Sick of Election Coverage? Take a Break With a Frugal Fiction ebook!

Will Hillary stay ’til the bitter end? What skeletons have yet to be uncovered in Obama’s closet?  Does John McCain even live to complete in November?

Sounds more like a fiction novel than an election, but this year’s campaign has delivered the kind of intensity and twists we normally find in a good book. Still, if you’re tired of the slams, slaps and snottiness of real people trashing each other, maybe a reprieve is in order.

Try Randy McKay’s Or One Depraved Individual for a mystery that seems to bring a new body everytime the sun comes up. How long will it take seasoned detectives Jack Sloan and Carter Blaine to find the killer … or killers?

Or enjoy the the dark side of vampires, aliens, and the paranormal in Valena Graham’s horror novel, Eternity of Blood,  where gorgeous Navy Pilot Gareth Hunter hides his secret well in the light of day until a beautiful paranormal investigator crosses his path. The mysterious alien council arrive with an ominous message and send the couple to the future where Gareth must sacrifice it all and take up the fangs again to stop Damian and prevent the vampire wars.  Is he too late as the streets run red with blood during a hurricane?

Prefer a lighter side? Valena Graham offers us her chick-lit western romance, Debutante Gunfighter where we meet Ariana Crosby whose best friend is a forty-five tied low on her left hip. But the southern belle discovers life ain’t like in her famous daddy’s stories, and the gentler sex aren’t welcome in the masculine world of gunfighters. The lady knows that those who live by the gun never retire, they die. Can she find a way to survive and be with the man she loves, handsome fellow gunhawk Nick Masters?  

If you’re not quite ready for beach-reading yet, we also have two intelligent new offerings.

Auntie Lynn delivers an education on healthy eating for kids (and adults, too - do you know what a lychee is?) in her effort to help prevent the raging obesity which is making diabetes an international health issue.

And, for those who’d like to better understand this thing we call democracy, get comfortable with Frank Trejo’s A Citizen’s Manifesto - What You Didn’t Learn in School. 

Frugal Fiction has lots of other great diversionary reads, too. After all, it’s a LONG time ’til November.  Enjoy the free previews and we’re sure the $3.99 to finish each piece will seem like a bargain. Why, that’s barely a gallon of gas these days… something none of the candidates seems able to address. 

Frugal Fiction Proudly Adds “The Magical Scarecrows Garden” to our Library

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Obesity is a raging problem that often starts in childhood. Treat  your child to Auntie Lynn’s magical explanations about healthy eating in The Magical Scarecrows Garden, and perhaps together we can stem the escalation of deadly diabetes.

Come meet us, ten Magical Scarecrows who have been breathed to life by Mother Earth in ten different countries. As scarecrows it is our job to look after fields and orchards so we know when not enough healthy foods are being eaten.

It worried us that not everyone is eating the right foods to grow up strong and healthy and so we thought we would call to one another across the winds that whisk around the world to find out a bit more about these fruits and vegetables. When we asked Mother Earth for help she brought one fruit or vegetable to life in each country where there lives a Magical Scarecrow for one night each to join us on our adventures! What a special magical surprise! Would you like to know what happens? Are you ready? Okay, cool, then here we go.

Remember: A Frugal Fiction Book? Just $3.99. Reading to your child 15 minutes a day? Priceless!

 

 

The Citizen’s Manifesto - What You Didn’t Learn in School

   

    We live in a democracy, but what does that really mean?

 

Frugal Fiction is proud to offer Frank B. Trejo’s ebook, The Citizen’s Manifesto - What You Didn’t Learn in School to our selections for only $3.99. With a touch of humor, Trejo delivers lessons about what our Founding Fathers intended and the democracy we face today. It’s a lesson every American should take. (G)  

 

The Art of Complaining or How to Get Pain & Suffering Compensation from a Retailer

When retailers fail to deliver, the frugal among us find it doubly insulting. Others spent cash. We also invested time & energy. After all, we don’t spend frivolously. Endcaps are not designed for us. We decided to let go of our $$ for this item. And, now, those dollars are wasted. We feel cheated. SOMEONE is going to pay!!!

