Are You Literally Throwing Money Away?

How often do you open all of your mail?

Bills, statements, advertisements, unsolicited "Junk" mail....

If you open all of it daily- Great job. Keep it up!  But as for the rest of us, we need a bit of motivation and organization in our lives.

Until very recently, I would let most of my mail pile up.  After a bit, I'd get sick of it sitting in a huge pile that my dogs kept getting into and shredding ALL OVER my house (they love to tear up and chew on paper) and would finally sort it and read it.

My mail sorting works pretty much like this:

Bills/Statements 

"Better open these now."

'Other' Bills & Stuff 

"Ahh. Later..."

Advertisements/Flyers/Offers

"Oh, maybe I should check that out." 

"Wow. Big Boy is still around?"

Coupons

"Ooo. I'll look through these later."

Other unsolicited envelopes  

"Junk."

(Yes, I do actually say these things while sorting my mail.)

Normally, I would just throw away/recycle the pile I deemed to have been junk by looking at the envelopes.  But this time, I decided to open all of them and I was surprised at what I found in one.

Look what I almost threw away:

It's a survey from Scarborough Research with a (real) One Dollar Bill as a token of their appreciation and promise to reward participants with $5.00 cash for completing and returning the (extremely short) one page survey.

As I finished reading the letter, I wondered how many of these types of letters containing money are thrown away every day.  Can you imagine?  

Think about it; how many random envelopes have you or I tossed away without ever opening-maybe even tearing up?  They could possibly have had cash or a check inside.

Then I wondered if it was some kind of scam.  So, of course, being myself; I turned to my good friend Google and started researching the company.  

It turns out Scarborough is, in fact, a legitimate survey research company.  

So I filled out the super quick survey and sent it off.

I read a bunch of comments online complaints about how these people bother them by calling.  My guess is the people that complain are not letting these folks get a word in long enough to say that it was a survey and not a sales call, if they even answered the phone.

I did end up receiving the $5.00 reward shortly after sending out that survey.

(Awesome!) 

Scarborough called me to take a survey about music stations I listen to and the like.  It took about 20 minutes (with technical difficulties).  I received an additional $5.00 in cash for this.

They didn't try to sell me anything and they weren't rude or annoying.  They even left a detailed message when I was unable to answer my phone and waited a few days to call back.  They just wanted my opinions and they're giving me money for it!

That is fantastic!

*Participating in this type of research can help to improve: products, services, activities, and many other things that we use everyday.  It doesn't cost but a few moments of time but can be so helpful.

It is an added bonus to be rewarded.*

And just think; I almost threw that envelope away...

Lesson for today: Open your mail before shredding, recycling, or throwing it out.  

You could literally be throwing money away.

  

Got Coupons?

Happy Mother's Day!  This post is in honor and remembrance of my late Mother.  She was the most wonderful, caring, intelligent woman I have ever known.  And I hope that I can live up to her likeness.

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My mom was known as the "Coupon Queen".  Because if you saw her collection of coupons or the amount of stuff she got for free or at an extreme discount, you would bow down.  She was a very savvy shopper and got the most- for less (or free).  At times, stores would even owe her a credit and she'd leave with a full cart and a few cents or dollars richer.  

How awesome is that?!

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My mother taught me a lot about how to get the most- for less.  When I was a child, she would pay me (a small convenience fee) to cut her stack of coupons.  After they were all cut out, she would separate them into categories, then organize and file them by expiration date.  As mama made her shopping lists, she would review the sales ads, then consult her coupon box.  She would keep her lists and coupons together and place them into her "handy-dandy coupon wallet" (which was always with her).

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Loyalty/Advantage/Bonus/Store Discount or Points Cards were a given.  If it was free, it was hers and she would use it- always.

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Rebates were another of my mama's favorites.  
She would purchase things (sometimes things that we didn't really need) then send the receipts along with a form and the product UPC's off through the mail.  A couple weeks later she would receive postcards and checks reimbursing her for those purchases.  

Mom would often use her coupons on top of the rebates, which meant that the rebate coming back may have been for more than she actually paid.

Score!

 Free stuff and cash back.

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If something that was on my Mama's list was not available or out of stock, she would get rain-checks. Most places do not advertise that they offer rain-checks, but many do offer them if an advertised sale item is temporarily out of stock. 

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"Mama Don't Play That"
I learned fairly early on that Mama means business.  Long ago, if I was being a difficult little brat while we were out, my highly agitated mother would remind me (with a stern, yet fairly quiet tone and a signature look) that I needed to pipe down-immediately.  And most times, I would.  But sometimes.... not so much.   She had several tactics and techniques.  With them, she taught me to listen - eventually.  (I wasn't quite the world's greatest kid/adolescent.)

