We Scored Big on Craigslist!

When I'm on the Internet, I usually keep an eye on Freecycle and Craigslist's "free" section for my area. Every ten minutes or so I'll just pause what I'm doing and click the refresh button for each. You can find some amazing things that people are giving away, but you usually have to be fast to get the best things.

Last Saturday afternoon while Michael was out running, I was working on the dinner menus for the following week and the grocery list. As usual, I was popping in and out of what I was doing to see what people were giving away for free.

I came across and interesting post on Craigslist that said the poster was planning to have an estate sale but ended up moving sooner than he or she thought. Everything had to go. There were some amazing things in the three photo galleries they posted -- art, decorations, furniture from various places around the world. I couldn't believe it was all going to be free. They were making everything available from 7 AM until noon on Sunday only.

When Michael got home, I told him about my find. However, by that time, the post had been flagged (meaning a reader of Craigslist believed something was wrong with the ad). **Sigh!** I guessed it was too good to be true. Yet, the advertiser re-posted it two more times. It seemed to be legitimate. We decided we'd check it out.

We got up at 5:00 AM to get ready for the day and left the house by 6:20 or so. MapQuest said it would take 30 minutes to get there. We arrived right at 7:00. One other car was there waiting. Another had just pulled up behind us. The people in the house were just opening the door and blinds.

It turned out the super-duper amazing things were either not there or for sale -- not free. But there was a house full of things for the taking. They said they'd like a small donation if you could, but it wasn't mandatory. It appeared to be three people in their late 20s or 30s (cousins, we found out) who were doing this for the mother of one of them. I think she was the older woman with a cane who we saw there. They said the donations, if you made one, would be for her since she was moving.

We've been trying to clean out our own house of unnecessary stuff, so we didn't take anything we couldn't use or didn't really like. Here's what we got: a brand new, unopened game of Scrabble (perhaps we'll keep, give as a gift, or give to Toys for Tots next year); a doll-sized Windsor chair (because it may find a place in our guest room, because it was too cute to pass up, and because it looks like it could possibly have been hand-crafted); a set of 3 wall hangings for the kitchen; a 37" x 31" framed, triple-matted, signed print by Pollyanna Pickering, and a little white storage bench type of thing.

We have been struggling with decorating our house, specifically the walls. We don't want to put a ton of money into it, but we would like it to look nice and coordinated. These new-to-us wall hangings and picture came just at the right time. The ones for the kitchen will look nice -- albeit probably not something I would have spent money on. They look like something you would pick up at T.J. Max or Ross. Unless you are my mother-in-law (who finds amazing deals on this kind of stuff that an ordinary human couldn't otherwise find), they probably would have been $8-$12 each. That could really add up...

The framed Pickering print is quite nice. The colors and subject (little birds setting on a wagon wheel) work well with our guest room. I wouldn't have paid the $350 price that is penciled on the back of the framed or even the $120 they were asking for it if they had sold it at an estate sale. But for nearly free, it's perfect!

Just as we were leaving, Michael spied a cute little white bench type of thing. It's hard to describe. It's like a one-person bench that has a seat that lifts open and has storage space inside. When he showed it to me, my first question was, "What would we do with it?" He didn't know, but he thought it looked neat -- maybe something for a kitchen. I mentally scanned all of the rooms in our house and couldn't find a place for it. It's hard to pass up something that seems like it would be so good, but we really just don't need more random stuff. Then, Michael said he thought it would look nice on his parents' newly refinished back porch. "Oh, it would! Let's get it for a gift for your mom," I said.

When we got home, I realized this little bench needed some TLC. However, after vacuuming, scrubbing, and taking the Magic Eraser to it, it looked as good as new! There was a T.J. Max sticker on the back of it that said the "regular" price was $149; the T.J. Max price was $79.99; it was on clearance for $70.00; and the estate sale price tag said $55. I'm not even sure I would have paid the lowest price for it, simply because it wasn't something I needed. It was also too much to pay for a used thing to give as a gift. But for nearly, free -- again, it was perfect!

I was really excited at the prospect of giving this bench to Michael's mom. I thought she would enjoy it and that it would be nice on their back porch. However, I was falling in love with it -- all shiny and freshly scrubbed. But what would we do with it?