STOP there!

There is an art to turning frustration into compensation and it starts with,

1) Do nothing. 

What? I’m angry, I’m mad. And you want me to “Do Nothing?”

Yes, exactly. Because you are angry, mad, frustrated. Those emotions generate more of the same from the person on the receiving end, and most times, little else. Seldom do I address the issue at the store level. If they delivered customer service, I wouldn’t have an issue. This is the time to take notes, record the event in your mind, get names, dates, times, etc.  Venting is great for relieving frustration. It is not great for achieving results.

Let me give you an example. You’ve had a lousy meal. When you pay your bill the person asks, “How was everything?” You reply, “Our food was cold and we had to send out an SOS to find our server.” He chuckles, “Yeah, Susie oughta be retired but the dot.com bust did her in.” 

This is not a person who will deliver any satisfaction. Pay your bill and get his name, too.

2) Once you’re calm, it’s time to write the company. Check out their website. See what their mission statement is. If it’s a small company without a website, call and find out who the owner is so you can send a letter. 

3) Start with a compliment.

“Are you serious? A compliment? This is a complaint! I don’t have anything nice to say!!!”

Find something. You chose that merchant for a reason. State it. Remember, anger is not part of this equation.

EX: “I love your grilled bananas. No one else has anything close. (wisely, I might add)

3) State the visit details - date, time, person(s) you interacted with. Be a reporter. Give facts, not feelings about the situation.

EX: On April 11 at 11:18 am, receipt #12867597, I visited your Southpole location for those yummy grilled bananas. We were not seated for ten minutes because the greeter was on his cell phone discussing the Mavericks chances this year. When we were seated, our server, Susie, yelled across the room, “Hang on.” We hung on for another ten minutes. We ordered and waited twenty minutes. Our grilled bananas were cold charcoil briquets. We couldn’t locate Susie, or anyone else. The water we had to request did have a nice, cold, not-too-chloriney taste, however.

4) Now, you can express some feelings, in your sweetest, most respectful way of course.

EX: We left very disappointed because we had accumulated our coupon savings for over three weeks to enjoy this treat.

5) Tell ‘em why you wrote.

EX: I understand that you can’t be on site all the time, and wanted you to know about our poor experience. With all the competition out there serving yummy grilled bananas I know you want to deliver a great experience so customers come back. 

6) Close with more kind words.

EX: I hope my information will help you so next year your grilled banana sales triple.

7) Wait.

Now, who could ignore that? YOU are not complaining! YOU care about THEM. YOU are helping THEM improve their business! YOU are a wonderful human being worthy of a reward! Go enjoy your results, be they a coupon, gift card, or refund.

Will you always win? No. Will you win more often than not? Absolutely. And, a reward is far more satisfying than telling ten of your friends or getting it off your chest!

Complain - It’s the Frugal Thing to Do!

  

Let’s face it. The word “complain” has a negative connotation. We’re taught that complaining is a bad thing, something only malcontents and nasty people do. Nice people quietly suffer whatever disservice done them without uttering a syllable – well, at least not ones others can hear.

  

So, I took out my friend Webster and looked the word up:

1)      to claim or express pain, displeasure etc.

2)      to find fault; declare annoyance.

3)      to make an accusation; bring a formal charge.

  

Do you see, “A Jerk’s tool…” in front of any of these definitions?

  

“Fine,” you say. “Maybe it doesn’t make me a jerk. But what does shooting off my mouth have to do with being frugal?”

Psst: First tip about complaining. You don’t “shoot off your mouth.”

  

Frugal people manage their dollars carefully.

When a purchase gives you angina instead of enjoyment, you wasted money.

  

Picture this:  

  

You’ve set this month’s coupon savings aside for a special dinner out. You pick the restaurant, a place you don’t even have a coupon for, and enter the door full of anticipation. The greeter isn’t greeting. They’re chatting with a server about… who cares.

  

Five minutes you wait; then seven. Already, your anticipation is turning to aggravation.

