Anyone else exhausted from attempting to satisfy 12/31 rebates and use up all of your 12/31 expiring coupons?

[anaj06]

I am exhausted from these two tasks...I have done 5 shopping trips in two days with 11 transactions trying to use up my 12/31 coupons and satisfy my 12/31 rebates! And I am still letting some of them go...

I just plain saved to many till after Christmas. I think I am done with the rebates I am going to satisfy, however I still have lots of coupons that must be used up...and I am talking good coupons (frees and those that net a free/almost free product). I was getting dirty looks from the CS manager at HT this morning as I did 5 transactions...and I even went to the back of the line after transaction #3.

Anyone else here with me?

[XUfan]

Not so much the rebates...but the coupons!

Around the 10th of Dec, I went through my coupon box and my trade box, pulling out everything that expires 12/31-1/6. I filled a shoebox!!! I kept out things that would get me free food (yakisoba, etc), and things that I was almost positive I'd buy before they expired (Aunt Millie's bread, Pepsi, etc.). Everything else stayed in the box, and I'd dig through it if I found a good deal or if someone was trading for something that I knew was in there.

Also, I had a ton of home mailers (frees and close to frees) that expire 12/31. I tried to do a little bit each week, along with my regular shopping. This week, I still have more to do. I'm planning to finish it up tomorrow...since Thursday is my regular grocery day anyway.

As for the rebates, I'm in a BPN state, so I don't do nearly as many as I wish I could. My husband has really cut back on his beer consumption, and is planning to possibly quit completely after Jan 1st, so I didn't want to stock up on beer, just to do the rebates. Last year, I had a stack of WT rebates to do...but this year they've been so hard to find, that I've only done a few the whole year.

[bugweena]

I just completed transactions at three stores using 12/31 coupons and getting things for rebates. Bought lots of cheese! :) I also found BOGO Ball Park Wieners at Lowes Foods so had to use those $.75 q that double there for some cheap wieners for the freezer! I am working my way through rebates and receipts but know I will end up missing out on some of them just because I am not very organized! That's one of my goals for next year....

[gctattoo]

I don't do many rebates, but I do still have some coupons to use up. Months ago, I finally came to the conclusion that just because I had Q's expiring at the end of a month, it didn't mean I had to use them all. So I've been more selective in choosing just what needs to used. I dumped about 90% of my 12/31 Q's earlier this month, knowing I wouldn't have the extra money needed to use them. I keep telling myself that more of the same coupons will come along eventually.

I also decided to trade for saline Q's that expire next month instead of trying to use the ones I'd been saving due to lack of funds. It was a big relief to be able to ditch the whole idea of making us broke just to stock up on it. So now I officially have only 4 coupons I need to use before Saturday. And I'm really impatient just to get it over with already.

[bugweena]

I don't do many rebates, but I do still have some coupons to use up. Months ago, I finally came to the conclusion that just because I had Q's expiring at the end of a month, it didn't mean I had to use them all. So I've been more selective in choosing just what needs to used. I dumped about 90% of my 12/31 Q's earlier this month, knowing I wouldn't have the extra money needed to use them. I keep telling myself that more of the same coupons will come along eventually.

I also decided to trade for saline Q's that expire next month instead of trying to use the ones I'd been saving due to lack of funds. It was a big relief to be able to ditch the whole idea of making us broke just to stock up on it. So now I officially have only 4 coupons I need to use before Saturday. And I'm really impatient just to get it over with already.

I have come to realize that's the way to do it. I don't beat myself up if I can't use some before they expire or if the $$ is not in the budget. I have a bunch that I won't even try to use and many that I won't use b/c they don't match up with any sales. I had some cheese coupons to match up with sales for my cheese rebates so those were a win-win-win for mee because I love me some chesese. Besides the wieners I don't know what else I will get before the end of the month. Probably some deli meat b/c I have some great 1.50 WT for deli meats that exp. 12/31.

[CW&M Mom]

Yes yes yes yes yes

Ask meggers I was up til 4:30 am this morning working on rebates. I probably have a dozen still that I need to do. This is where I get a lot of my meat for the year...so I really like to get them done.

I also have been going through all the coupons..making sure I get out all the ones that will give me free or nearly free stuff...and any coupons that are about to expire that I rarely can get but always use the product (like eggo's) and get them used.

The last couple of months..we've been trying to eat as much as we could out of the freezer. Right before Thanksgiving I cleared out the downstairs freezer...shoved it all in the upstairs one...so that I could fill up the bottom one again.

[XUfan]

I don't do many rebates, but I do still have some coupons to use up. Months ago, I finally came to the conclusion that just because I had Q's expiring at the end of a month, it didn't mean I had to use them all. So I've been more selective in choosing just what needs to used. I dumped about 90% of my 12/31 Q's earlier this month, knowing I wouldn't have the extra money needed to use them. I keep telling myself that more of the same coupons will come along eventually.

I also decided to trade for saline Q's that expire next month instead of trying to use the ones I'd been saving due to lack of funds. It was a big relief to be able to ditch the whole idea of making us broke just to stock up on it. So now I officially have only 4 coupons I need to use before Saturday. And I'm really impatient just to get it over with already.

I totally agree! I think that's kind of what I was trying to say in my earlier post. When I went through my 12/31 coupons, I was very selective about which ones I kept for my own use. Obviously, I kept the Frees...but I made sure to include them with a trip I was already making to the store. I won't go to the store just to get a free item...even if it is expiring that day...if I don't need anything else. Gas costs would eat that up!

I also agree that the coupons come back around, and so do the deals. I don't beat myself up for not using coupons by the exp date anymore. The only time I do, is if I actually paid cc or stamps for them, and didn't use them. That's defeating the purpose, if you spend money on them, and don't use them.

[rebate_queen]

I have been doing this all week as much as I can. DD has been sick all week, but thankfully my DH had 3 days off this week so he has been able to stay with her. I really need to get back out to Meijer today and do a few transactions, and then I think I have 1 trip to Kroger and 1 trip to Wal Mart left and I should be done!

I always do this, but this month it was so much worse since there were SO many coupons expiring 12/31!

[isis]

I don't do many rebates, but I do still have some coupons to use up. Months ago, I finally came to the conclusion that just because I had Q's expiring at the end of a month, it didn't mean I had to use them all. So I've been more selective in choosing just what needs to used. I dumped about 90% of my 12/31 Q's earlier this month, knowing I wouldn't have the extra money needed to use them. I keep telling myself that more of the same coupons will come along eventually.

I also decided to trade for saline Q's that expire next month instead of trying to use the ones I'd been saving due to lack of funds. It was a big relief to be able to ditch the whole idea of making us broke just to stock up on it. So now I officially have only 4 coupons I need to use before Saturday. And I'm really impatient just to get it over with already.

That's exactly how I feel too. The week before Christmas, I went through my binder and pulled the 12/31 q's and incorporated what I could into my grocery runs, mostly Frees and items that would be cheap/free after coupon.
I babysit every Sat & Sun, but my niece didn't need me Christmas Eve or the 26th, so I didn't have extra money for one last WM & Target run like I had planned. So I just got over it, figured coupons will cycle back around, no reason to sulk!

I really burned myself out a few years back with juggling to many rebates, making mistakes - like forgetting to do separate transactions or letting the PM date creep up! So I take it easy during the holidays. If I do rebates during Nov/Dec, I focus on one at a time. As soon as I make the required purchase(s), I get everything together, make a photocopy, then drop it in the mail.

[meggers]

I'm done! And I'm beat!