I will state up front that I am not a big rebate fan. Since one of the main objectives I have with couponing is to make it as easy and painless as possible, rebates usually don’t fit with this goal. Even when the food will end up free after the rebate, the amount of extra effort it will take usually makes me decide to pass the vast majority of the time. It just isn’t fun for me to gather all the information needed, fill out the form, mail the letter and keep track to make sure the rebate arrives.
There are times, however, when I will submit for rebates. On rare occasions, the food that I am able to buy for free or nearly free may also have a rebate running. When I would be buying this food anyway even without the rebate form, I will sometimes submit the rebate form depending on how much the rebate is for and how complicated the rebate form is. In these cases the rebate will be a money maker for me. In my case, the rebate usually has to be worth over $5.00 and only require a receipt. Those people who have more time will be able to save more than I do if they have a bit more patience with rebate offers.
For those that do decide to do rebates to save a bit more money, be sure to thoroughly read through the form to know what you need to complete the rebate. This will often include an original receipt and/or bar code. If you know that you are going to use the receipt for a rebate, it is always worthwhile to ask for a duplicate receipt from the cashier. This means that if sometime down the road another rebate comes along, you will still have an original receipt to take advantage of it.
As stated above, I do less than a handful of rebates each year simple because they aren’t worth the time and effort for me. That being said, it is definitely worthwhile to keep an eye open for them and give a few a try to see if they are worthwhile to you.
Please feel free to ask any questions that you may have about rebates and I will do my best to answer them. This post is part of the Lazy Couponing series. The next step will be learning about Electronic Coupons.
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The only rebate I’ve felt worthwhile this year was Renpure Organic shampoo and conditioner. I did the rebates at the CVS Free with ECB’s then submitted for the rebate as well. Then when they were BOGO and submitting for the rebate again since seems you can do twice per household. The rebates are pealies or litte tags if anyone hasn’t tried it yet, definitely recommend.
I love rebates.
I’m with you 100% on rebates being a pain sometimes. I live in a NBPR state, and some of the offers by beer companies are just too good to pass up. $15 back WYB $25.01 worth of seafood and premium dips? My husband has very much enjoyed the salmon, and after using coupons for much of the dip I bought making it free in the store, I’ll end up making a little money on it.
Good rebates on stuff we use, sale or no sale, like the Prilosec rebate from last month, are also things I do.
It should be mentioned that if you live in a NBPR state, you should ALWAYS check the beer isle for tearpads and rebates.
The latest rebate I found was $2 back from a beer company WYB corned beef. St Pats is coming, and I have plenty of friends who won’t mind getting some money back, even if it’s not much.