  

“Oh, hey, sorry,” when you are acknowledged doesn’t help much. But, this is a special night so you regroup mentally and settle into a nice booth. Where you wait. And wait. And wait…

  

In the end, the food was so-so and you wish the service came even close to that. Still, you tip, because, you know, you’re frugal, not cheap. And you leave; angry, disappointed, hungry, and darn sure not going back there with next month’s coupon savings stash!!

  

Or this:

  

You run to the store for an item that would normally bust your budget if not for “the sale.” Ad in hand, you check where you think the item should be. Nope. You ask for help. “Oh, that’s back in the dairy section.” Off you go, across the store. Search, search. Not there. So you ask someone else. By the time you’ve made four laps around the store, someone finally tells you. “Oh, we don’t have that item. It’s a closeout and we haven’t had it weeks.” Now, you’re angry. The ad doesn’t say close out and you wasted twenty minutes. Still, you say nothing. You don’t even sputter until out of earshot.

  

Let’s not forget this one:

  

A huge banner plastered on a building catches your eye as you whiz by. You get whiplash turning to see if it’s true. Yes, yes, it’s screaming for your dollars: 20 % off Everything in Lawn and Garden. A quick u-turn and a few blaring horns later, you’re running across the parking ready to replace that #*?@% wet/dry vac that no longer sucks up anything but your energy when you use it.

  

You select the model. You’re thrilled. You can’t wait to get it home and suck up enough dead foliage to keep the neighbors from turning you into the HOA. You smile at the cashier, hand over your plastic and… watch it ring at full price.

  

“What about the 20% off?” you ask. 

  

“I’m sorry. The 20% off is only for Dept. 73 items.”

  

Now, you’ve already bonded with this vac. You have to have it. You actually speak up. “The banner didn’t say anything about Dept. 73! How the heck am I supposed to know what’s Dept. 73!   I want my 20% off!!”

  

“I’m sorry…”

  

Right now, the only one sucking it up is you. You take the vac anyway. The neighbors are happy. You aren’t.

  

And, last but not least, the ice cream cones:

  

You find the cones on sale. You have a coupon. It’s a (F) frugal purchase so you treat the kids. But, you get ‘em home (the cones, not the kids) and find the product damaged. Unless you want ice cream dripping all over, the kids are stuck eating their cones out of a bowl. If you wanted ice cream in a bowl, the half-gallon tub would have been far cheaper.

  

Each of these incidents did occur. And, in each case I complained because I did not receive the value I expected for my hard-earned dollars. So, how did I do?

  

The Islands sent me a gift card to try them again. Our second experience still didn’t wow us, but their customer service attitude did. 5 Star Service.

  

Albertson’s  went above and beyond. The store manager not only brought the product in, he gave us the item at no charge and gave us a gift card for our trouble. 5 Star + Service.

  

Sears, well, they weren’t so accommodating. We eventually received a credit for the 20%,  but it was WORK to get, and their corporate office, which is how far I went to achieve satisfaction, doesn’t even offer an 800 number. 2 Star Service. I haven’t been back to a Sears since.

  

And my ice cream cones? I love Nestle. We received coupons for free Drumsticks and coupons for future purchases. Then, they sent more coupons a few weeks later. They were terrific! 5  Star +++ Service!

  

Don’t misunderstand. Fabricating a complaint is not frugal, it’s theft, and not what we’re advocating! But, when a complaint is rightly earned, it is a disservice – to you, to other consumers, and to the company itself – if you do not allow the organization an opportunity to learn and then make good on their failing. They have hundreds, thousands, who knows how many times each day to make a mistake. Telling ten of your friends they failed doesn’t help them stop future problems, and honestly, most of them do want to meet, if not exceed, your expectations.   

  

Oh, and by the way, I gave Sears another try. I swear, never, ever, ever again! When confronted with an issue their attitude is just so… snippy. I don’t like Sears. They may have great tools, but  trust me, they don’t have any ‘craftsman’ in their customer service departments!

