And it’s actually Sunday night. Not a good sign.
As it turns out, the water parks are only open on weekends once school starts up. So Tim and I went on down and, despite three applications (in four hours!) of waterproof, sweatproof sunblock, I burned my back and shoulders. Yes, I’m just that pale.
I wouldn’t say it’s mild, but I wouldn’t say it’s severe either. It’s just noticeable enough to be annoying and a little tender. But we’ve slathered on some aloe vera gel, and I’m a staunch believer in the healing factor of chocolate chip cookies. (Well, they at least heal a morose attitude. That’s something.)
Point being, I’m afraid I haven’t done any real thinking about a post or some fascinating aspect of frugality.
So instead I will bring you an interesting frugal tip I learned this weekend:
Drugstore.com sells gift cards. Not fascinating in and of itself, obviously. But, if you are using Mr. Rebates or a similar cash-back site, it seems these purchases are eligible. (Usually, the purchase of a gift card doesn’t get you any rebate.)
This means that there is a new way to get cash back on stores that aren’t usually listed on cash-back sites: Red Robin, Safeway, etc. It also provides an opportunity to get more cash back from other stores.
For example, Mr. Rebates offers 2% cash back on Travelocity purchases. So a $350 trip would get me $7 back. But if I bought $350 of gift cards from drugstore.com, I would get $24.50. Then I just have to use the gift cards to buy my plane ticket.
A couple of cautions:
*It might not go through automatically. My friend’s rebate didn’t show up on its own. So he had to contact Mr. Rebates, which put in a claim with the store. But it was approved pretty quickly.
*This method definitely requires more organization than simply logging on and clicking through a rebates site. You have to send off for the GCs, then wait until they arrive before you can use them. Still, on big purchases, I would think the savings make it worthwhile.
As for me, I was excited to see that Safeway GCs were for sale. (Which should tell you just what an fascinating life I lead.)
Since that’s our main grocery store, it makes sense to buy the GCs. Might as well save, since the money will be spent either way. It will also be an excellent, if lazy, way to track our food spending, which has gotten a little fast and loose lately.
So that’s my wisdom to impart this week. That and a sunburn are about all I have to show for the weekend. I still say it was a success.
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Hey there, Abigail. I haven't been around the blogosphere lately and I completely missed the fact that you'd moved to Phoenix! I guess getting used to the glaring sun and 100+ degree weather is something we all have to struggle with in the desert. Anyhow, I spoke to the in-house recruiter who said that my interviewers were very impressed. I may have a good chance of moving to Phoenix. I'll be in there this weekend but I'll be dealing with my parents' bankruptcy so I'm sad to say I won't have time. We'll definitely have to get together once I move there.
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