Finding carpet on sale can save you 60% to 80% over retail pricing when you search the right places. Note that nstallation is often priced seperated, on sale carpets, and this usually runs in the vicinity of $6 per yard, depending on how the area is broken up and the type of carpet being installed. With areas like stairs extra.
Remnants - ask you local carpet shop for remants. Forget about what they carry in the showroom because this is where you will find typical markups. This is ideal for limited areas and when you find a remnant you like, make sure it is free from defects.
Carpet Outlets - Two examples are Warehouse Carpets and Dalton Georgia Carpet Outlet (and others located in Dalton, GA). Go right to their sale and specials and bypasss the others. To encourage sales, some offer free-installation promotionals at certain times of the year.
Depending on where you live, the roll could cost $1 per yard to get it shipped to you, in round numbers. Dealing direct should bring you savings.
Big Box Outlets like Lowes and Home Depot offer low pricing due to the nationwide buying power. The installations are contracted out, though many carpet dealers are in this practice. This at times results in a weaker rein over the quality and timeliness of the install, however.
Before the carpet arrives from shipment or is being installed, confirm the the right square footage is being charged. Measuring the room(s) off only takes a moment.
The carpet itself: for an indication of quality, two important characteristics to look for when buying carpet are the carpet fiber and weight, in ounces. The kind of fibers and their blend do matter, as does the tightness of the weave. Always view the carpet up close, step on it, feel it for resiliency and firmness.
High grade padding adds to the cost though helps maintain the usable life of the carpet you end up buying, and so usually pays for itself.