consumerisms, plus a general baby update
May. 23rd, 2008 10:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
same_skyI had an odd online shopping experience this week. I placed an order with a company at about eleven p.m. on Monday night. I chose the cheapest shipping option. At noon the next day, Tuesday, a DHL van swings into the driveway, running over the lid to our garbage can. That is not really part of the story but it kind of made me jump when I saw him do it. He runs up to the door and wordlessly hands me a package and then takes off. It is the item I had ordered fourteen hours earlier. I wonder, what exactly would they have done if I had chosen to upgrade my shipping? Would it have been transported through space and time to arrive before I had even placed the order? I don't know. That sort of thing might happen to you guys all the time, but I live nearly an hour away from a real city where things might presumably get routed, so we never get anything anywhere near that fast. The item was a free-after-rebate webcam, and I still haven't taken it out of the box. I, uh, didn't really need it that fast, guys, but good job!
I have also decided to become an Active Consumer, and have had some success on that front. I believe I mentioned that I emailed Minute Maid over a bad batch of orange juice. They did send me a replacement coupon. Infantino has them beat, though, because they did something fantastic. I have this shopping cart cover, purchased for Ducky by my dear friend KP (who sometimes reads this journal, so hi KP!) It has been lovely for the germaphobe in me, and also, it makes the seat more comfortable for her. A few weeks ago, I took E out to run errands. As I left Walmart, it began to pour down rain, so I threw her in the car seat and then hurried as much as possible to get all the stuff in the trunk. When I backed up, I heard this suspicious loud crunching noise. I got out of the car and found that in my haste to get out of the rain, I had dropped the belt that straps the baby into the cart, and I had crushed the plastic bits into a thousand worthless pieces. Crap! Sooo... I emailed the company, asked if there was a way to replace just the belt, and they said they'd just send me one. For free. Isn't that awesome? All I had to do was ask. It arrived today. PLUS there was the contest I won. That was awesomely cool, too.
I also went to Walgreen's today, and picked up a bag full of stuff that will be free (after rebate). I don't necessarily NEED this stuff (ear rinse, anyone?) but by golly, I'll have it if I do! I am planning on doing this monthly, along with Rite-Aid and possibly CVS. They give away stuff every month! It's awesome. A blog post that explains it pretty well. I also had a $5 off coupon for today only, plus you get an extra 10% if you choose your rebate to be a Walgreen's gift card, so I have made money today just by going shopping. With a handy-dandy $5 coupon that I printed online, I paid $17.66 for these items, and I should get back $23.83. Next month, that will pay for whatever they have for free then.
Evelyn is in a super-cute developmental stage right now. Today she started saying "bear", and it is SO CUTE. She's actually repeating things now, sometimes, though I am not counting those as words. We can ask her "Where's Mommy's baby?" and she'll point at herself. (Or Daddy's baby, whatever.) She will blow kisses, although only when she wants to and you really have to take her intent and not her actual actions because she frankly isn't very good at it. She was snugglier today than usual, which isn't really saying much but M and I sure appreciated it. We are both confused as to how we could have produced such an unsnuggly baby. She gave several hugs and kisses today, even to M! (She thinks it's hilarious to not love on her Daddy. Poor Daddy!) I had been planning on going out after her nap, but apparently great minds think alike because she woke up from her nap saying "byebye" and waving. I guess she was going stir-crazy too. Oh, and we've been playing Mommy Ticklefingers a lot lately. That involves Mommy wiggling fingers around her neck, and then enjoying the sweet baby cackles. I'm real good at that second part. ;)
I have also decided to become an Active Consumer, and have had some success on that front. I believe I mentioned that I emailed Minute Maid over a bad batch of orange juice. They did send me a replacement coupon. Infantino has them beat, though, because they did something fantastic. I have this shopping cart cover, purchased for Ducky by my dear friend KP (who sometimes reads this journal, so hi KP!) It has been lovely for the germaphobe in me, and also, it makes the seat more comfortable for her. A few weeks ago, I took E out to run errands. As I left Walmart, it began to pour down rain, so I threw her in the car seat and then hurried as much as possible to get all the stuff in the trunk. When I backed up, I heard this suspicious loud crunching noise. I got out of the car and found that in my haste to get out of the rain, I had dropped the belt that straps the baby into the cart, and I had crushed the plastic bits into a thousand worthless pieces. Crap! Sooo... I emailed the company, asked if there was a way to replace just the belt, and they said they'd just send me one. For free. Isn't that awesome? All I had to do was ask. It arrived today. PLUS there was the contest I won. That was awesomely cool, too.
I also went to Walgreen's today, and picked up a bag full of stuff that will be free (after rebate). I don't necessarily NEED this stuff (ear rinse, anyone?) but by golly, I'll have it if I do! I am planning on doing this monthly, along with Rite-Aid and possibly CVS. They give away stuff every month! It's awesome. A blog post that explains it pretty well. I also had a $5 off coupon for today only, plus you get an extra 10% if you choose your rebate to be a Walgreen's gift card, so I have made money today just by going shopping. With a handy-dandy $5 coupon that I printed online, I paid $17.66 for these items, and I should get back $23.83. Next month, that will pay for whatever they have for free then.
Evelyn is in a super-cute developmental stage right now. Today she started saying "bear", and it is SO CUTE. She's actually repeating things now, sometimes, though I am not counting those as words. We can ask her "Where's Mommy's baby?" and she'll point at herself. (Or Daddy's baby, whatever.) She will blow kisses, although only when she wants to and you really have to take her intent and not her actual actions because she frankly isn't very good at it. She was snugglier today than usual, which isn't really saying much but M and I sure appreciated it. We are both confused as to how we could have produced such an unsnuggly baby. She gave several hugs and kisses today, even to M! (She thinks it's hilarious to not love on her Daddy. Poor Daddy!) I had been planning on going out after her nap, but apparently great minds think alike because she woke up from her nap saying "byebye" and waving. I guess she was going stir-crazy too. Oh, and we've been playing Mommy Ticklefingers a lot lately. That involves Mommy wiggling fingers around her neck, and then enjoying the sweet baby cackles. I'm real good at that second part. ;)
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no subject
Date: 2008-05-24 02:28 am (UTC)Now that he's older, and realises that we enjoy them, and that they're nice, we're getting many more cuddles and snuggles.
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Date: 2008-05-24 03:53 am (UTC)PS: Link is broken... =(
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Date: 2008-05-27 01:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-05-24 08:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-05-27 01:18 pm (UTC)I shop at CVS all the time and we are avid extra care buck users but so often, in order to really "make" money like the moneysavingmom site explains, I would have to buy stuff I never would use. The link you posted doesn't work and I couldn't find that exact post so I just read a general Walgreens post about getting a gift card rebate thingy. Is that what you did? Walgreens is not as conveniently located to our house so I don't usually bother to go there.
no subject
Date: 2008-05-27 03:27 pm (UTC)I bought: ear rinse, kids plaque-revealing mouth rinse, a toothbrush and light bulbs. I have no use at all for the first two, but I'm planning on giving the ear rinse to my dad and probably the mouthwash to my cousin, who has kids of the right ages who would probably think it was fun. I bought them just because they were free, of course, and that made it fun. I will probably skip buying things, or at least making special trips to buy stuff, that I have no use for in the future, unless I know someone that I can give it to, or even to donate it to with the charity drives. However, the real savings are with using coupons for the items, and then getting the full rebate amount back. She explains why it's better to buy stuff you don't need in some cases, though. I don't know if I have the energy to get REALLY into the coupon world but it will be fun to get free stuff now and then.