  

Next time I’ll give you my top ten, seven, maybe five tips for successful complaining. I haven’t written it yet. Check back, and remember:

A Frugal Fiction book? $3.99. Reading to your child 15 minutes a day. Priceless!

 

  

Congratulations to Dr. Ronald Pies

Frugal Fiction takes pride in offering works by talented independent authors, and one of our own has a new book scheduled for release in April, 2008. The unique voice that offers us Welcome to Eutopia, Mr. Bok for only $3.99 has now penned Everything Has Two Handles: The Stoic’s Guide to the Art of Living published by Hamilton Books.

“In this breathtaking tour of ancient wisdom, Ron Pies, M.D., makes the philosophy of the Stoics come alive for the modern reader. Touching on our most urgent contemporary problems—the meaning of happiness, the role of pleasure, the importance of wisdom, friendship, balance, harmony, and anger—the Stoics provide a surprisingly fresh and instructive set of principles about how to live. With numerous examples from the world’s philosophical and religious traditions, as well as vignettes about people struggling to understand their lives in the 21st century, Pies has created a guide filled with warmth, clear thinking, strong values, and the deep pleasure that comes from our recognition of the enduring truths.”—Richard M. Berlin, M.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School; poet and columnist Psychiatric Times

In the course of this compact and insightful work, Dr. Ronald Pies, tells us a little about what happiness is, and a lot about how to achieve it. The first chapter begins with a reminder from the great Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, that “things do not touch the soul.” This, explains Pies, “is the keystone in the arch of Stoic philosophy.” In a sense, then, the rest of the book is an extended meditation on how we might avoid letting things touch our souls too much. But, it is much more than simply a meditation. From here, Pies goes on to offer readers a well-researched, often witty explanation of how Stoic philosophy—as it resonates not only with Christian and Judaic, but also with Buddhist and Hindu worldviews—can guide and improve their lives. In the process, he draws on his own considerable clinical experience to offer composite case vignettes, both positive and negative, that illustrate the principles he is discussing.

Ronald Pies, M.D. is Professor of Psychiatry and Lecturer on Bioethics and Humanities at S.U.N.Y. Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, N.Y.; and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston. He is also Editor-in-Chief of the Psychiatric Times. Dr. Pies is the author of several psychiatric textbooks, and a guide to psychotherapy for the general public (A Consumer’s Guide to Choosing the Right Psychotherapist, Jason Aronson, 1997). Dr. Pies is also a published poet (Creeping Thyme, Brandylane) and the author of a collection of short stories (Zimmerman’s Tefillin, PublishAmerica). He lives with his wife, Nancy Butters MSW, near Boston.

St. Patrick’s Day - We’re All Thinkin’ Green

In honor or St. Patty’s day, I thought some tips on savin’ the green might be appropriate. In fact, it’s a double entendre - as in money and the environment. Here’s my starter list of some great “green” tips. Be sure to add your ideas.

1) Well, duh, of course, buy corned beef. It’s on sale everywhere and crockpot friendly - no heating up the whole kitchen. You’ll save time, money and electricty. 

2) I’m not bragging, but it’s sunny in Arizona, like in the 80’s. Which means lots of green - weeds! After a tour of the Home Depot and serious sticker shock, I pulled my own. The stuff that won’t harm other plants works poorly. The stuff that will kill the varmits isn’t particulary good for the groundwater it’ll eventually make its way to, and last but not least, it’s good exercise if you don’t mind the blisters. That’s green on two counts - cost and the environment. As for blisters… Neosporin is cheaper than the ‘won’t kill ‘em anyway’ stuff.

3) Warm, in AZ, also means high electric costs so a February 18 article in the Arizona Republic, “Waste of Watts,” caught my attention. Most of us think in terms of turning things off to save electricity. I had no idea the little buggers we can’t live without are sucking up watts anyhow, like to the tune of $3 BILLION a year. For most folks, that’s about $50 a year. If you want to see what it’s costing you, head over to  Frugal Fiction and opt in. I’ll send you the spreadsheet.

