View from the Valley

We are all feeling the pinch on our pocketbooks right now with the gas prices going up and up and the wages not moving as fast. You see all over the tv how you should purchase the new cfl lights and the new hybrid cars. What they don’t understand is that this all costs money to do so. When it costs me 45.00 a week to fill up my honda to communte 20 miles each way to work for 5 days I know something is really wrong. And I hear it isn’t going to stop at $4.00. I have heard from a reliable source at one of the refineries around there that they are talking about $5.00 by summer. Are they nuts? Well with all this going on I have been trying to find a way to help my pocketbook a little more. I have found it on Sunshine. They have an amazing cash back program for places you already shop. It is 10 minutes drive either direction to shop at Target for everyday needs like soap, Old Navy for those shorts and tees that we all wear during the summer. The list can go on and on. So I have decided to shop online. I mean since the UPS man and the Mail man are going out anyway why not. I know you all reading this are like, huh, how is this going to save me money?

Well here it is….At target I purchase bath soap for him, bath soap for her, hair supplies for her, shampoo for us, band-aid’s, blister blockers, and sunscreen. This is just my last purchase. All the stuff I would have bought cost me over $50.00. So I got on Drugstore.com. Through Sunshine Rewards they give you 5% cash back. So I make my purchase. Some things were on sale better then Target and some thing a few cents more but overall the price between the two was a wash. I spent over $50.00 on there. Because I spent over $50.00 I got free shipping. So now what have I spent. Well I have spent 50.00, no gas, no fighting with people who are angry just like you are because you spent a gallon each way to get here, and I got 5% cash back so I got 2.50 back on my purchase. So overall I spent $47.50 on things I need everyday. Oh and did I mention I was in my jammies?

Next off, shoes. We are all loving these crocs. Who doesn’t? They are so comfy come in some great designs and are just overall fun. So I am addicted. My mom found a croc stand at a local mall. Okay an hour away. It cost her $20.00 in gas round trip to get there. I found the same crocs on Shoebuy.com for the same price. Nice!!! Approx. $30.00. Not bad but at the mall you have tax too. So I bought the same ones online. I spent $30.00 less a 10% coupon I found on Sunshine and a 10% off coupon I received for being a return customer. That is a savings of $6.00 right there. But wait…. At $24.00 I got free shipping and no tax on this purchase. But wait…. At $24.00 out the door I didn’t spend the $20.00 on gas to get to my croc store and I got 12% cash back. So out the door I paid $24.00 and I got $2.88 cash back. Not bad huh? Oh did I mention I was in my jammies on my laptop in my living room on a commercial break from tv?

Needless to say I can go on and on. What I am trying to figure out is why you haven’t joined us in saving money. If we all ban together maybe the gas prices will drop because nobody is driving.

Check out Sunshine Rewards by visiting www.sunshinerewards.com/signup.php?r=2396.

Until next time…..