What is Refunding?
A refund can be cash, a coupon for money savings, a gift, or a promotional item given by a manufacturer of a product that you have purchased. Simply put, it is a way for them to thank you for your business and encourage you to remain a customer.

There are many different types of refunds ranging in value depending on your purchase. By participating in refund programs, you are offered the opportunity to maximize your savings.

The basic principle behind refunding is simple. Let's say you bought a package of frozen waffles, and inside the box you found a refund form stating you could receive two free boxes of waffles by completing the form and mailing it within a specific time. You then spend a small amount of money on the postage and mail off the form, and making sure you have completed the required information. In six to eight weeks (times vary per company), you receive the coupons for your free waffles as well as other "cents off" coupons for additional products manufactured by the company. Guess what happened! You just saved money!

To what level of refunding you decide to get involved in is totally up to you. Most people start slowly, building their refunding inventory gradually.

Below are some tips on how to get started and ideas on organization. Everyone develops their own system, as they become more involved in the fun adventure of refunding! Remember, the important thing is to save money and have fun while you do it!

How To Find Offers
Check your local newspaper.

Check throughout the store, down the aisles, in the grocery advertisement and on the bulletin boards.

Look through magazines.

Check on sites on the Internet. Sign-up for newsletters from favorite stores or homepages of favorite products.
How to Organize Your File

Keep it simple. Two shoeboxes can be a good start.

Label one for Regularly Used Products and one for Coupon Swapping.

Label envelopes alphabetically using categories (see sample Category List)
As you clip the coupons, circle the expiration date with a colored pen or highlighter.
File the coupon alphabetically by the brand name within the appropriate category.
Be consistent with your filing system so that you will become comfortable using it.
When you begin to collect a small bundle of the same kind of product, organize it by date putting the earliest expiration date first. Paper - clip together and file
For coupons with expiration dates in the following year, you may want to circle those dates with a different colored pen. This will allow a fast system for determining which coupon will be used first.

Keeping it all together!   

Rebate/Refund Forms
When shopping, collect any rebate form that you think you might be using within the time allotted. Always collect those with no expirations dates. You never know who on a trading board may be looking for that exact form.
Ask at the courtesy desk for a list of the rebate offers. Many stores such as Sam's Warehouse, offers several rebate offers each week.
Check online resources for up-to-date rebate listings too. Often, the online resources have more comprehensive lists that you can use at various retail and online stores.
Filing Your Rebate/Refund Forms
In a separate shoebox, place file dividers. Label them for each month and one for Expiration Unknown.

Separate your forms by month then alphabetize them by product name within the month.

Set a day to check through your file. I usually do it the day before I go shopping. Toss out any unused expired forms. It is important to keep this file clean and free of unusable forms. It will grow quickly.

Before you go shopping, browse your file and mark on your grocery list the items and the specifics (size, quantity) you will need to purchase to receive the rebate.

Follow the rebate instructions to the letter. The rebate and refund police are real sticklers for details. :)

Be prepared to have items rung up separately if the rebate calls for the original receipt. Many offers require that now so keep that in mind as you place those items into your shopping cart.
Keeping A Handle on Your Proof of Purchase
Remember to keep the entire label from a product you are rebating. You may need the sku# one time and the weight another time.

Teach your family to help you by demonstrating to them how to remove labels, flatten boxes, remove plastic outer covers, and save receipts.
Designate a specific place for your labels, boxes and proof of purchases to go.
On a regular basis, organize into separate boxes.
Label the boxes depending on the items such as: canned labels, boxed labels, Rx labels, and laundry labels, miscellaneous.
File alphabetically into each box.

The Importance of Keeping Records

Patience is a virtue to aggressive refunders. They know that generally, it will take up to eight weeks before they see the actual refund check in their mailbox. It is vital, from the start, that you develop good record keeping skills or you will not be able to keep up on what you should be getting back and when because of large gaps in time that are commonplace.

Items To Record:
Date that you mailed in your refund offer.

If you completed a form for the offer.

The Name and Address of the refund Offer.

The Expiration Date.

The Cash Value of the Item (How much it cost you)

What the specifics are to qualify for the refund. (Ex. two UPC codes & reg.rec.)

Misc. information

Date you received your refund and amount.

If you have access to a copy machine or computer scanner, make a copy of the rebate for your records. You can discard this after you receive your refund check.
Tip - Sometimes people keep their refund money in a separate checking account so that they can track the success of their program.

If you follow these suggestions, adapting them to fit your particular needs, you will eventually see the benefits of refunding. It is a hobby but one that can also be lucrative. Don't be afraid to ask questions! Many experts have been doing this for a very long time and are full of great tips and suggestions. Be cautious of couponing scams. Your instincts will be your best judge. If it sounds too good, it most likely is! This is not an overnight, get rich quick, scheme. Just the opposite! Refunding is a methodical, organized approach to saving money.