We actually found a great place for it in our kitchen. It holds our newspaper, mixed paper, and cardboard perfectly before taking it to the curb for recycling each week. I've been wanting something to hold that stuff for a long time so that it didn't just set in the middle of the floor. This is great! (Sorry, Michael's mom! We're keeping the little storage bench.)

Anyway, before we left the estate sale/giveaway, we dug into our pockets and found $21 between the two of us. We showed one of the guys what we had and asked if that little bit of money would be sufficient. He agreed it was. While I know we were helping them by just getting rid of what was probably unwanted junk to them, I felt better paying them a little something for it. After all, we got a number of really nice things. So, it wasn't quite free. But all of that for $21 -- that was a super deal. And we left just as the house was getting super crowded with other bargain hunters.

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Penny Pinching: Slaying the Energy Vampires

One way we have been pinching our pennies a little tighter is by reducing some of the "vampire energy." We have 4 power strips in different parts of the house that we use for electronics that use energy even when they are turned off.

We have one power strip for the computer. The monitor and printer are also plugged into it. If we aren't going to be using the computer for an hour or more, we turn the whole thing off and then flip the power strip to off. If I'm planning to come back to the computer in a short period of time, I'll put it in standby mode.

We have a stereo upstairs and one downstairs. We don't actually use either one very often, so they get power strips too and stay off the majority of the time.

And we also have a power strip for the TV, cable box, and modem. That one we have off unless we are watching TV, are on the Internet, or will be back to use one of those things in a short period of time. So, it goes off at night when we head to bed and stays off all day while we are at work. Because all three of those things have lights/clocks on them that stay on when they are "off," I know for sure they are energy vampires.

I'm not 100% sure how much we are saving on an annual basis with this tip, but based on Good Magazine's chart, it looks like it may be in the ballpark of $100. That's not huge, but I'll take it. Otherwise, it's like tossing a Benjamin right out the window. And who would do that? The only effort it takes is to remember to turn the power strips on and off.

Oh yes, there is the cost of the getting power strips if you don't already have them. Well, the good news is that you can get basic ones for free after rebate at various stores. I think I may have only paid full price for one of our power strips years ago. I got one of the others at Staples free after rebate one year on Black Friday. I've seen them advertised for the same deal periodically throughout the rest of the year too. I got the other two power strips free after rebate at Rite Aid.

Good news if you need a power strip now: the week of Sunday, November 23, Rite Aid has them free after rebate! (Don't forget to shop early if you want one because they sell out of their rebate deals quickly.)

Finally, this is not only a way to save money, but it's saving energy which is environmentally friendly too!

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Free Tomatoes from Del Monte

If you are one of the first 50,000 people to respond to this offer on Del Monte's website (in the bottom right corner), you'll receive a coupon in the mail for a free can of Del Monte No Salt Added Diced Tomatoes! I just requested mine this evening, and it said they'll mail the coupon to me 4 to 6 weeks after the offer ends (April 30, 2009). As a consolation prize, they will give you a 50-cents-off coupon if they've given away all of the coupons for the free can.

Of course, there is a catch. You do have to sign up for Del Monte's monthly e-newsletter called The Dish. Actually, I found out about the offer through that newsletter because I was already receiving it.

I do try to at least scan all of those marketing newsletters that fill my inbox. They do often have news about special offers, coupons, freebies, etc. But I learned several years ago to have e-newsletters sent to an email account separate from my regular email. I actually check that email box as often as I do my regular email, but at least the messages are separated. It keeps my virtual mail more organized. And if I don't have the time or desire to read my "junk" mail, I can just quickly delete everything in that inbox.

If you haven't already set up a special email account to use whenever you register for something that requires an email address, do it now. Do it before you take advantage of this Del Monte offer. Get a free email account from Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail, etc. Then, you can take advantage of special offers from companies like Del Monte without filling your regular inbox with spam.

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You've Gotta Love Free Underwear

Over the past couple of years Victoria's Secret has been sending Michael a coupon for a pair of their VS cotton panties. Thankfully (for many reasons!) he always passes them on to me. I've gotten 3 pairs of underwear so far, which is a retail value of $22.50. No purchase is necessary to get the free undies either. They are truly free.

Michael has no idea why he gets these coupons because he's never purchased anything from Victoria's Secret. They don't have him on their catalogue mailing list -- just for coupons. I think I've gotten one of those coupons over the past 6 or 7 years, and I've even purchased things from VS. It seems like they should send me more coupons. That's okay; I still benefit from the ones he gets.

