over $600 now that I add them up.
.

Hmm. Anyone know if HD has a time limit on their cards?

Belinda Barfield
12-20-2011, 7:48 AM
I'd use it to put a dent in the price of the new diswasher I need. :D

Zach England
12-20-2011, 8:31 AM
I'd love a dishwasher if I had room for one in my kitchen.

I too would like to know if the cards expire. I guess I can research this myself...or just go the lazy route and wait for them to not work.


I'd use it to put a dent in the price of the new diswasher I need. :D

Paul McGaha
12-20-2011, 8:43 AM
Sure I could find a use for it. Seems like every time I go there for a $10 item I come out of the store after spending $100.

PHM

Linda Waring
12-20-2011, 8:59 AM
Buy more garage storage units . I have so much stuff......:rolleyes:

Mike Cutler
12-20-2011, 9:00 AM
Pretty easy to spend $500.00 in Home Depot, and I avoid HD like a root canal.
Their clamps are the same as can be found anywhere else, and I could easily buy $500.00 worth of clamps. Power tools, or hand tools, you always need more clamps. They also sell a really nice 8' level, as well as their laser alignment tools, a laser transit would be near the top of my list due to my "old House", and it's non square walls and floors.
$500.00, yep, pretty easily.

Zach England
12-20-2011, 9:08 AM
I am considering this:
http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hardware-Tool-Storage-Tool-Chests/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbtsx/R-202017594/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

It would get all my random crap in one central location and I could get rid of the re-purposed kitchen cabinet that now holds much of said random crap.

Derek Gilmer
12-20-2011, 9:18 AM
I'd love a dishwasher if I had room for one in my kitchen.

I too would like to know if the cards expire. I guess I can research this myself...or just go the lazy route and wait for them to not work.
From: http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&partNumber=199999959


They never expire and no service fees will ever be charged when purchasing or using a Home Depot gift card. For more information, please see our gift card FAQs (http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ContentView?pn=Gift_Card_FAQ&langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053&sp_cm=Gift-_-Card-_-lowerCTAs-_-FAQs)
.

Zach England
12-20-2011, 12:59 PM
Unless someone has a good reason not to I am about to pull the trigger on the tool chest.

Thanks for the ideas.

Anyone want some crappy recycled kitchen cabinets in the Salt Lake Valley? They have been held together by 20 LBS of drywall screws.

Belinda Barfield
12-20-2011, 1:02 PM
Unless someone has a good reason not to I am about to pull the trigger on the tool chest.

Thanks for the ideas.

Anyone want some crappy recycled kitchen cabinets in the Salt Lake Valley? They have been held together by 20 LBS of drywall screws.

Well, if you're not contributing to my dishwasher fund the tool chest seems to be a reasonable alternative.
:cool:

Harry Hagan
12-20-2011, 1:35 PM
Portland Cement

Matt Day
12-20-2011, 2:15 PM
I know we don't fancy the BORGs that much, but I can't imagine you can't spend $500 there with any problem.

I'm there at least once a week to buy all kinds of house related stuff, or material to outfit the shop like folks have mentioned above.

Rod Sheridan
12-20-2011, 7:01 PM
I have a $500 Home Depot gift card, but there is seriously nothing there I want. I wish I could buy my workbench lumber there, but I don't want to use doug fir and there is no southern yellow pine here.



How has it come to this?



Ideas?

Zach, how has it come to what?

You're on a wood working forum, Home Depot is a home improvement store, not a wood working store.

Kind of like sending your friend the plumber to Lee Valley, at best he could buy some acid swabs for soldering flux and leave mumbling about the fact that they don't sell any resistance soldering equipment.

Consider this problem as a sign that your skills and expectations have advanced :-)..................Regards, Rod.

Van Huskey
12-20-2011, 7:23 PM
Kind of like sending your friend the plumber to Lee Valley, at best he could buy some acid swabs for soldering flux and leave mumbling about the fact that they don't sell any resistance soldering equipment.

Rod.

He can also get him a nifty Japanese PVC saw...

When I saw you posted, I figured your response would be "nothing" since although they sell hammers they don't sell Hammers nor Hammer parts. :p

Bill Cunningham
12-20-2011, 8:39 PM
I would trade it in for 20, $25.00 cards and give them as gifts next year.. There, that was easy..

Dale Coons
12-20-2011, 10:32 PM
Try cardpool dot com. They buy cards you don't want and give you a choice of cards you do want or cash. I was able to sell a partially used american airlines card that had $62 left that had been sitting in my drawer for a couple of years.

