Session Five- Rebates and Promotions

1. Using a rebate form.
Rebates are very important in shopping and can help you get an item for free.
Rebate forms can be found online or in the insert section of a newspaper. They require you to have certain items, like a receipt, UPC codes or box tops off of the product. Some rebates may require all three be sent in to the address listed on the rebate form.
For example, Kellogg's is currently offering a rebate for a $10 check that you get back when you buy any 1o participating items listed on the rebate form (these can usually be found online or in the coupon section of the newspaper). I went to Tom Thumb to purchase my 10 items along with my groceries. My total bill for over $50 in groceries was $13.28. (Keep in mind that I used a $10 off $50 Tom Thumb coupon.) I used coupons for the Kellogg's items that I found in the same paper as the rebate form. I also happened to find coupon peelies on the cereal boxes at the grocery store for buy 2 get 1 free . When I mail in my rebate and get my check back I will have only paid $3.28 for those groceries and I will have gotten all the Kellogg's items that were listed (cereals, pop tarts and Rice Krispie treats) for free. This an example of why rebates are very valuable!
2. Promotions -
A promotion is a free offer where the manufacture will ship you this items if you buy certain products. It usually has a form as well. You can find these online, on a product's box or in the coupons section of the newspaper. #1 Rule for Promotions and Rebates - Always save your receipts.You never know when you might need a receipt. Find a box or cute container and use it to save your receipts. I took a brown box that I had in the shape of a heart and painted it blue. Then I wrote the word RECEIPTS really cute on the top so my family would know not to throw them away. You never know when you will need your receipts to mail in for a free offer and you may have already bought the items necessary. For example, there was an Extra Bucks deal at CVS last year that ended up giving CVS shoppers free Dove hair products. It turned out the next month, a rebate was posted online and you could mail the receipt in to get a free tote bag. It turned out to be really nice and included sample products as well! Items like free toys make great Christmas and Birthday gifts too!
3. Check for online rebates and promotions.
Go to the free website http://www.hotcouponworld.com/. Sign up if you are not a member. Scroll down to the forum titled: Gimme My Money Back! Check here for the latest rebates. Scroll a few titles down to the one called: Smokin' Promotions, here you can find a list of the most current promotions. Another website to check rebates and promotions is http://www.refundcents.com/ . It cost $1 a month to join but is one of the best websites for beginners.
4. Don't buy items that you would not normally buy! You are not going to save money if you spend a lot on items that your family would not usually use. This is what some companies hope you will do, by offering limited items that you can only get through the promotion. For example there is a former Kellogg's promotion for a soccer ball, http://www.frostedflakes.com/Offers/EYSSoccerBall.pdf . You have to buy five boxes of Frosted Flakes. If I had known this before I did the original Kellogg's rebate, I may have bought five for that deal to go with this deal as well. However, we only have one box in our pantry so I am not going to go out and buy four more so that we can have a soccer ball. If I stop to think about it, we have four soccer balls already.
5. Getting two register receipts for the same transaction. This one is kind of bargain shopper intense, so hang on! In the soccer ball rebate, you do not need your receipt, only the UPC's off of the boxes. However, occasionally you will need the same register receipt to fulfill two refunds. You can ask the cashier to print you a back copy of the receipt. Some stores are unable to do this but most stores can do this in their store. If you know ahead of time that you will need two receipts to mail in for the same transaction, go ahead and ask for a second copy of the receipt. It never hurts to ask and they can only tell you no. I have gotten a second receipt at Walgreens for two different offers.

Task 5- Sign up for Freebies4Mom and http://www.hotcouponworld.com/ and view the current rebates and promotions. Make a box to save your receipts! Be creative!