4) Think spring cleaning for cash. Best Buy has a trade-in center where you can see what your worthless dinosaurs are worth - cell phones, old PCs (just be sure to fully clean the HD first), game systems, cameras, etc. Fill your pockets instead of the landfill.

5) Right now aluminum is going for about $0.55 a pound. If you haven’t been recycling soda and beer cans before, now might be a good time to start. Don’t use that many cans? How about being the collection point for a group effort. The income generated could help support your kids’ baseball team, dance class, school, church group, whatever.

6) Instead of joining a gym, save the $$ and exercise green. This article, “Going Green: Tips for Eco-Friendly Exercise,” has some great tips for trimming more than just the size of your waist. http://fitlist.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/03/11/755729.aspx

7)  Oil - $110 a barrel… Need I say more? Carpool, ride a bike, walk, route your trips for efficiency (in miles and time), stay home. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, our national average is about 23 miles per gallon. Gas is quickly approaching $3.50 per gallon. Skipping 100 miles a month keeps $35 in your pocket and reduces pollution. If you walked or rode your bike, you dropped some calories, too.

Finally, you all know my love of anything coupon. I have to offer kudos to the Proctor and Gamble folks. Redeem their coupons during March & April and they’ll give a liter of clean water to someone in a developing country. That’s green in your pocket that’ll really make you feel good. 

Rebating: It’s not for Wimps!

Today I was scouring Sunday’s ad circulars for some FFF - fabulous frugal finds.  And Walgreen’s, as they do most weeks, had three rebate promotions, which reminded me I owe you this post. 

The items offered were Nature Made vitamins -$8, Colgate advanced toothpaste - $2.99, and Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew - $12.99.  So, if free is always good, why didn’t I run down and purchase these? Because in order to get Free, I have to deliver $26 to Walgreen’s now. 

Successful rebating requires that you determine whether your time and effort are worth the rebate amount. For active rebaters, it’s easy to have several hundred dollars pending return at any given time. You know your budget. Set an amount you’re willing to have in limbo. For me, the decision is a combination of the rebate value, my desire quotient for the product, and what I can buy the item for without a rebate.

Let’s take the Walgreen’s offerings:

Vitamins - $8. This time it’s a no. I’m stocked up right now, vitamins are offered BIGIF weekly, and I have coupons. I’ll wait until I can get two bottles for $8, use my coupons and end up with 2 for $6. Same with the toothpaste. It’s on sale for $1.99 this week elsewhere and I have a coupon. I’ll pay $0.99. After a stamp, it costs me $0.60 more, but there’s no aggravation cost. The Skin Renew is a definite maybe. If I thought my skin would look like Sarah Jessica Parker’s afterwards…

Rebating can be very helpful for a frugal budget, but, in truth, I’m not a fan. It’s a lot of work. It takes time, effort, exceptional organizational skills, and, on those occasions when you don’t receive your money back, grrrr guts to fight for it. Let’s be honest, if they truly wanted you to have the item for free, they would have issued a free coupon. Manufacturers count on people not following through with the required elements to receive the refund.  Think of it as running hurdles. You’re at the starting line, your money is the  finish line. Here are my tips for navigating the hurdles in between.

1) Read the terms & conditions. Make sure before you purchase that the rebate program is what you expect. There is nothing worse than expecting $$$ back and having coupons arrive in the mail.

2) Buy each item on a separate receipt.

2) Fill out the rebate form IMMEDIATELY, prepare a mailing envelope and attach the receipt. Put everything in the envelope.

3) Since most times the manufacturer requires a UPC from the product, you need to be sure you can consume the product by the “must be postmarked” date. Often rebate lead times are short, and there’s nothing worse than purchasing an item for “free” and missing the rebate due date. Here’s a tip: Cut out the UPC code from the box, bag, whatever, and use packing tape to reseal the package. If it’s shampoo, lotion, something like that, you might be able to transfer it to a bottle you have on hand.  Whenever possible, mail the rebate when you first purchase the product. Oftentimes, you wouldn’t have bought the item if not for the rebate. Don’t cost yourself money by missing your refund.

