Wednesday, June 22, 2011

School of Savings: Staples Shopping



Now I know many of you are probably thinking Staples is just for office supplies, but it's so much more than that!  Staples carries many other items including paper towels, toilet paper, household cleaners, and more!  And once you're couponing you can never get enough FREE paper and ink!  Keep reading to find out how you can save TONS at Staples!

Staples Rewards Program
If you are not already, I would definitely become a Staples Rewards member.  It's completely free and you'll earn 10% back on all printer ink/toner, case or ream paper, and all copy & print purchases.  There is also an ink recycling program which gives you $2 per ink cartridge (any type) recycled up to a max of 10 cartridges per month.  In addition there are frequently special rewards promotions where you can earn 100% back on certain items.  All of the rewards are given in the form of a Staples Rewards certificate that can be used on anything in the store.

To make the ink cartridge reward even sweeter, I purchase empty ink cartridges (yes, you may think I'm crazy, but just keep reading!!) on Ebay.  You can usually find about 20 for $12.  That equals $40 in Staples rewards (a $28 profit!) to be used on whatever you would like.  I almost always use my rewards to keep my paper stash and ink supply going...you need lots of both for all of those coupons!!  


Take a look at a deal I snagged on empy ink cartridges:


My $53.49 Profit Buying Empty Ink Tanks!
Take a look at what I paid for 31 empty ink cartridges on Ebay...each of these cartridges are going to be worth $2 at Staples when I turn them in over the next few months so this was a huge money-maker! 


So, my total was $13.93 (tanks + shipping), but thanks to my eBay Bucks, it dropped to $10.71.  This total, however, is not completely accurate...I also had a balance of $2.20 in my PayPal account from my Big Crumbs cash back so I only paid $8.51!!  AND, since I made this purchase through Big Crumbs, I'll be getting cash back for this too!  You thought I was going to say I paid more, didn't ya?!  :)

For about 4 months now I have used these cartridges along with any of my normal ones to keep my Staples Rewards certificates coming.  I have gotten a $20 ink recycling certificate every month since I became a member.  And remember, if you don't use a lot of ink or office products, Staples also carries many household items such as paper towels, cleaning products, and more.  The certificates you get can be used on almost ANYTHING in the store!

You can read more about cash back sites such as Big Crumbs here.


Weekly Ads
After you become a Staples Rewards member, be sure to sign up for promotion emails and check the weekly ad.  There's frequently a coupon that can be used on any item in the store and tons of awesome sale prices. 

Keep a look out for the Staples Easy Rebates too.  These are selected items in store that you can submit a rebate to Staples for.  These are very easy to submit.  You simply go to the Easy Rebates website and enter two numbers from your receipt...the website will walk you through all of this.  Many times you'll get back just about 100% of what you paid, especially when coupons were used :)



Hope you enjoyed class...Happy saving!

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