Weekend Savings Roundup

So I have this empty space in front of the kitchen sink with 2 holes where a paper towel hanger used to be. It was too tacky to stay there. I usually cover it up with a nice calendar, sometimes a free one from my car repair shop or local Chinese restaurant. This year they had none to give away, probably due to the economy. So I tried using a printing a free one from My Free Calendar Maker. I think the towel hanger was less cheesy. I broke down and went online to buy a 2009 wall calendar with some nice photos. I went to Barnes and Noble and saw that most of their 2009 calendars were 50% off. Since I have a B&N Membership, I got an additional 10% discount. With my Upromise account, I also received a 3% credit towards my student loan. Since I used my Discover credit card, I got 10% cash back on the price of the item. Sure the calendar only cost $6.49, but you see how I maximized my savings and rewards. Remember, if you don’t have a student loan or don’t know any one who is going to get a student loan, then maybe you can help me out by signing up and donating any rewards to pay off my loan. It’s secure and anonymous, so I don’t see what you’ve been purchasing. I can send you an invitation ASAP.

Speaking of Upromise, I also filled up the tank at ExxonMobil, so I get Upromise credits and Discover cash back. Plus, the profit goes to a US company instead of Lukoil (Russia) or Citgo (Venezuala). I signed up for a Netflix trial. I get $12 Upromise credit to my student loan with my subscription, if I choose to keep it. If I rent only 1 DVD per week, it will be better than the 2 On Demand movies I rent every month and pummels any premium cable channel deal.

I also recharged my 1-HR quick charge 4AA Duracell rechargeable batteries. I remember paying around $25 for the batteries and charger at Eckerd. After more than 10 charges, they have paid for themselves at least 3x compared to the purchase price of a 40-pack of Duracell alkaline batteries.

As for food, I did my usual splurge of Indian food on Saturday, but I used a Buy One Get One Free coupon at Burger King and stretched that to 2 meals. The Indian food lasted me 3 meals for an average of about $15 per meal. Yeah, yeah, I did say splurge didn’t I? I eat 4 Lean Cuisine frozen meals at $1.24 each per day during the work week, so I have cut down drastically. I used to eat out every single meal, with dinners costing $30 per meal on average, so this is a huge change for me.