Couponing Milestone - First Rebates!

I decided to try doing some rebates. The hardest part was getting started really. Once I got it going, I was looking for more and more to do!

A lot of people think I'm an organized person. In truth, I do what I have to do to survive and not drive myself insane with looking for things. I start out with the best of intentions and a process I plan on following through with. But when things get busy, the process goes out the window and things start piling up. I'm confessing to all of this because I think to maximize couponing you have to be organized and even more so with rebates.

I had to find my envelopes and stamps which I haven't used in forever (who uses the real MAIL for anything anymore??) and I had to print up some rebate forms. Then I had to dig through my basket of receipts for the ones I needed, and some were in the pockets of my purse or diaper bag. I had to scan the receipts for certain items and circle them, and in one case I had to cut out UPCs from the packaging. For the P&G one I had to look up a list of brands that Proctor and Gamble owns online. In the end though, I am sending in the following:

1. Sorrento Cheese - $5 rebate (peeled the form off the packages) for the purchase of two packages of string cheese. I'm sending in two of these.

2. Hasbro games rebate - This is a great deal at Toys R Us - Hasbro games were on sale plus there are printable coupons in their website, PLUS there are $3 rebates on many of them. So, I will get $9 back for this rebate which will make my games (Operation, Battleship, and Connect 4) FREE

3. Proctor & Gamble (P&G) Year of Savings - buy $50 worth of items and get a $100 booklet of coupons. These are brands like Bounty, Charmin, Gillette, Luvs diapers, Pampers diapers, and more. This ends at the end of May so search through your March and April receipts for this!

4. Georgia Pacific/Kimberly-Clark $5 rebate - if you buy $20 worth of participating products you can get $5 back (the rebate form is on the cover of the 3/14 Red Plum insert). Brands include Brawny paper towels, Quilted Northern toilet paper, Dixie cups, and others. I'm not going to get this one because I haven't purchased enough of these products within the time window. Receipts must be from between 3/11 and 4/18.

These amounts that you need to reach for the rebate are prior to taxes and coupons/sale discounts, so you can match these products up with sales and coupons and also get the rebate.

Overall I should get $19 back and a big packet ($100 worth) of P&G coupons for the small price of 4 stamps. Not too bad. As long as I keep my stuff organized it should not take too much time to participate in these rebates in the future.