One Thin Dime

10 Things You Should Never Buy

Everyone buys things on impulse and most people spend too much money on things that they don't need. Here's a list of ten things on which we don't need to spend our hard earned money.

1. Bottled water. Expensive, bad for you and the environment, bottled water may go down in history as one of the biggest scams ever perpetrated upon the consumer. Our landfills are filled with the bottles that take thousands of years to break down, the plastic from the bottles leeches into the water, most of which is tap water anyway.
2. Books. There, I said it. Books. Virtually any book is available at virtually any library in this country through The Inter Library Loan Program.  Library cards are free!
3. Pets. Buying a purebred cat or dog is unconscionable given the number of loveable mutts that fill our shelters and streets.
4. Paper napkins. Buy some cloth napkins, instead, dude. Throw them in the wash whenever you do laundry. For maximum environmental and monetary savings, buy them at an estate sale or thrift store.
5. Reusable shopping bags.  See earlier post.
6. An electric knife. Perfectly useless, so no need to buy. Also, in everyone's lifetime they will eventually receive an electric knife as a gift, so if you're really tempted to buy one, just wait.
7. Newspapers. Read them online instead.
8. Warranties. Generally not worth the money. If you're really concerned, take the money you would have spent on the warranty and put it in the bank. If your item breaks, use this fund to either repair or replace the item.
9. Anything marked "As Seen On TV." If you don't believe me, ask anyone who has ever bought anything they saw on an infomercial. If you still don't believe me, go to the thrift store and witness the growing mound of Ab Rollers, Food Dehydrators and Aero Gardens.
10. Window Cleaner. Invest in a micro fiber glass cleaning cloth instead. Scotch Brite makes a good one that works using only hot water. It costs about $3.99 and is machine washable.

Economic Stimulus Check Bonus Gift Cards

A number of companies are offering gift cards with 10 percent bonuses if purchased with an economic stimulus rebate check. For example, at Kroger, you will be able to cash in your $300 stimulus check for a $330 gift card, which is an instant 10% rate of return. Not bad, considering the best savings rate I can get on that amount is around 3%. And I would wait a year to get that 3%.

The gift cards will be offered in $300 increments. It's not a bad deal if you shop at Kroger often enough to make the $300 investment in their fine company. It doesn't take long to spend $300 on groceries, as we all know, so this seems like easy money.

If groceries aren't your bag, other companies are also offering deals. So far, Home Depot, Staples, Lands End, Sears and K-Mart have announced similar programs.

Unfortunately, I filed online and elected to have my rebate check deposited directly into my account. I have emailed Kroger and asked what their policy was  in that situation, but haven't gotten a response.

I'm guessing there will be other deals like this in the coming weeks. Let me know if you hear of any more.

The Walgreens Game

It seems that every day a new Walgreens, CVS or Rite-Aid opens across the street from another Walgreens, CVS or Rite-Aid. Although I hate to admit it, I do shop at these stores; mostly Walgreens. It's the closest; it's open 24 hours and they stock everything from Tampax to eggs to batteries.

What I have discovered is that Walgreens gives  stuff away...for free! Really! I can't believe it either, but every month Walgreens publishes a little booklet of free after rebate stuff, and for the most part, they're useful items. I love America!

Basically, what you have to do is buy the item(s), send in your receipt with a rebate form, carefully following directions, of course, and Walgreens mails you either a check or a Walgreens gift card with the amount that you spent. If you opt for the gift card, they will add 10%, essentially covering sales tax.

This month's free items include: Aquafresh toothpaste, a Colgate toothbrush, Soyjoy energy bar, Just for Men hair color, Tums, a Jane make-up brush, Wal-Zyr and Walitin, which are Walgreens' versions of Zyrtec and Claritin.

I bought everything except the Tums and the men's haircolor. I wouldn't use the items, so I don't want them, even for free. This month I noticed that I could enter the receipt online and get my gift card recharged electronically, so I did.

I haven't bought toothpaste in years. It seems that every month Walgreens is giving away a different brand of (NEW!) super-whitening, plaque-fighting, breath-freshening toothpaste. But, I am not brand loyal and will use whatever new kind they want to give me.

Yes, I realize this is Walgreen's way of getting me into the store to buy other stuff. Yes, I sometimes buy other stuff that I might not have, had I not gone in to get the free stuff. Yes, I have forgotten to mail my receipt in and not gotten the rebate. Yes, I realize that we are lucky to live in a wealthy country that gives stuff away. Yes, I donate the extra boxes of toothpaste to the homeless shelter in my city. And, yes, I know that maybe we aren't such a wealthy country after all.