Zach England
12-21-2011, 12:31 AM
So I am kind of set on a rolling tool chest now...but anyone know the secret to making these gift cards work on the website? It won't take them...tells me I have entered incorrect data for any and all of them. I know at least one is good because I have used it in the store.

Please don't make me call that 800 number...

Zach England
12-21-2011, 12:37 AM
Try cardpool dot com. They buy cards you don't want and give you a choice of cards you do want or cash. I was able to sell a partially used american airlines card that had $62 left that had been sitting in my drawer for a couple of years.

I saw that. Interesting. If I hadn't decided I want a tool chest I'd probably do that. The funny thing is at my office they give four choices: Best Buy, REI, Costco and Home Depot. Almost all the people with families go for Costco, all the single males go for Best Buy and the single females go for REI. I'd REALLY have a hard time finding something I want at any of those stores. I am going to submit to HR that if they insist on keeping the policy of handing out gift cards as a poor substitute for a Christmas bonus they look into Lie-Nielsen.

Brian Tymchak
12-21-2011, 7:20 AM
I saw that. Interesting. If I hadn't decided I want a tool chest I'd probably do that. The funny thing is at my office they give four choices: Best Buy, REI, Costco and Home Depot. Almost all the people with families go for Costco, all the single males go for Best Buy and the single females go for REI. I'd REALLY have a hard time finding something I want at any of those stores. I am going to submit to HR that if they insist on keeping the policy of handing out gift cards as a poor substitute for a Christmas bonus they look into Lie-Nielsen.

Suggest they offer Visa gift cards. Usable pretty much anywhere..

Rich Stewart
12-21-2011, 10:01 AM
I had a fifty dollar card once and the girl gave me change. I bought a pack of gum. Was she not supposed to do that?

Zach England
12-21-2011, 10:13 AM
Every time I have used a gift card in a store (Home Depot or other) they either deduct the value from the card and give the gift card back with a receipt telling you how much is left on it or they issue a new gift card in the remaining amount.


I had a fifty dollar card once and the girl gave me change. I bought a pack of gum. Was she not supposed to do that?

Moses Yoder
12-21-2011, 12:12 PM
If I had a $500 gift card I would buy my wife a very nice new microwave. I have so many tools there is no more room in my shop. If I didn't have a wife to buy the microwave for, I would give it to the girl next door and ask her to marry me.

Zach England
12-21-2011, 12:20 PM
I have a microwave, don't have a wife, and if I gave my neighbor a microwave and asked her to marry me I doubt I'd be received well.

Brian Elfert
12-21-2011, 1:32 PM
You could sell your gift cards on Craigslist for somewhere between 80% and 90% of the value. I've been buying Home Depot gift cards and store credits for right about 80% of value. I want to buy a Honda lawn mower from Home Depot in the spring. I would prefer to buy my mower from the local hardware store, but I won't get the same 25% or so off after coupons and discounted store credits/gift cards.

Art Mulder
12-22-2011, 11:07 AM
Interesting. I am moving more and more towards hand tools and the only power tool I am interested in acquiring is a high-capacity bandsaw.

There's been several suggestions lately, and that rolling toolbox you mention sounds like a great solution.

Just to add to the mix: I know several folks who like the ridgid air nailers, and also the ridgid cordless drills. The price is competitive, and the lifetime warranty is unbeatable. As I recall their warranty also includes lifetime battery replacement on cordless tools, which is also good. Everyone needs some good drills + drivers!

But also like others have suggested: glue, paint, and other supplies would easily use up funds on those cards.



I too would like to know if the cards expire. I guess I can research this myself...or just go the lazy route and wait for them to not work.

You'd better be kidding. This is like opening your wallet and dumping a handful of twenties into the trash...

(One more thing I like about Canada: The companies are not allowed to set gift card expiry dates.)


I think I'd probably pick the Costco card... It's free groceries!

Zach England
12-22-2011, 11:23 AM
Thanks for the ideas. I bought the tool cabinet and still have $150 to spend on sheets of MDF. I am pretty excited to get it delivered. I think it is going to raise my manliness quotient by a few percent.

A few years ago, when I was building up my tool collection and doing a lot of projects on my house I would have never thought I'd struggle to spend money at Home Depot. I have sort of come to a point of DIY ennui lately. I'd rather build furniture, work in ceramics, learn fiber arts and work on some conceptual art stuff I am doing than knock out a wall. I also ran out of walls to knock out.

Don Jarvie
12-22-2011, 11:36 AM
My suggestion would have been to walk around the store with pen and paper and write down everything you want from tools to shop improvement items. The go home and narrow the list to 500. Your list would be at least a 1000.00 after your walk through.

How bout some nice track lights for above your work bench?