Saving Money: Rebates

Everyone needs to eat. For many, groceries are a huge monthly expense. Yet, to most, it is an expense that can be at least pared down somewhat vs. fixed expenses like car payments. But does going to the grocery store have to be so financially painful?

No. Savvy shoppers know to use coupons. In fact, most people in this country would recoup the cost of their Sunday paper if they just clipped those coupons out and used them at the store. Coupon usage does not mean you are poor! It does, however, mean you are using your noggin. Many grocery stores will double coupons (some lucky people even have chains near them that occasionally triple) so that .50 coupon you don't think is worth the bother in reality is worth a dollar or more if you shop at a grocery store that does double. Would you throw dollars away in the trash? Of course not! But many people just don't take the time to clip their coupons or use them at the store.

So aside from using coupons, what else can you do to help your grocery budget? Scan those aisles for rebates. Many beer and wine companies offer rebates on every day items such as meat, produce, eggs, chocolate, etc. And even better, many of these same companies (depending upon your state) do not require you to make a wine or beer purchase. Here in the Commonwealth of Virginia, Bud, Coors, Michelob and other beer companies place rebates in convenience and grocery stores, many offering full or hefty refunds for purchasing nothing more than snack foods, meat and bottled water, for example. Summer months bring an onslaught of savings opportunities for me. Many of the beer companies will offer $25 back on a $50 purchase of meat and other products. Excuse me, but doesn't that mean you get half of your money back for doing nothing more than buying meat? No beer? Yes, that is just what I said! Summer is a great time for me to stock up on meat, which ends up being half price after rebate. Time a sale right and you save an extraordinary amount of money on meat.

In my article Rebates: Not Just for Electronics, What You Don't Know You're Missing, I discuss this topic in greater detail. Please read this article and pass it along to any of your friends who pass those tear pads by at the grocery store. One year I saved over $130 on meat rebates alone in about the space of six months. If I can do this, you can too. It just takes a little extra work, but is well worth the effort. One caveat here: Keep a copy of your submission just in case you need it in the future. I scan a copy and save it to my hard drive when I send away a rebate. Very rarely do I get a reject notice, but when I do, I have my copy handy to call and plead my case.