WalletRehab - Ways to save money

I am a packrat. I’m kind of proud of it. My family members know that if they need something random, there’s a good change that I have it lying around somewhere. Most of them are gadgets and doodads that I bought when I had too much money and was very depressed. Having spent that money, I didn’t want to throw the them away, as useless as they mostly were.

And a good portion of these unwanted items came from Free after rebate. It’s a great marketing ploy. Why shouldn’t you buy something if it’s free?

What the stores don’t tell you is that most people fail to turn their rebate forms in on time. It isn’t a lot of effort to cut-out UPC codes and photocopy receipts. It is even easier to forget to submit your rebates. I do it all the time, so much so that I almost never factor rebate discounts into my purchases. I know that I’m missing out on some good deals, but I am also protecting myself from not submitting them.

That being said, I do use rebates from time to time. But what I do is:

Submit them immediately.

1. After I use the item once, i.e. test it after buying it, I fill out all of the rebate paperwork, photocopy it, and leave it in my mailbox for Mr. Postman.
2. I don’t ever give myself the chance to forget.
3. I figure it takes about 15 minutes to fill out a rebate, and with electronic goods, rebates of $50-$100 are not uncommon. So, filling out a rebate is like making $200/hour.

That is if you fill them out. Be very careful with rebates, my friends.

That being said, here’s a website for those who like to live dangerously, and accumulate a bunch of stuff for free.

Free After Rebate