4) If you can’t mail everything immediately, use your email calendar to send yourself reminders of due dates. Schedule a reminder for a week before the rebate’s “gotta be postmarked by” date. Then, you have some breathing room to use the item and find a mailbox.

5) IMPORTANT: Before you mail, make sure you have a copy of all the required information for the rebate: the form, the receipt, the UPC, anything else they requested. Another tip: I staple everything to a sheet of paper so nothing is “lost” and copy that.

6) Now, it’s time to set up your tracking tools. I use Excel and a file folder. My 8 1/2 x 11 copy goes in the folder by date mailed. I set the spreadsheet up with the Product, Date Mailed, Amount Due, and Expected Receipt Date (like in 6 - 8 weeks.)

7) Some rebates offer on-line tracking. If your item does, check for the status of your submission. If not, wait patiently. Don’t get antsy yet.

9) OK, start checking the mailbox.

10) Woohoo. It’s here!! Remove the copy from your file. I like to mark them with the received date and keep them to track what I’ve saved.  You may want to toss  it - just be sure to shred first. Then, mark it complete on your spreadsheet.

Now, what if you followed steps 1 - 9 and nothing arrives? It’s a week past the 6 -8 weeks, then 10 days. Here’s where grrrr guts come in, which we recently had to employ with Fry’s Electronics.  We purchased Norton’s 3 computer virus protection for *Free* after the rebate. $50 is definitely worth the effort so I employed all of the above, tracking my submission on Symantec’s site. However, when the check was due to arrive, guess what? We didn’t qualify for the rebate according to Fry’s. Thanks to our documentation and followup - better known as harp, call, complain - we received the rebate.

Granted, I don’t rebate often, but this is the only time I’ve had to employ grrrr tactics. If you follow the rebate directions your money normally arrives. But, occasionally mail is lost, usually not by the post office, but by the rebate processing company.

Check out this article, and no, I’m not picking on Frys. It just happens to be an article we found when employing our grrrr guts.

http://consumerist.com/consumer/fry.s/1300-unopened-rebate-applications-found-in-dumpster-297016.php

If you can provide all the documentation and follow up with your own grrrr, you’ll usually succeed in getting your $$$. Like I said, it ain’t for wimps.

“Read to Your Child 15 Minutes a Day”

  

For those on a tight budget, this public service announcement can be as guilt-inducing as it is productive. Many frugal parents utilize the library as an excellent community resource for a constant stream of new works to excite their child’s imagination and offer learning lessons. But what if the library hours or locations aren’t convenient?

  

Frugal Fiction has a solution. This newly launched E-book site provides frugal fiction for a frugal family budget.  Moms and Dads can “turn” the pages with their children in a fun-to-read 3D technology as they preview the book. After the preview, the book can be downloaded in minutes for only $3.99.

  

Annie Williams, creator of Frugal Fiction.com says, “My goal is to make reading E-ffordable so every parent can share interesting, fun new tales with their children, and perhaps even rediscover their own love of reading. Thanks to our talented authors, we are able to offer wonderful stories sure to engage and delight all ages at a price that’s hard to find even in the used book market.”

  

A Frugal Fiction book? $3.99.  Reading to your child 15 minutes a day? Priceless!

 

 

Top Ten Reasons to Coupon

It starts as a whisper… rising food prices. A mention here, a comment there. Then you go shopping and it screams, RISING FOOD PRICES, when you see the price of a dozen eggs.

For the frugal, this is bad news so I decided to research the reasons. Ethanol seems to be the culprit according to an article at Technology Review published by MIT. Now, MIT has credibility in my book so I not only read the article, but all the responses. And, guess what? I’m too intellectually challenged to figure out the macro-implications of Ethanol, corn prices, oil prices, etc. All I know is gas and food prices keep climbing. However, at least with gas we have options: carpool, make fewer trips, make more productive trips, walk, bike (all of which are good for the environment; some even benefit our waistlines.) But, we all have to eat.