Since we've gotten married, Michael has moved to where I had been living with my sister. He did a change of address with the post office, but I didn't think junk mail followed you. Well, a free underwear coupon really isn't junk, but I would think in the eyes of the USPS it might be. But good news Victoria's Secret found out his new address! Michael got another free panty coupon in the mail yesterday! I'll be heading to the store soon so they don't run out of my size before I get my pair.

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Jump on Your Money Bus

It just so happens that a Certified Financial Planner reads Save 4 Fun, and he's also a member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA). After reading about me going to the CFP Board's free financial planning clinic, Brian brought another fun event to my attention: Your Money Bus.

NAPFA's fee-only financial advisors will be touring the country in this bus -- telling Americans all about the importance of saving and how to do it. It's starts off in DC on October 1 and 2. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to make it since those are weekdays, and I don't work very close to the National Mall. They are, however, doing a symposium on "Understanding Debt, Saving and Your Financial Well-Being" at the District of Columbia Public Library (G St NW) on the evening of October 1, which is free and open to the public.

It looks like Your Money Bus will be touring the East Coast at least through November. Their website says they'll be crossing the country, so stay tuned to their website to find out when it will pull into your town. If it's anything like the CFP Board's clinic, it will be worth checking out. (If it's not coming to your hometown, you can keep up with the Bus and even ask the advisors questions via the blog on their website.)

Take a look at their You Tube video.

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Free Financial Planning

Yesterday, as scheduled, Michael and I headed downtown to go to the Certified Financial Planner Board's free financial planning clinic. It was definitely worth our time -- and it was free!

I drew up the draft of our new spending plan earlier this week and then got Michael's input before we both approved the final version. This morning, I printed it out along with a report of our current net worth which detailed all of our accounts (assets and liabilities). I drafted some questions so we knew what we wanted to find out from the financial planners. And after Michael returned from a 18-mile (marathon training) run, we ventured off to the clinic.

We talked with 4 different planners in 3 different topic groups: general financial planning, retirement planning, and income tax planning. I guess we spent about 10 to 15 minutes with each one. We wanted their opinions on our newly minted spending and savings plan, on priorities (saving versus paying off a high interest car loan), on retirement savings, on saving for a down payment on a house, and on filing joint income taxes.

It was helpful that I took our detailed information with us. Generalities really don't work very well in financial planning. In fact, the CFP Board's introduction to the clinic told us that. So, we were able to get some tailored advice. And like all of the planners told us, just knowing our net worth and thinking about financial matters puts us well ahead of the curve.

The good news is that we seem to be on the right track. Our natural instincts were in line with the professionals' advice. Now, we just need to stay the course.

If the CFP Board does a clinic in your area, I highly recommend going. But whether you go to a free clinic or pay a planner or do it on your own, just make sure you make a financial plan. You'll reach your goals a lot easier and faster.

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Getting Ready for the Free Financial Planning Clinic in DC

Now that the wedding is over, you'd think I'd have more time to blog. However, we've been trying to get the house set up and in order. We've made some good headway, but we still have a long way to go.

Another big project I'm working on is getting some kind of hold on our finances. I need to input all of my receipts over the past month (ugh) into my financial software. I normally do that every few days or at least once a week, and then it's not so bad. However, with the wedding planning, wedding, and honeymoon, I just didn't have time and/or wasn't home.

After I finish that, I need to look at our joint finances and figure out where exactly we are. Then, Michael and I both need to figure out where we want to be in order to set some goals. Considering his aversion to financial talk, that ought to be fun. But because of pre-wedding financial planning (I made him talk to me about all personal finances about 3 days after we were engaged!), I, at least, have some kind of understanding of how that conversation will go. He'll warm up to it -- after all, I save 4 fun!!!

Anyway, the big rush on getting a hold of the finances is because on Saturday, September 13, the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards is hosting a free financial planning clinic. Qualified volunteers from their organization will be available to talk to people about all sorts of financial topics. They promise no sales pitches and that they don't even take down your name or information. I figure that's a good place for us to get started before we consider paying someone to consult us.

So, I've already registered us. I got Michael's consent before I registered. The deal is that we just have to be home before 3:30 so that he can watch the UGA football game. No problem. We'll be there when they open at 11 AM and talk to as many people as we need/can and then head home to cheer on the Dawgs.

Now, I just have to get our money matters in order so that we can have some good questions at the clinic.

