By Jennifer Acosta Scott, founder of Fort Worth on the Cheap
Just moments before sitting down to write this blog post, I opened one of the cabinets in my master bathroom to grab a new hand soap. As I poked through my stockpile, I realized that at least 75 percent of the 25+ items in that cabinet had been obtained for free. And while I got a few of those free items by combining sales with coupons, most were secured by way of rebates – handy little promotions that give you some (or all!) of your money back when you purchase specific products.
Many people roll their eyes at the thought of rebates. They’re fussy. They have lots of fine print. There’s a lot of paperwork to keep track of, receipts to save, and UPCs to clip. But they are a real money-saver, especially if the product is something that you already buy anyway.
So, where to find rebate offers? The grocery store or drugstore shelf is a good place to begin. Many companies that participate in rebate programs will put stickers or hangtags on the products that are included. Look for the words “Try Me Free.” There are also a few online compilations of rebate offers. This site is a good one that’s kept pretty up-to-date. Walgreens also has an EasySaver rebate program, which offers full or partial refunds on certain products bought at Walgreens stores, but this program is being discontinued at the end of April. You can still take advantage of it this month, if you hurry.
Now, to be a successful rebater, you need to be organized. Buying the product, stuffing the receipt into a dark corner of your wallet, and promptly forgetting about it will not work. That’s what the manufacturers hope you’ll do. Stay ahead of the game by doing these things:
Mailing it promptly. Many rebates require you to send in the forms within 30 days of the product purchase date. If you mail it on day 31, you’re out of luck. When I buy a product that offers a rebate, I like to come home from the store and put all the paperwork and forms in an envelope immediately, then mail it at my earliest convenience. If there’s a rebate that I can’t send in right away – say, an offer on a half-gallon of milk that requires a UPC clipped from the carton – then I put everything else in the envelope and leave it in my kitchen drawer until I can get all of the components together.
Making copies. Rebates can be lost in the mail or lost by the rebate processing center, and in those cases, you’ll need to forward copies of all the documents you sent in to get your refund. For low-dollar rebates, I don’t bother. But if a rebate is worth $10 or more, I copy everything, including the UPC, and keep it in a file till I receive my check.
Reading the fine print. Some rebates require a lot of stuff. Many ask that you send in the “Try Me Free” sticker along with the receipt. Others, like the satisfaction-guaranteed rebates, may want you to write down why you didn’t like the product. Most will want you to circle the item on your receipt. Make sure each and every one of these things is done. Don’t give them an excuse to disqualify you.
Keeping track. If you do a lot of rebates, it’s hard to remember when you sent the forms in and when you should expect to receive your check. I keep a Word document on my computer that contains the following items for each rebate: The name and description of the offer, the deadlines for buying the product and mailing the rebate, the maximum reimbursement amount, a link to the form (if there is a form to print from the Internet), and the date that I mailed in the envelope. When I get a check, I go back to the document and make a notation.
One additional note: If you’re taking advantage of more than one rebate in a single shopping trip, do two separate transactions so you have two receipts to mail in. Photocopies of receipts don’t fly with rebate processors.
Now, a few words on “satisfaction guaranteed” rebates. Many companies will offer to refund your money if you buy their product and don’t like it. Some deal hunters will ask for the rebate, even if they are satisfied with the item. I personally do not feel this is an ethical practice. I happily take advantage of rebates specifically advertised as “Try Me Free” or “Free After Rebate,” because those don’t imply that dissatisfaction is a requirement for the rebate. But I only send in for satisfaction-based rebates when I am unhappy with or disappointed by the product. If I don’t feel that the product lived up to the manufacturer’s hype, then I feel okay doing the rebate. Do what you are comfortable with.
Rebating may sound like a very complicated process, but it really isn’t. Only a small amount of forethought and work is required. (Believe me – I’m one of the least organized people out there. My taxes still aren’t done, if that tells you anything.) So if you’re unsure about getting in on the refunding game, just do a few to start out with. I’ll bet that when those checks start arriving in the mail, you’ll be hooked like me.
Jennifer Acosta Scott is a writer based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. She is the founder of Fort Worth on the Cheap, a blog dedicated to bargains and discounts in the Fort Worth area. She’s also written for many other publications, like Bankrate.com, Health, Plenty Magazine and the Dallas Morning News. You can see some of her work online at www.jenniferacostascott.com.
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By KellyH, RichmondMommies.com member
