Rebates are a tricky thing. They can score you some serious savings. And with “Try Me Free” Rebates, you can actually end up getting some products for free. So, you can see why Rebates are so awesome.
But, if you calculate your savings based on a Rebate and then don’t end up submitting the Rebate, it isn’t a good idea to use them.
I will be the first to admit that Rebates are one of those things that I am not very good at. I usually forget to send them in because my head is so busy with all of the other stuff going on in my life. So with my experiences, I thought I would share how to decide whether or not using Rebates will work in your life. And, if they don’t and you want them to- what kinds of things you can do to help make them usable!
1- Fill out and Mail in the Rebate form right when you get home from your shopping trip. That way, you won’t forget.
2- Don’t purchase items just to get a Rebate, if you don’t really like, want or even need the items. It isn’t saving if you spend money on things you don’t need.
3- Make sure you read the ENTIRE Rebate form. Each form has specific requirements for what you purchase, how many, the sizes, and information on what to fill out. You will need the UPC code, copies or original receipts and may even be required to fill out the form in a specific way.
4- Sometimes the Rebate “Mail by” dates can be very short lived. So, it is imperitive that you get that Rebate in the mail as soon as you can. Or, they could reject your rebate because they didn’t receive it in time- or because the date stamped on the outside of your envelope was not on the last postmarked day of the Rebate. Depending on the company, they can get strict.
5- Keep track of each Rebate you send in. Write down what day you mailed it, how many weeks it says it should take to get your Rebate back and contact information if you need to check on how your Rebate is processing. You should also make copies of all your Rebate forms to have-just in case they have problems processing or even lose your Rebate.
After all of those steps, sometimes Rebates are just too much work for people. And it is totally understandable. So the next time you see a deal with a Rebate attached, really ask yourself if you are willing to do the work and not forget to submit it. If so, Rebates are for you. If not, you may want to re-think the deal and if it still is a deal without the Rebate. Hope that helps!
Darci
one tip i have is to include the price of a postage stamp when you are calculating if the rebate is worth it, such as if you will get refunded the full purchase price of a product then ask yourself is it worth to pay tax and postage for mailing it in.
rebates are so worth it to me. i added up all my mail-in rebates from the past 11 months and it was over $120. it was only for stuff that we use and most of them were to get free (or better than free) items.
Kathy M
My tip: If you have a scanner you can scan all the rebate forms and receipts– saves ink and paper.
Chanci
My problem is that I have NEVER received a rebate back. I do all of the leg work exactly as the directions say. I know I have 2 rebates right now that I haven’t received from a year ago (one for contact lenses and one for a shredder at staples). I have no problem submitting them but I am not organized enough and do not have enough time to track down a rebate.