If I'm not posting as often as usual, you now know why...

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I Tried Freecycle Again & Scored!

As I've previously mentioned, I'm working on a project for my wedding reception for which I need 4"x6" and 5"x7" picture frames -- lots of them -- probably about 50. It would be way out of my budget to buy them full-price, even inexpensive ones ($2.99 at Target). Goodwill has them at $1.99 each, but that's still out of my price range.

So, I've had to dig deep into the world of deals: yard sales. I've done rather well. My friend's mom and my future mother-in-law have also been collecting some from yard sales and thrift stores they've shopped in recently too. My collection of frames is growing, but I could use some more.

When I first had this idea, I posted a "wanted" ad on Freecycle to see if someone would give me some frames. I didn't get any offers. I did find a few on there in offer ads that I was able to get. However, the other night I thought, let me ask again. And I had two people offer me a total of 6 frames!

I figured it was worth asking the Freecycle group again. There's no way everyone is reading all of those ads all of the time. I just needed to catch the right people at the right time. And it worked this time!

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DC Summer Concert Series

As I've mentioned many times before, there are a lot free or low cost things to do in Washington, DC. With the price of gas being so high, this summer you may have to look towards taking local vacations or vacations to places that have a lot of free attractions and entertainment (because you use up most of your budget just getting there). Of course, DC is a natural choice.

If you live in the DC area or are making plans to be here between now and September, you should check out the Summer Concert Series webpage from the National Capital Region of the National Park Service. Most of the live entertainment that they list there are free, and most of them are great for people of all ages. (For example, I'm not sure how a two-year-old would feel about Hamlet.)

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Kraft Food & Family - Free Magazine & Coupons

If you get Kraft Foods' Food & Family magazine, look on page 28 of the Summer 2008 edition for a coupon for one free bottle of Kraft salad dressing, plus several other coupons.

This quarterly magazine is full of recipes, and each print edition comes with several coupons. If you want to get it in the mail for free, just register at Kraft's website. If you don't want the print edition, you can find all of the recipes on their website without having to register.

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Last Day for Triple Coupons at Harris Teeter

Today is the last day of Harris Teeter's triple coupon promotion for this week, so I had to swing by there for some deals. I'm glad to see that they are doing this more often. They used to do it only once or twice a year, but now triple coupons come around every month or two. I do wish more of their sale items corresponded with coupons eligible for tripling (99 cents or less). However, even without sale prices, coupons that are tripled make some items good deals anyway.

I didn't do as well today as when I wrote about triple coupons back in November. But I did save 58% today, which is pretty good. That includes a package of McCormick's Grill Mates marinade that I got for free (because it was actually on sale for 75 cents and I had a 25-cent coupon that they tripled).

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Free Tour of Europe (in DC)

Once again, if you live in or are planning to visit Washington, DC this weekend, there is another great free event in store: EU Open House! On Saturday, May 3, 26 of the European embassies are opening their doors for free programs, food, tours, lectures, music, and more. The open house is running from 10 AM - 3 PM. They are offering free shuttle service from some of the Metro stations to the embassies that aren't Metro accessible.

I've been wanting to go to this event for several years, but this is the first year I'm available to go. I can't wait! I love Europe -- and a free visit close to home, while not the same, should be fun. With all of the food and drink samples being offered, maybe we can even manage to make lunch out of it! :-)

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Coming Soon: Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day!

Last Friday evening, Michael and I walked down to the Ben & Jerry's in Old Town Alexandria. It was a warm spring evening, perfect for walking to get ice cream! I took the buy one regular cone/dish, get one free Ben & Jerry's coupon out of the Entertainment Book, so we got a deal too!

While we were there, I noticed that Ben & Jerry's 30th birthday is coming up on April 29 (one week from today). As usual, they are celebrating by giving away free ice cream! We've been to this event in the past. The line is long, but so worth the wait! Find a shop near you that participates in Free Cone Day and mark your calendar.

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WalkingTown, DC Spring Edition 2008

If you live in the Washington, DC area or happen to be visiting this coming weekend (April 26-27), Cultural Tourism DC is hosting their bi-annual free walking tours! Michael and I have gone on a few of these tours in the past and really enjoyed them. It's a great way to get some exercise and learn more about the city -- for free! They offer 80 tours, so you are bound to find one or two with a topic that interests you and that fits into your schedule. In addition to walking tours, they offer a few bike tours too.

