My previous blog entry had me raving about the terrific free after rebate deals at Menards. This entry is about how easy it is to get even more out of these deals.

First off you will need to get the Menards credit card. It's called the BIG CARD. Why get their card? Two reasons - first, they send you a scratch off certificate (usually worth $2 but it can be more) and second, you will get a certificate worth 2% of your purchases somewhere down the road. I just got my certificate enclosed in my cc statement for $10! Oh, I forgot - with each credit card statement are 2 pages of Menards coupons just for their Big Card customers! There is usually a FREE item amoungst those as well!

The FAR items are free BUT the rebate checks that are sent out are to be used against additional purchases at Menards. In other words, you can't cash these checks at your local bank. Menards wants your business and your money and they've come up with an ingenious way to get both. Doesn't matter. I'll show you why in a bit.

Menards has even made tracking rebates easy. They've set up a site www.rebateinternational.com where you can see if your rebate is pending or whether the check was issued. This site lists all your rebates for the past year. Wonderful.

If you're thinking this is too good to be true, well, you're right. Menards does have quantity limits and if you're doing the FAR deals they want you to buy an additional $10 worth of non-rebateable items. So, what do I buy for $10 of non-rebateable items? A Menards $10 gift card! Takes care of everything.

Let's say that you're hooked and on board for all these deals and are swimming in rebate checks, Menards gift cards and Menards reward certificates. Too many to juggle and keep straight. What do you do then? Since I'm somewhat ADD here's what I did - added all the dollar values up, which came to just under $100, went to Menards and grabbed (2) $50 gift cards and bought those cards using the rebate checks, reward certificate and smaller value gift cards plus a couple of bucks out of my pocket!

What am I going to do with my $50 GCs? The most obvious thing would be to keep rolling this sum into FAR deals but then I'd be missing out on the 2% from charging the purchases on the store card. So I'm thinking of offering them as a trade for other store GC's. I understand there is a website for doing just this. Gotta find it.

Menards is the hardware store equivalent to Walgreens health and beauty rebates. Love it!

A friend and I went yardsaling yesterday. It seems that her town sponsers a town-wide yardsale weekend. Any resident who wants can just set up out on their lawns and folks can walk around buying stuff. Great idea.

She reaches into a box of used socks and says, "oooh, I need socks", and is ready to pay 25 cents each for these skimpy tattered things when I practically jumped all over her and barked "Don't buy those! I can get you new socks for free!" Well then she wanted to know how. (Menards rebates) Of course, she put the used socks back.

As we continue yardsaling she mentions how this year she wants to be prepared for the cold and is looking for window film for her windows and how she hopes someone is selling the kits. Knowing my rebate items like the back of my hand I let her know those are free as well at Menards.

I'm no snob. I don't look down on anyone who goes yardsaling, flea marketing, tag saling, etc. But when there's a retailer like Menards that gives the stuff away I hate to see people spend their money needlessly. Luckily, she and I think alike so she wasn't upset with me.

Other things Menards has for free after rebate are:

Tarps
Sparkle Window Cleaner
Paint brushes
Socks
Window film


Past FAR items:

Gumout cleaners
Set of knives
Plastic step stool
14 ct Tulip bulbs (can't wait till Spring!)

Menards has me hooked!

I'm pretty savvy when it comes to hunting down great certificate of deposit deals. Really, I'm tough to beat. It's just that when they end I can be lazy about closing accounts and moving the money again and again. Of course, in the end, this winds up costing me by not maximizing what I have.

For the longest time now I have had a good chunk of money sitting in a bank at 1% interest! Orginally, the promo was 5% for 5 months. Looks like I fell into the trap that most banks hope depositors like me might fall into. PROCRASTINATION.

Well, funny how people can think alike. In yesterday's paper I spy a bank ad touting a 5% money market account and save the page as a reminder for me to do something about this situation. Then this morning my brother calls me and says, "Hey, don't you have some $$$$ sitting in a account for next to nothing? My bank has a 5% money market. It's in the neighborhood so why don't you go over there?"

So now I really have NO EXCUSE when there are 2 banks to choose from.

It's like the forces of the universe are prodding me along a financial path!

I am overwhelmed by all the rebates lately. Post cereal rebate, Kellogs products rebate, Ace Labor day rebates, the Menards merry go round of rebates! Linens n Things rebates, Resolve and Spray n Wash try me free rebates!

Heck, I've got so many out there I can't keep them straight! I don't know what's coming or going anymore. To make matters worse, I've been doing multiple rebates! That's what happens when you can use more than one address.

How do you keep your rebates from overwhelming you?