Carol Smith
Nine years ago, cash from refunds and coupon savings paid for my honeymoon. At that time, they were my favorite ways to save. Now various premiums are giving my nearly three-year-old hours of enjoyment, so my preference has shifted. Our darling daughter arrived too late for me to take advantage of the Pampers Points program that gave my cousinÕs five-year-old daughter all types of freebies, including her own motorized vehicle! I wasnÕt lucky enough to find a free motorized vehicle offer, but, thanks to a good deal posted on the Refund Cents website, I was able to purchase one from J.C. Penney at an excellent price. ItÕs sitting in our basement awaiting the assembly talents of Dad! Despite no free car, IÕve been able to cash in on enough other offers to keep my little one happy. WeÕve gotten softback Clifford the Big Red Dog books by saving proofs of purchase from kidsÕ microwave meals, and Clifford in hardback by sending in a form that I was very surprised to find in a package of store-brand diapers! We got both Nemo and Shrek watches by buying cereal, which has also proven to be a great source of premium Hot Wheels-type cars. WeÕve even gotten some free books directly from the Cheerios packages! A Cat in the Hat T-shirt offered on the Pop Tart was too big for our toddler, so we ordered the adult size for her father, and sheÕs delighted every time she sees Daddy wearing the Thing 1 and Thing 2 shirt! Our favorites premiums, to date, are the Cottonelle bath tissue puppy offers. Last year, purchase of Cottonelle [plus a minimal shipping and handling fee] got us a stuffed puppy, doghouse, feeding dish and bone. This year, there was another plush puppy premium--another stuffed dog, this one in a sleeping pose, with a storybook and a pair of puppy slippers. I was excited to hear the announcement of CottonelleÕs ÒPuppy PointsÓ program, but a close examination of the items available has me thinking the year-round premiums might not be as good of deals as the two previous yearÕs offers. IÕll save the points from the packages and decide later if--and to what degree--IÕm going to participate in the program. Cottonelle isnÕt the only bathroom tissue thatÕs offered something for Paige. In our ongoing potty training effort, weÕre using CharminÕs kit that included stickers, charts, a storybook and a toilet tissue ÒrulerÓ that attaches to the tissue holder. [Hopefully, potty training will soon be a thing of the past, and weÕll soon be ruling out the ruler and putting the charts away for inclusion in a scrapbook!] Although they werenÕt my top priority in the years prior to my daughterÕs birth, kidsÕ premium offers did not go entirely unnoticed. I didnÕt invest a lot in handling fees, but if an item was offered entirely free or, depending on the quality, for a very minimal shipping charge, and I happened to have the proofs of purchase on hand [yes, those were the days when I still saved and filed qualifiers!] IÕd send for it. Some of these items I gave away shortly after they arrived in the mail, but some are packed away in a big plastic container in the basements. I know thereÕs a Northern Tissue [It seems like I have a fondness for toilet tissue items!] dolls and a Kool Aide pitcher and cup set. What else is stashed away is now a mystery, but someday Paige and I are going down there and open it up--and IÕm betting IÕll be almost as surprised as she is to see whatÕs inside!