Check out the list of tours here!

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Free: White House Spring Garden Tours

As I'm sure I've said before, one of my favorite things about living in the Washington, DC area is that there are so many fabulous things to do for free! If you live here or live within reasonable driving distance, take advantage of these great things and have fun (while you are saving on the cost of entertainment). If you don't live here, DC is an awesome place for an affordable, fun vacation. You could really fill your days with all sorts of free activities.

What I consider to be one of the coolest free things is coming up next weekend: the White House Spring Garden Tours! This year it is being held on Saturday, April 12, and Sunday, April 13. It's free, but you do have to get timed entry tickets for everyone (including small children).

The inside of the White House is definitely a terrific (free) tour. But to me, the gardens are special because they are just as famous as the interior (i.e. Rose Garden). After spending a lot of time as a tourist on the outside of the iron fence, it's interesting to see what's in the President's yard. You get to see some hidden areas like the Children's Garden and the tennis court. You can also see the outside of the Oval Office! None of these things are on the regular White House (interior) tour.

Michael and I have gone on the Spring Garden Tour as well as the Fall Garden Tour. Both times, we've gone on a Sunday and went to worship service at St. John's Church across from the White House in the morning before the tour. It's known as "The Church of the Presidents" and is where every president since James Madison has attended on occasion or a regular basis. The President wasn't there either time we went, but it was still really cool to go to a service there.

Here are some pictures I've taken at the White House and St. John's Church when we've gone for a garden tour:

St. John's Church Jacqueline Kennedy Garden

Rose Garden Oval Office

View from the South Lawn

Bush Twins' Hand Prints in the Children's Garden (done when their grandfather was president)

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Saving Money for College

As I mentioned yesterday, I do a fair amount of thinking about my financial goals. I wonder if I'll be able to meet them. I try to think of new ways to save -- but of course, also still have fun and having fun doing it! All of this thinking and planning isn't something that is new to me.

In fact, knowing that a lot of financial goals take many years (even decades) to reach and knowing that one goal is that I hoped to marry and have kids and that those kids would go to college, I started thinking a bit about saving for college several years ago...before I even met my now fiance! Of course, I wasn't going to start allocating a part of my savings to children that I didn't have -- after all, I have so many other "real" things to save for. However, five years ago I came across something called Upromise.

Upromise is a rewards program that helps people save for college. It's free to sign up, so I did. My thought at the time was that if it wasn't going to cost me anything, why not? If I never had kids of my own, I could give it to someone else -- now, it would be my nieces and nephews. However, at the time of registering, I didn't have any of them. But, I figured in 18-20 years I would know someone who was going to college who could use it. So, why not sign up? After all, it was free money!

There are several very easy ways to save with Upromise. In fact, I've blogged at Save 4 Fun about some of them, including restaurants, travel, shopping online at stores like Target and Macys, and shopping in stores like Bed, Bath, & Beyond. You can also save at grocery stores, drug stores, and gas stations, among other places.

All you have to do is register for a free Upromise account. Then, link your store loyalty cards and/or credit/debit cards to your Upromise account. They do the tracking for you when you shop at a partner company and/or buy a partner product. With online purchases like at Target.com, you get credit when you link to Target's website through Upromise's website and make a purchase.

During the month of April, Upromise is running a promotion. When you open and activate a new account by shopping online, Upromise will put $10 in your account! What a great way to get started! (I wish they were offering that when I joined.) If you already have an account and are saving for a specific child or children, ask your friends and family if they would help you save too. They can open an account and then designate your child(ren) as the beneficiary. You'll save even more!

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Free & Low-Cost Activities on the Road

Today Coupon Mom had a post on her blog about a website called Free-Attractions.com on which you can find things to do for free in all 50 states. That's new to me. I'll have to keep it in mind when we start traveling again in the fall.

Michael and I have taken lots of trips together and are always on the look out for fun, interesting, and free (or at least, low cost) things to do. He's a master at searching the Internet for great attractions to visit during our travels. We also always request for the local and state visitors' centers to send us their packets of information before we go. (Their contact info is easily found by doing a quick Internet search.) We get free maps, brochures, and magazines about the area we are going to visit. They often include coupons for attractions and restaurants too. We usually plan several months in advance so that we have time to scour the brochures, tourist magazines, and websites to find the best things to do -- and to see if we can get a deal.