Since there’s no apparent end in sight to escalating fuel prices, food costs will continue to rise as well. Add to that the fact that you get less bang for your buck thanks to inflation and, if you’ve never considered couponing before it seems now might be the time to start.

So, today I offer my top ten reasons to coupon:

1) Save money on familiar items.

You’re going to buy it anyway. We can’t always tie our coupon to a sale, but we can often put what we purchase on sale by using coupons.

2) Try new items.

Manufacturers are always trying to ‘one-up’ the competition. New product launches are everywhere. Us frugal types like that! Why? When items are introduced, the manufacturers need to introduce US to the item and that means coupons - usually really, really good ones! When I can try something for free, or next to it, I do. We may only use it that one time, but we always pick up the dollars dangling in front of us. If we don’t want or need it, we’ll know someone who does.

3) Trade up to the name brand at the same price or less. 

I like Miracle Whip. I’ve tried lots of store brands and none come close to the real thing.  By combining a coupon and sale, I seldom pay more than $0.50 or a $1 for it. Couldn’t touch a generic for that price!

4) Be generous.

I’m going shopping today and plan to buy 23 boxes of Rice-A-Roni or Pasta-Roni and I don’t even have a coupon. (Oh, and two boxes of Betty Crocker Supreme Brownie Mix @ 2 for $4 - here I have a coupon so it’s 2 for $3 to me)

Am I nuts? Nope. Here’s the deal. They’re selling for $1 each. If you buy 25 items, you get $20 back for your next sale. So, I spend $26 and get $20 back. Great item to go in my  box for the homeless/food banks (well, except for the brownies…)

5) Get FREE stuff

An ice cream cone, vitamins, a free dinner, a map, a pillow. All of the above have left the retailers establishment in my frugal little hands for zip, zilch, nada in the last couple months. We also use a lot of BIGIF dinner coupons. Free is the best frugal of all!

6) Do stuff

You already know about our free NFL Experience tickets. We’ve found coupons for free buckets of balls (that’s golf folks), received free movie passes (last year’s Pepsi promo), attended free seminars (granted, they want to sell you something. Watch for a future post on that). If you’re watching, you’ll be doing, no charge!

7) Build Inventory

In #4 we said coupons allow you to be generous. Maybe you’re not in that position. Maybe every coupon means a chance to buy something you need. For $6, you can make a lot of meals by adding tuna or hamburger. By the way, hamburger is NOT cheap anymore!

Here’s a frugal tip: Watch for round steak or roast on sale and have the butcher grind it. Today we’ll be paying $1.29 lb. Bought any 80/20, or even 73/27 that cheap lately? In spaghetti, chili, tacos, or casseroles it’s better than hamburger (less grease.)

Feeling Frugal Factor

It feels GOOD! Other people leave the store muttering, moaning, cursing as they look at their receipts. Me? I’m grinning, high-fiving hubby, feeling proud at what I kept from THEM. Make it a contest - you vs. Big Business. Who won this round? I did, I did!!

9) It’s Simple & Immediate

Many times a rebate will give you a bigger price reduction, but that’s six to eight weeks from  now, if  they receive the rebate, and you complied, and, and, and… I’ll tackle REBATING - NOT FOR WIMPS soon, but for now, let’s take an example. Walgreen’s offered Fructis Conditioner for $3.99. Send in the rebate and it’s zero. I found it on sale for $1.99, used my coupon and paid $0.99. I’d rather not chase the $3.

And, the #10 Reason to Coupon:

It often (not always, mind you) reduces your local sales tax. Some establishments tax the total sale, then take off the coupon. We don’t care for them. Others, the ones we like, take off the coupon, then total and tax.

Here’s another Frugal tip: If you live in a metro area with lots of suburbs, tax rates often vary from city to city. Now, the loyal side of me is all for leaving my tax dollars where I live, but the frugal side says, if it’s a large purchase, I’m going to buy where the government increases the price of my purchase the least. 

And, remember, a Frugal Fiction book? $3.99. Reading with your child 15 minutes a day? Priceless!