Mail-In Rebate Checks

As predicted by my hubbie, my dry spell of receiving MIRs has come to an end. It had been over a month since I received a rebate check in the mail. Well last week several came:

Miller - $20 (save $20 on $40 of groceries - No Beer Purchase Required)
Columbia Crest Wine - $5 (save $5 on $15 of chicken, deli or produce - No Wine Purchase Required)
SC Johnson - $5
Kraft Keep the Jingle in your Holiday - $10
Kraft Back to School - $20

Total: $60!!!!!

Sixty dollars with little effort. Sixty dollars back to my grocery budget. Now that is awesome!

Stockpiling plus Harris Teeter - E-Vic Savings

You might have noticed that I haven't had any amazing deal-catching shopping trips the last couple of weeks. There haven't been any incredible deals that I had to have. To tell you the truth, we haven't needed to shop for much. Our pantry and freezer are stocked up. We have plenty of meat, frozen veggies, side dishes, snacks, drinks, etc. The hubbie has been able to pick up milk, bread, and fresh produce after work a couple of times. Other than that, we haven't bought anything. My method of shopping is stockpiling. We don't only eat what I post on this blog. As I mentioned before, we have a stockpile of food in our freezer and pantry. Though if anyone sees an amazing deal on ground beef, let me know. I am on the lookout for a GREAT ground beef deal so I can stock the freezer back up. :)

I did head to Harris Teeter this morning to grab 2 newspapers. Coupons! Got have my coupons. :) I always buy 2 newspapers because I like to have multiple coupons if there is a good deal out there. While I was at Harris Teeter, I picked up a can of Campbell's Chunky New England Clam Chowder soup (my hubbie's fav) for 88 cents (price for non-EVIC members was 4/$6). This was the E-Vic Item of the Week. Every week there is one item that is SUPER cheap with E-Vic members. This week it was Campbell's Chunky Soup. Every couple of weeks I will get an email for a item that is FREE to E-Vic members. In recent weeks, I have gotten a free container of baby wipes and a free bottle of PowerAde. I love FREE stuff!

Anyone can sign up to be an E-Vic member. Click here to sign up. You must already be a VIC member to sign up for E-Vic Savings. Once you register, you will receive a weekly email with the Harris Teeter advertisement, special E-Vic member only discounts, and information about the E-Vic item of the week. What is the difference between a VIC member and an E-VIC member? A VIC member is someone with a Harris Teeter savings card. An E-VIC member is someone with a Harris Teeter savings card PLUS has signed up online to receive special E-VIC savings.

Oh and a special bonus while I was at Harris Teeter, I found a $5 wine tag rebate when you buy chicken, deli items or produce. Score! Hubbie bought grapes and bananas last night on his way home so I will send away for the rebate and they will now be FREE! Who said there weren't coupons for produce? :P

Mail-in Rebates (also known as MIRs)

One of my favorite ways to make extra money is Mail In Rebates. Yes, I think it is fun to find mail in rebates. :) Most of the MIRs that I submit are from beer and wine companies. This week alone I received (3) $10 checks in the mail from MIRs. Thank you Bud and Miller! Here are two of the checks I received this week:


And get this! Most beer and wine rebates do NOT require you to purchase beer or wine. They do sometimes require you to buy specific products. Some of the examples of items that I have seen on Beer/Wine MIRs include chicken, beef, seafood, salty snacks, bread, produce, and deli items. The list goes on and on! These are everyday items that I buy for my family. How do I organize all my rebates?

1. I keep all my receipts together in a small rubbermaid bin. Once I find a rebate for an item, I can go to this bin and look for the item on one of my receipts. I bought the item anyway so sending away for a rebate is just a bonus!

2. Beer MIRs are usually found on a display of beer. Most often there is a poster that is attached to a stack of beer. The MIR is on this poster.

3. Wine hang tags are found around the necks of wine bottles. The last tag I found on a wine bottle was a rebate for chicken, beef, or seafood. NO Wine Purchase Required. I had just bought a ton of chicken at an awesome deal on this Harris Teeter trip. I simply circled the item on the receipt and mailed away the rebate form.

4. All rebates have date requirements so make sure your receipt date falls within the guidelines.

5. Most rebates take 6-8 weeks before you receive a check in the mail. But as I mentioned before I don't go out of my way to buy specific items to qualify for a rebate. These are items I would have purchase if there was a rebate or not.

Because I send away for so many rebates, I do maintain a spreadsheet that lists the rebate, date mailed, amount, and date check was received. I keep this spreadsheet because I like to be organized. My mom mails away for almost as many rebates as I do but she doesn't track them. So to each his own! I don't think she has ever had a problem receiving payment from the company....but because I like to be crazy-organized, I prefer to keep a spreadsheet. This way I know how much I am "making" by mailing away for MIRs.

If you have a question about MIRs, please feel free to ask. I would love to answer!

I Heart Swagbucks!

One of the ways I make supplementary income is SwagBucks. What is SwagBucks you ask? SwagBucks is a search engine. I use their site to do all my regular searching on the web. You can even download a toolbar to use and easily search. When you search using SwagBucks you are periodically awarded their currency - "SwagBucks." You can then use the SwagBucks to purchase prizes. There are a ton of prizes available on their site i.e. video games, posters, DVDs, books....you name it.

My favorite prizes by far are the gift cards. There are many gift cards available to purchase with your SwagBucks...Starbucks, Target, Barnes and Noble, even Mastercard. My favorite gift card is for Amazon.com. They are only 45 SwagBucks for a $5 gift card. I have cashed in my SwagBucks for $30 worth of Amazon.com gift cards over the last 3 months. The only thing I have to do to earn $30 from Amazon is use SwagBucks as my search engine. That is $30 FREE....I didn't have to do anything extra to earn them. I highly recommend SwagBucks to everyone! If you are interest in joining, there is a link to sign up on the left side of the page. When you sign up, they will automatically start you out with 3 SwagBucks!