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Home > Archive: May, 2007

Archive for May, 2007

Using psychology to work for you

May 9th, 2007 at 01:35 am

This may come under the category of "Well duh!", but I try to take something I do (or want to do), and use that tendency to build on other good habits. That is, using psychology in your favor.

Anyway, I have been avoiding a $30/mo. charge for trash pickups by cutting down on trash by recycling and composting, and then taking what little I have (usually a single plastic grocery bag a week) along to the county trash offload station, right near where I work. Its not much work, but sometimes you want to just stop and put it ouside and let someone else deal with it.

So how does psychology help here? Well, I have started a new DRiP (thats a direct re-investment program) and the only way to make investments online is with equal monthly payments from my checking. No optional payments Frown So I have decided to make my trash savings go for this DRiP. I now have a $30 monthly stock purchase, which gives me a reason to keep my trash level down so I don't spend that $30. I have dubbed this my "Trash DRiP". (OK, I like the name anyway!)

How much $$$ can I make for buying a product?

May 8th, 2007 at 03:03 am

Lately I have been amazed at how its now possible to not only get an item for free (free coupon or free after rebate), but now if you do things right you can get paid for buying something.

With that said, I have my entry for best payment for buying something.

There were coupons and mail in rebates for the new Aleve gel-caps in the paper a few weeks ago, and now Rite-Aid has a free after rebate offer as well. As Rite-Aid doesn't require you to use the receipts, I can apply for both rebates. Plus there was a $2 coupon!

Here is the final calculation on my Aleve buy:
Purchase Cost: $3.99
Rite Aid Rebate: -$3.99
Mail-In Rebate: -$3.99
Coupon use: -$2.00
Submit for flexible spending account. Save taxes at 25% marginal rate: -$1.00
Postage to mail in rebate: $0.39
5% cash back with credit card usage: -$0.20

Cost to buy: -$6.80

The mail in rebate may only give $1.99, though the text on the form didn't indicate it. Even so, this is a great deal. Of course I don't need this stuff, so its going to be a gift to my mother when I visit in a few weeks. Another plus.