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I have to say, with what she had and all she worked for, my Mother did a pretty great job handling just about everything that came her way.  She has done so much for all of us, her 5 children, with a majority of the time, by herself.  Even though she is no longer physically here, she lives in our heart, our memories, and in our actions every day.  

My beautiful mother holding me as a baby.

I hope that my mama's lessons help you to save too.  I credit my mother in large part for my awesome ability to make well thought out and researched purchase decisions after shopping around for the best deal.

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Happy Mother's Day!

Nothing in life is free... Or is it?

How many times have you heard the phrase:
"Nothing in life is free"?

What do you think about that?

The pessimist inside wants to think that we somehow pay for everything, even if it is not with money.  While the optimist inside thinks that is just complete nonsense because there are plenty of great deals around.  Both of these views have valid points.  It really depends on what free means to each individual.

It seems the first thing to come to mind (or mouth) quite often is:

"It's too good to be true!" "It has to be a scam!"

Perhaps it is. But maybe, just maybe, it's not.  So many people are afraid to pursue a great deal simply because it seems too good to be true and they do not want to be scammed.  It is truly unfortunate, yet very understandable, given the high occurrence of fraud in recent years.

Ask more questions to clarify the real deal and make completely sure you are comfortable with it; especially before giving out personal information or signing/agreeing to anything. 

     "What's the catch?"

There is not always a catch, sometimes it really is what it appears, but always read the fine print.  Often, there is crucial information within that tiny print.  Keep a look out for the (*) Asterisk and odd wording.  Do your research.  Do not be afraid to ask for an explanation or more information if there is something you don't understand or are not clear on (before agreeing to anything- ever).

Every once in a while there may be a "catch".  
Often, to get a free deal, you must spend a little bit of your time: perhaps learning about it, giving your opinion or other personal information, watching a demo, etc...  Every person spends time doing everything they ever do, even if they do nothing.  If one considers their time as money, they may not consider anything as free; in which case, the phrase "nothing in life is free" would fit, for them.  In my opinion; if it is a really a good deal, perhaps it is worth taking the time.

Occasionally, an offer is actually a "bridge" or "qualifier" to another offer which may or may not benefit you.  A good deal is offered, sometimes, purely to get exposure which drums up more business in the process.  The point is to get consumers on the phone, the website or in the store.  This is a brilliant business plan that usually works, because everyone likes a good deal, especially if everyone wins.  It is up to us as consumers to educate ourselves as much as possible to take full advantage of money saving (and potentially money making) opportunities.

Some optimistic alternative versions of "nothing in life is free":

"Some things in life are free" 

"Not everything in life is free"

"The best things in life are free"

Thanks for stopping by! 

Please feel free to leave your thoughts and opinions on this subject in the comments. 

Hello.

Welcome.

I'd like to introduce myself.  

My name is Brandi Mills.  

I was born, raised, and still reside in Cleveland, OH.  

Photo by Brandi Mills

I am currently a licensed Mortgage Loan Administrator.  I have formally studied, trained, and worked in several areas of finance, banking, retail, and customer service.  I have been working since I was old enough to take employment.  I hold an Associate of Arts Degree and continue to educate myself through available resources. 

I have always been interested in numbers as well as "The Almighty Dollar".  Even as a child, I had to have money to count (whether play or real, though I've always preferred the latter), a plastic "credit" card, a register, and a file system.  

Math has always been one of my favorite subjects.  I enjoy researching and investigating to gain more information/knowledge on various topics.  I love puzzles.  Solving problems and helping people is my specialty.  

Here, I will share my knowledge and experience in an effort to educate, inform, and help consumers to save some hard earned cash.   I will also share methods that I have personally used that can earn a bit of extra money and even get completely free and discounted items and services.


I am not a licensed financial advisor (yet), so I need to make a disclaimer here:  
The information contained in this blog is to be used for informational purposes only and should not be considered as legal, tax, or financial advice or as a guarantee of any kind.  Personalized assessments should be handled by a licensed professional with full disclosure to individual circumstances.  

Also, I am not affiliated with the companies, people, websites, etc. that are shared in my blog (unless otherwise stated).  The information shared is based on my personal experiences and/or opinions and should not be taken as a promise or guarantee of any specific results in any other case.               

I want to let others know what I know, because I know that it can help someone, somewhere.  

After all, everyone could use a little extra something and Everyone Can Save!