"Garbage In, Cash Out"...by Rebecca Kemp

Grocery bills - our highest expense after lodging and car payments. For
many, how much we can afford to spend at the supermarket is crucial to how well we eat and care for our families. Refunding, the art of turning trash into cash, is a profitable hobby that can help you save money and get some nice gifts.

A refund may come in the form of cash, high value or free cents-off coupons, or free gifts. A refund is acquired by sending the proper form and proof of purchase to a clearinghouse. Manufactures thank consumers for buying their products by offering refunds though newspaper inserts and tear pads in supermarkets and chain stores. For those who are new to refunding, a good place to learn about this hobby is the book, Shop Like a Coupon Queen by Michele Easter. Likewise, refund bulletins will help you get started. The two biggest bulletins are: Refund Express and Refunding Makes Cents. This article explains computerized refunding.

I have been a modestly successful refunder for about 16 years. Like many
others, I began after reading an article on refunding in a women's magazine. I immediately began to save coupons, proofs of purchase, and acquire refund forms. I soon had a room full of trash, but as I slowly worked out a filing system, I discovered an important element was missing - a computer. With a used Commodore 64 computer and its software, I was able to turn my "firetrap" into some semblance of order. Upgrading became necessary after I entered college. This time I dug into my refund savings of over nine years and bought a Tandy HX1000. The Tandy as well as refunding and a grant got me through college.
We upgraded again, two years ago, this time choosing an IBM Aptiva. This
machine is powerful enough to run the programs required in a business as
well as keep tabs on my refunding.

Why use a computer? Refunding requires a good deal of organization in order
to do well. With good organization, more goodies will come in the mail. A good "works" package consisting of a word processor, data base, and spreadsheet is essential. You may find other programs included in such a package, such as a mailing label program. Most computers now have these programs inside them when they are purchased. A spreadsheet can be used for keeping track of what refunds are sent, when you expect to receive them, along with the address of the clearinghouse in case of loss. I also use it to keep track of how much we save with coupons and refunds each year. Every cash register tape is itemized with the name of the product, where it was bought, and filed by date. It is time
consuming, but with over 75% of refund offers requiring cash tapes, it makes it easier to find one when an offer becomes available. After the tapes are put on the computer spreadsheet, they are stored in a "check keeper" box under the store and month. About an hour a week is necessary to do this if you want to keep them up to date.

A data base is used to keep track of names and addresses of people with whom I trade refund items. Trading with other refunders is essential to maximizing your savings. I also keep the name and addresses of ads that I answer in the bulletins' classified sections.

A good word processing program allows me to compile wish lists and letters
to send to traders. Lists can be updated as needed and can be dressed up with graphics (pictures). The letters I write to my trading friends are form letters, yet by changing a few lines, I can make it look as if I wrote it just for them.

While there are a few programs dealing specifically with refunding, I've
only used one, a program called "Mini File". This data base can be used for
forms, proofs of purchase, or coupons. It counts the items and lists them
by name so i know exactly what I have. The newest phase of this fascinating hobby has been the advent of on-line refunding. With the recent popularity of commercial on-line services and even the Internet, it seemed only natural for refunders to enhance their hobby by doing it on-line.

There are two ways to effectively refund on-line. Bulletin boards are
available for posting messages which may consist of questions and answers
about the hobby, but most often resemble the classified ads in a refund
bulletin. The user chooses an ad he/she wants to answer and sends an e-mail (electronic mail). Details are worked out between the two parties and an agreement is reached. Trading this way is much easier and faster than simply answering an ad through the bulletins because both parties know what to expect when they send and receive a trade and the postage costs less. While all the services have places for refunders, the most popular service is America Online. My own informal survey of refunders on this service shows that most people are well pleased with this addition. The message boards on AOL are listed in "Hobby Central" under the folder "More Hobbies". There is a board for refunding, couponing and an overflow board. There are some on the Internet, also. Post a message on the refunding board on your service and someone will give you the proper
information.

Computerized refunding is not only a means to enhance a hobby, but it can also help you learn valuable computer skills which will be needed in the "real world" of work. Knowing your way around a computer can make you more marketable in an employer's eyes over those people who don't have computer skills. Computerized refunding is the only hobby I know of where valuable office and organizational skills can be gained while learning to save money. Computerized refunding lets you input garbage and output cash.

Garbage In, Cash Out
Copyrighted 1998 - Rebecca Kemp
RKemp60659@aol.com

For more information contact:

Refund Express
P.O. Box 179
Commerce, GA 30529

Refunding Makes Cents
P.O. Box 969
Bountiful, UT 84011

Copyright © 1996 - 1998 Reach Out Magazine
Publisher, Jim Jakubek