Save money and have fun doing it!
Sample Category List   
This is a sample list of a Category List which can be used to organize your coupons and rebate and refund forms. I hope it comes in handy!
Baby Items
Bags
Baking
Bath
Bedroom
Beverages
Breads
Breakfast Food
Cakes
Candy
Condiments
Cookies
Cosmetics
Crackers
Dairy Products
Dental Products
Deodorants
Desserts - misc.
Dishes
Feminine Products
Film
Foot Products
Frozen Desserts
Frozen Dinners
Frozen Veggie's
Hair Products
International Food Products
Household Cleaners
Ice Cream
Jam and Jelly
Laundry Products
Meat
Nuts
Oil for Cooking
Pasta
Peanut Butter
Pickles
Potatoe Chips
Pop Corn
Pizza
Rice
RX - Drugs/Vitamins
Salad Fixings
Sauces
Seafood
Soups
Stuffings
Spices
Syrups
Toilet Paper
Vegetables
Waffles
Lawn Care 

 

Trading & Double Dipping
There are several options available to extend your couponing adventure once you decide you are ready.

One of the most exciting "arms" to couponing is trading and getting involved with groups, who actively swap coupons, rebate forms and qualifiers. You can locate these groups by checking the bulletin boards at your grocery store, classified sections of newspapers and home-type magazines, subscribing to coupon related magazines, and of course, the huge online trade that is now available! There are numerous forums and shopping boards online that now make coupon trading more exciting then ever!

Everyone who first enters into the world of coupon trading is a bit shy at first. However, there is no need to be if you just stick to the basics until you gain confidence. To get started, one of the first things you will need is your own preference list. Below are tips on how to make one.

What is a preference list? It is a list of products given to another coupon trader, with your desired coupon requests.
Take time when making out your preference list. Remember that the more preferences you list, the more items you will likely receive.

When exchanging your preference lists always include two. One with your preferences highlighted or checked, and one for your trader to return to you.

In the beginning, you may want to use a few months worth of grocery store receipts to help you determine your preferences.
Trading- The Basics

Begin by trading with friends, relatives or work mates.

Example: If you do not smoke but own a cat, you would collect the cigarette coupons in the Sunday paper and trade them with your friend at work for her unneeded cat food coupons. That is the very basic concept behind trading coupons and it is one of the reasons you will want to collect popular coupons that you will not use for yourself but could use to trade for those you do need.
When mailing out your list to another trader, it is a good idea always to include two. One that you complete and one for them to return to you. This isn't necessary when e-mailing your lists.
Be considerate and always fulfill your requests within a day or two of receiving it. It is also customary to throw in a little something extra just as a thank-you.
Always include a self-addressed stamped envelope in with your list so that they can mail it back at no cost to them. Chances are, if you fail to do this, you won't hear back from them.
Develop a list of regular traders who you know are considerate and dependable. Online forums are particularly helpful in becoming part of a community of traders.
Don't leave people hanging. If you no longer have what they are searching for, e-mail them promptly (within a day or so) and let them know. 

This is the one of the most rewarding experiences in couponing and refunding! Basically what it means is that you are able to double up on your savings through using coupons then sending in a rebate form that actually awards you a small check which comes out to more then what you paid for an item! In other words, you just MADE money for purchasing their product (or came very close to it)!

Shop on double coupon days
Review the grocery store advertisements for items that are discounted and match with coupons and rebate forms that you have saved.
Use trading boards to help you locate coupons, qualifiers and forms that you don't have but that applies to discounted items at your grocery store.
Always mail your rebate forms in promptly and accurately to insure you will qualify! Have fun and save money!

 

   

The following article is from Refund Express magazine:                  A refund is cash, a free product, or a gift given by a manufacturer as their way of saying "Thank You" for buying their product. Refunds can run anywhere from $1 to $25 or a free box of cereal to a free camping tent. All it takes is a little organization and an incentive. There may be that something special you have been wanting (maybe a new outfit or a week's vacation). But somehow you can't squeeze that little extra into your budget. Through refunding, you, too, can be one of the thousands upon thousands of people who can buy that extra special something.

This unique hobby is not complicated. How much you make out of refunding depends on how much you put into it. Wouldn't it be nice to only have to spend 34¢ on a postage stamp to receive a $3 refund check or a free sweatshirt? The average refund takes about 6-8 weeks to arrive, some a little more, some a little less. But when you open your mailbox, and see that first refund check, or that first free grocery item coupon, the excitement you feel was well worth the little effort it took to get you started.

The amount of paperwork you want to do is entirely up to you. You may want to work on your own. Or, you may find that it's more beneficial to trade with other refunders by mail, or going to a monthly meeting of refunders in your hometown. The primary paperwork involved is, of course, the refund form itself, an envelope, and a notebook (or computer) of your choosing to keep records of all that you have sent off for. In fact, it is less complicated and involved than your budget book, and much more rewarding!

What exactly will you need to qualify for a refund? Most companies require different parts of their packaging (usually the UPC) and a cash register tape showing you purchased the product. In some instances, all you need is your cash register tape, and in others, just the UPCs.

You probably have enough proofs of purchase in your own home right now to start refunding. So, decide on your little kitchen drawer or corner, or some special area where you want to set up your “refund office”, and begin to bring in that extra “rainy day money”.

To start refunding in earnest, you need to save EVERYTHING! Boxtops, labels, cap hinges, inserts, cartons, etc - we mean everything.