Rebates: Was I Supposed to Mail That In?

Monday, July 27th, 2009

Rebates are great at luring us to buy products.  But getting around to mailing them in can be another story, particularly in the busy lives that we lead.  Here are my “rebate tricks” to getting the most for my money:

• Make a rebate tracker.  Yes, Excel is used for more important things like quarterly reporting and tracking all sorts of official data, but it works just as well for household items like rebates.  I built a spreadsheet to track my own rebates which includes: date of purchase, where purchased, amount of the rebate, date submitted, amount, and if I received it.  If you want a copy of it, drop me a comment or email and I will be happy to send it to you. 

  I built my “rebate tracker” so that I could have a reference point to make sure that all of my rebates were being paid out to me.  And if there is something that seems to be taking a bit too long, I contact them.  I have saved a couple of hundred dollars this way because there have been times that my rebate was “lost” and I had to help the company “find” it.

• Use online rebate submission whenever you can.  At least with an online submission you can have a tracking number attached to your rebate as a point of reference.  It tends to be a lot easier as well, particularly with companies like Staples and Rite-Aid helping the process along with their “Easy Rebates” programs.  They aren’t stupid; they know it goes a long way in building customer loyalty if the rebate process isn’t painful.
• Skip the small rebates.  If you have a rebate that you have to mail in and will give you only 50 cents or $1 back, why bother?  The stamp will cost you 44 cents + the cost of the envelope and your time.  Your time alone is worth more than a couple of cents!

Have a great week!

Copyright 2008-2009 Kristin Delfau, author of Turbo-Mom's Guide to Saving Money Without Wasting Time a womens' personal finance book, and Aji Publishing.

Tags: discounts, rebates, saving money, saving online
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When AAA is more than just towing your car

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009

Hello from a toasty day in Connecticut!  Since we had visitors last week (or was it the week before? I am losing track), I thought I would share with you some AAA savings that we’ve used while they were visiting…

Our friends came to visit us from overseas and they have a particular affection for Six Flags New England.  So instead of paying face value for the tickets, we go to our local AAA office and buy them there–for almost 40% off!  Usually, the day pass is $41, but at AAA, they are $26.  And they have a discount on parking as well.  All told, our group of 6 (Nicolas is free because he is under 2) saved $97 on park entrance and parking fees! 

Again, I am not a big membership person (note my lack of Costco member status), but even though AAA can seem expensive, I have found them to be worthwhile.  There have been times that my car battery died in our driveway after my husband left for work (thanks to me leaving the interior light on overnight) and AAA had someone out to jump the car within 15 minutes. 

Also, I believe I’ve mentioned this before but it bears repeating: if you have lost your prescription coverage at work, lost your health insurance all together, have a medication that isn’t on Walmart’s generic list, etc., get your AAA prescription discount card.  It’s free with membership and it just might save you a few bucks.  And the prescription card works for pet meds as well–as long as the medication can also be taken by humans.  So things like insulin, heart meds, etc. all qualify!

Copyright 2008-2009 Kristin Delfau, author of Turbo-Mom's Guide to Saving Money Without Wasting Time a womens' personal finance book, and Aji Publishing.

Tags: aaa, discounts, health insurance, prescriptions, saving money
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Kids outgrowing their shoes!

Wednesday, October 8th, 2008

Now that my son is walking and it is October, I have had to break down and buy him some shoes instead of letting him toddle around barefoot.  After a visit to Stride-Rite with a friend, I received a quick reminder lesson on how expensive children’s shoes can be.  $55 for a pair of basic shoes that he will outgrow in 2 months!

So after talking with some of my favorite thrifty mom friends, here’s what I learned:

 Target is a great place for kids’ shoes.  A wide variety, decent selection, and reasonable quality.  However, I must say that their girls’ shoes outnumber the boys’ selection about 3-to-1. 

If you are looking for brand name kids’ shoes at low prices, by all means try Marshalls. Marshalls (and their sister store, TJ Maxx) you probably know pretty well for their discount clothing, housewares, etc.  But if it’s been awhile since you have been in a Marshalls, go visit again.  The chain has been revamping its footwear section so that they now have it arranged according to style rather than size.  This means that they have the shoes in boxes below the style–as you would find in a regular shoe store. 

It was at Marshalls that we scored a pair of hi-top Ecco boots for my son, which set us back $17.  Much better than the $55 at Stride-Rite and a great brand as well!

Copyright 2008-2009 Kristin Delfau, author of Turbo-Mom's Guide to Saving Money Without Wasting Time a womens' personal finance book, and Aji Publishing.

Tags: discounts, kids, shoes
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