Rebate Debate

Rebates are a tricky thing. Everyone knows they are a gimmick, so I generally don't factor the rebate into the cost of an item because who knows how much of a headache you will have to endure in calling the rebate center if you don't get the rebate for some obscure reason. I got something a few years ago for Black Friday with a rebate, that was the last time. It took a year of letters exchanged, faxes, phone calls, and frustration to get my $150. As a rule, I generally avoid them, unless I would already purchase an item without the rebate included.

Except for these:

They are beer rebates. No, you don't have to buy beer to use them. They magically show up in beer displays in grocery stores, convenience stores, and who knows where else at the beginning of the month.
They come in different shapes, sizes, and forms, but generally are really easy to redeem. As you can see in the first one, all you have to buy are things that you probably normally purchase. Just save your receipts and send them in. I have never had a problem with getting my rebates.

If you find one, try it out (and send an extra one to me). It is an easy way to get some extra money. Check out my "Found Money" sidebar to see how much I rack up through the year. (I am looking forward to watching this as well, as Burke doesn't think all of this is worth the effort).

By the way, I found a new one at the grocery store the other day and grabbed a few extras. If you live in my state I can send you one to try, just leave a comment with your info.

On the Road Again

We are going out of town on a road trip...kind of. We are going to see Burke's brother's daughter get baptized (follow all of that?)
It will be fun to see everyone. Even Grandpa will be there. He was discharged yesterday. I am sure he is glad to be home, but he will be picking up and leaving again soon. What a trouper.
I booked our hotel tonight, as our plans were only just finalized this afternoon.

Best of all...Free Hotel Stay!

Woo-Hoo!

I used the rewards on my credit card to get the two nights for free. So any other expense is just for food and entertainment.
It only took four years to save up enough points! (I guess I don't use my card very often).

These are a few of my favorite things

Here and there, you find things that become hobbies. Over time, I have come to really enjoy doing my girls' hair. I love to cruise around the hair blogs and see what those talented and creative ladies have come up with that I could attempt. I found this Valentine's hairdo at Girly Do's. It turned out okay, but did take quit a bit longer than I wanted.
It is supposed to look like a heart, but I didn't make the first ponytail low enough on her head. Annika was happy with it though, and got lots of compliments that day.

I have also been actively pursuing my hobby of "find the money". It has become a personal challenge for me to find ways to squeeze every last bit of money out of whatever I can. I guess it would have been a more useful hobby for me to have picked up while we were starving students, but I figure it is better late than never.
This past week I got some money in the mail. There was a rebate for soda that offered over the holidays. 2 Liter bottles of soda were on sale for $1. If you bought 10, you qualified for a $10 rebate. I couldn't pass it up, so I got 20 bottles, spent $20 dollars, and just got my two $10 rebates in the mail. That same day, I received a $4 check from a survey company for doing a survey about frozen dinners.

I also love learning new things. I have been taking classes through community education since I moved here and have dabbled in several different things including watercolors, Tai Chi, and pottery. I am currently taking a digital photography class with my sister. I have learned quite a bit, although my sister and I spend a lot of time talking. Hopefully you will be able to see some improvement in the pictures I post...eventually. I am enjoying it, despite the teacher being a little strange. You know that saying: Working hard, or hardly working? Here are some photos I took during class to test out some features on my camera.
My final favorite for this post is my "little" sister featured in the above pictures (sorry, but they were so flattering). She is one of my best friends and a great example to me for lots of different things. I am glad she and I can get out of the house and spend some time together.

Checking the Mail

Some days it is fun to get the mail. Yesterday was one of those days. I got some great free stuff!
Along with some free hair care samples I received, I got this: It was an offer from Fed Ex a couple of weeks ago where I gave my name, address, and email and they sent me this gift card for $10 worth of free photo prints at their kiosk. Pretty fun!

I also got a $5 rebate I sent in to Kitchen Aid for a hand blender I got while I was in Ohio on a super good deal. I am not much of a cook, but I love kitchen gadgets. I found this toy:

and with the rebate, I was sold. It has actually been quite handy and I have used it a lot. In fact, I made soup with it just today.

Crocs and Gift Card freebies

Today I finally got my Crocs! They are quite comfy, if not exactly stylish. I got them from a Proctor and Gamble mail in rebate that occurred in October.

I also recently recieved a $5 gift card to Albertson's from a mail in rebate they had last month for popcorn. I am going to put that in the cash column.
This past year, I also participated in online surveys. I just cashed out my accounts so that I could track how much money I made for this calendar year. I have received my first check and the second is on the way. It should total just over $60.
That's my fun money.
For fun stuff like the crown I had done on Wednesday. Doesn't a trip to the dentist sound like great fun for all?

Free Stuff

I got more free stuff:
A year of Self Magazine, and a year of Woman's Day. I really love magazines. They are fast, easy, and if you are interrupted by a child begging for food, you don't need to worry about losing your place. They also make a workout at the gym pass a little faster.

I got them from filling out a survey from Rewards Gold. I am currently also getting Redbook, Prevention, and TV Guide from this same place.

Prices for these magazines are $8 for Self, and $10 for Woman's Day.

Free Stuff Alert!

I was able to download the entire Enchanted album for free on Saturday!

This is how I did it:

I purchased my new camera from Amazon during the Christmas shopping season (Black Friday deal, of course). I then received a $5 credit from them for any MP3 download until January 31, 2009.

Amazon had the Enchanted album on sale for $1.99, so with my credit, I got it for free and still have $3 left over.

After looking around on the site, I found a few free downloads that I liked, including OMD's If You Leave. That was a blast from the past! I used two more dollars downloading two songs from Phantom of the Opera, so I have one left... Hmmm...