Andrea Van Steekist, NV w/Ryan
Refunding has been a fun hobby for me as well as a necessary way of saving money at times. I have enjoyed RMC for over 5 years now and doubt I will ever know it all about refunding! I have enjoyed watching my children follow my lead with coupons and sales. They are 4 & 6 and already understand that if its not on sale, Mom is most likely NOT going to buy it, unless maybe I have a coupon. They are also on the watch for coupons and get upset if they have to pass a blinky machine without getting to pick out a coupon, cause you might need it later for a sale, Mom. Dont you love it when you hear your words coming back to you through little voices? One of the things I love about the RMC boards is that there are always fun and unusual opportunities to have fun and save money. Typically we do not go out for ice cream, it has to be a very special treat in order for me to fork over money for 2 scoops of ice cream which could be used to buy a half of a gallon of it at the grocery store. So, without the RMC site there is no way I would have known about the Ben & Jerrys free scoop day. It was great bribery for several days, If you dont be good we wont go for ice cream! and it worked like charm. We went an hour after school let out, hoping to avoid the crowds. I envisioned a stampede of children waiting for a free cone. We got there and I was pleasantly surprised to see a consistent flow of people but it wasnt too busy. We easily got through the line and selected our ice cream. As a bonus the COW Bus (Classroom on Wheels) was there for us to tour and they had little gift bags for the kids with a few pieces of candy and a whole roll of M&M stickers. They were accepting donations and I did choose to make one because I know the value of the bus; it visits children in neighborhoods who do not have the means to attend a pre-school. It was a win-win situation, the kids were happy with their ice cream (and so was I) and we were able to help a good cause. I would definitely encourage anyone to go to the free scoop ice cream days; its a fun family outing! Pictures: Refusing to move closer together, Ryan 6 and Jenna 4 are enjoying their free Ben & Jerrys ice cream cone. The pictures were taken with my camera phone (how could I forget a REAL camera) so I hope they come out OK. Andrea Van Steenkist Henderson NV