Some deals only come around once or twice a year, but offer savings that justify the wait. This post is part of our series on such 'don't miss' sales.

Back when I was doing home remodeling and home repair projects for myself, I enjoyed the routine trips to Menard's home improvement centers to buy products and materials. Its weekly newspaper fliers were stuffed into Upper Midwest newspapers where its 235 stores are located. The stores nearly always had exactly what I needed.

Menards has become known for a promotion called the "Fit in a bag sale." It sends full-sized grocery bags out with a sales flier. Shoppers can take the bags to Menards and fill them with whatever they wish (subject to restrictions). All items in the bag are then discounted by a percentage (which varies from sale to sale, but last August's was 15%) off the normal price of the items in the bag.

I used this sale opportunity to beef up on my home DIY guy supplies. I'd pack that bag with things like duct tape, drywall screws, utility knife blades, lightbulbs, batteries, auto fuses, WD-40, Miracle Grow, and caulk. I'd also pick up things for specific ongoing projects. Perhaps I'd buy solder if I was approaching a copper plumbing task, or some ring shank nails to fix a fence.

Surprisingly, the Menards spokesman I spoke to declined to comment on the sales, or even acknowledge that they exist. Apparently, he didn't want to suggest that you should wait for an upcoming bag sale to buy your supplies. But I will. Who doesn't want to save 15%?

Watch your newspaper and circulars for news of upcoming 'fit in a bag' sales at Menards.

This morning Bloomberg.com released a report regarding the state of the construction industry. That report provides a fairly gray view of the state of our nation's home builders. Home construction is in the process of posting a third straight year of declines and has surpassed even the direst of economic analyst predictions. For a good quick analysis of the report, read the synopsis by BloggingStocks writer Joseph Lazzaro.

However, in the midst of the weeping, I submit for your approval the assertion that this situation is not all gloom and doom. It's not to be taken for granted that the country is speckled with an endless array of hale and hearty carpenters just sitting on their hammers. We need to remind ourselves that our construction industry represents some of the best of our independent capitalist spirit. In most cases these folks aren't just giving up. They are weighing their options and changing gears.

I'm not much of a shopper, but there's one place in Columbus that turns me into a kid in a candy store. That place is The Habitat For Humanity Build It Again Center.

The Center, a K-Mart-sized building on the north side of town, is jammed with building supplies donated by homeowners, contractors, and companies in the Columbus area. Everything from countertops to cabinets, conduit to concrete, stairs, doors, windows, and more are for sale. All is new or gently used and priced so reasonably you can't say no. What you see is what you get, though, so be prepared to work your plan to the size of your discoveries, rather than vice versa.

The profits go to support Habitat's programs, but that isn't the motivation behind the Center. Manager Rob Cramer told me that the main purpose for the program was to reduce the amount of serviceable goods that end up in the landfill.

The Center certainly does that. On any given day, he estimates 100-300 people can be found scouring the aisles for the right supplies to turn their pad into a palace.

Where else can you find such a win-win opportunity? Help reduce waste, help fund Habitat, and save yourself some serious coin. I'm looking for a new garage door, so you might just find me there. And remember, if there's anything especially cool for sale -- I saw it first.

This post was written as part of a series on how to thrift shop smarter. Read more on what to buy, and not to buy, at thrift stores.