We love to experience a bit of local life when we go somewhere. Often those types of things are free. Here are just a few of the things we've done over the past few years: In Milwaukee we visited the Miller Brewing Plant and took their free tour. In Oklahoma City we, city folks, actually really enjoyed sitting in on cattle auctions at the Stockyards -- also free. In Kentucky we went on a couple of tours of distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail -- of course, they were free. We always make a point to take the free capitol building tours when we are in a state capital. We also got a great view of Hartford, CT by going to the top of the Travellers Tower -- which has an observation deck that is open to the public for free May through October.

Use your resources and do some research before you go. You can find a lot things to do for little or no money!

PSA: do plan to have a designated driver if you are visiting a brewing plant or distillery. Some of them (i.e. Miller's and Jim Beam) will give visitors who are of legal drinking age several full-size samples!

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Did Someone Say "Free Pretzel?!"

I have an email account just for signing up for newsletters, promotions, etc. that I don't want going to my regular email inbox. I usually check it about once a day to see what's new. Tonight I received a message from Auntie Anne's (as in the pretzel place at the mall). I don't even remember why I signed up for their newsletter because it's not somewhere where I go often. While I really like their pretzels, I don't usually snack while at the mall. However, I might have to make a special trip on Saturday!

Auntie Anne's is turning 20 years old on February 2. They are celebrating by giving out free pretzels from 10 AM - 4 PM. You can read more about their big day and the free pretzels at this link.

Happy Birthday, Auntie Anne! And thanks for passing out free treats!

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Free in the City

Probably one of my most favorite things about living in the DC area is that there are tons of great cultural opportunities that are available -- for free! A great resource is the website for Cultural Tourism DC. I've looked at their website now and again. I even have it bookmarked. However, since I don't look at it often, I've been missing some things.

My friend Amy (who really is the go-to, know-it-all girl in terms of cool happenings -- and free activities! -- in DC) just pointed out to me that Cultural Tourism DC has a weekly e-newsletter. She thought it might be a good thing to put on my blog. Now, that's what Save 4 Fun is all about! (Thanks for the tip, Amy!)

One of the highlights in their e-newsletter this week is something called "Warm Up to a Museum" which includes all sorts of fun programs and events throughout February -- and they are free. Winter is a great time to hit the museums too because they aren't packed with tourists. (It's a good time to come to town too if you are an out-of-town tourist.) So, check it out. See what interests you and fits into your schedule. Go do something fun for free!

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Are Rebates Worth It?

I really like rebates! Coupons are great, but rebates are where you save the most money. Rebates can be a little more challenging than coupons. You have to be organized and be able to follow very specific directions or else you won't get the check in the mail. However, with a little thought and a little effort, you can reap great rewards.

Let's see how I did in 2007, and see if rebates really are worth it!

I cashed in on 105 rebates on a whole variety of products, ranging from computer software and cough & cold medicines to dental care products and hair care products to light bulbs and snack food. The grand total that I got back from manufacturers and stores in 2007: $383.24! (Yes, I really did get those checks in the mail...because I followed the directions, bought the correct products in the correct quantities at the right time and met the rebate deadlines.) Wow! To me, nearly $400 is definitely more than worth it.

However, combining sale prices and coupons with rebates is where you save even more. In fact, in 2007, on the 105 products for which I used rebates and was able to also use sale prices and/or store and/or manufacturer coupons, I spent $49.47. The total retail value? $705.84! That's a 93% savings. Awesome!

Many of these products I was able to use for myself or give them to friends or family. There were still more things that I got for free or nearly free that we weren't able or didn't need to use ourselves. So, I gave those things to charity.

What's great about combining coupons and rebates is that you can often make a small profit. For example, last year I bought a tube of Colgate toothpaste at Rite Aid.

Regular price: $2.99
Sale price: $2.49
Coupon: $1.50
Rebate: $2.49
Price paid at store (including tax): $1.11
Total price spent (after rebate check came): -$1.38 (Yes, that's a negative number!)
Savings: 144%

I actually don't like Colgate, so I gave it to charity. Someone who needed it got free toothpaste. I earned $1.38.

If you are wondering about how the cost of stamps factors in to my rebate savings, I actually don't consider it. Most of the rebates I claim can be submitted online, so I don't even pay for postage to request the rebate money.

So, yes, rebates are worth it! Give them a try this year.

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