I just had one of those "Aha" monents while reading another member's blog about receiving a rebate check from their credit card company. I use my Discover Card for everything and pay it in full promptly every month. Discover Card offers rebates based on purchases which are available in $20 increments and can be used for gift cards, usually with a $25 value, applied to your credit card balance, donated, received via check, or transfered to any bank account. In the past, I've allowed the rebates to build up until I decide what I want to do with them. I could never decide which restaurant to use the money at so I would end up requesting a check, cash it and spend it without any thought since it was "free" money.
I've just realized that if as soon as the rebate is available, and I request the funds to be transferred into my Emergency Fund account, I don't have to spend andtime thinking about what to do with it and it won't get spent on something I don't need. With less than one minute of data entry, I added $40 to my EF. Going forward, each time another rebate becomes available, I'll send it to the same account with a few clicks of the keyboard. What an easy way to build the fund!!

Yesterday was a good shopping day at Rite Aid. Bought saome Leave in Hair Conditioner, Dishwasher Liquid, Lysol Wipes, Stop Pain Spray (For DH when his shoulder bothers him) and Hair Color. Spent $18.00 after coupons and will receive $18.48 in Rebates.

We bought a new Mobile Home last year and neglected to budget for Home Owners Insurance so I was suprised when I received the bill this month. Ouch!! With a little manuevering, we'll be able to cover it. I just won't be able to put extra on my debt payments this month. I've already adjusted next years' budget to include the expense so we won't have to worry about it next year.

I couldn't believe it!! While at work yesterday a coworker told me she was vacationing in Orlando next month. She was online looking at flights and car rentals. She told me how much her flight was....cheaper than mine, but not by much and too late to change now since I'm leaving tomorrow, but her car rental was a lot less than what I booked mine for 8 months ago. When I got home I checked it out for myself. I was able to cancel my original reservation and rebook with the same rental company for the same size car for $85.00 less ($68 less in rental rate - $17 less in taxes). Incredible! I would have never thought to recheck the rates. Woo Hoo!!

I received the free sample of Degree deodorant I ordered about a week ago and 2 coupons for $1.00 off any size silk soymilk. With the coupon I printed yesterday for the free SilkLive Smoothie with purcahse, I feel like it was a decent day. Oh yeah, I also received an unexpected child support check. They're very sporadic so I don't count on them.

I took all of the rebates I had received in the last week and wrote up a deposit slip. I was suprised that the total was $46.27. It included the June Walgreen's Rebate, July Rite Aid Rebate (Wow! it's my first one from them and I am surprised how quick it came), Staples rebate for some pens we got "free" for my son for school, and a rebate we got for some wine we purchased for a special ocassion.

I'm looking forward to the time that these rebates can go into savings, but for now they just go into the checking account to cover the original costsa of the products we purchased. The rebates help to lower my monthly grocery bill, allowing me to purchase more groceries for our budget, but our monthly food budget is so low that I need to use coupons and rebates to keep within budget. I budget $300 a month for the 3 of us. I coud probably lower it but not until I can get my husband to give up drinking so much juice and eating $5.99/lb Deli Meat. Oh well, by looking at us you could tell none of us are dying of starvation.

We've about trimmed all of the fat off of spending, now it's time to trim the fat off of ourselves.