I’ll admit it. I love getting a good discount on something, or better yet, free stuff. Who doesn’t? And nowadays, it seems like every store has some sort of “Free Buyer Reward Program”. And everytime I’m offered the chance to apply for some kind of new frequent buyer card, especially at a place where I buy a lot of stuff, I do it. I’m such a sucker, I know, but I can’t seem to help myself. :doh:
So, let me dig through my purse and share with some of the frequent buyer reward/discount programs I belong to.
Grocery store club cards: Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons. Now, I honestly don’t know why these grocery stores insist on having everyone sign up for a club card to get extra discounts on their groceries. Why can’t they just give EVERYONE the weekly ad specials and discounts — without having to swipe a club card every time? It’s annoying, but these club cards are essential for me when I shop for groceries because they make a HUGE difference on the bottom line total of my bill. As an aside, I also clip and use coupons and you should see the money I save between using the club card and getting those coupons “doubled”. I easily cut my grocery bill by 50% every time I make a shopping trip. It’s amazing. (I’ll save my “coupon” savings for another blog!) :giggle:.
Office supply club cards: Staples, Office Max and Office Depot. I’ve received great discounts and even reward checks from these stores.
Pet club cards: Petsmart and Petco.
Clothing or Department Store club cards: Stein Mart & Hot Topic (My girls love this store and frequent buyers get 15% off!).
Bookstores club cards: Border Rewards and Barnes & Noble. (Absolutely necessary!)
Drugstore: CVS, GNC, Target Pharmacy
Food Stuff: Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt (Buy 8 and Get 1 Free), Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (Buy 10 caramel apples and get 1 Free), Orowheat/Entemanns (Don gets 50% off all bakery products at the outlet! Whoo-hoo!), Cold Stone Ice Cream (Buy 9, get the 10th one Free), Harry & David (Spend a certain amount and get a nice discount).
Beauty: Ulta Cosmetics, The Body Shop (Spend a certain amount and get free store credit), Victoria’s Secret Angel rewards card (Get a rewards check based on what you spend).
Misc: Hand Car Wash (Buy 9 Car Washes get 1 Free), Spencer’s Store (My girls made me get this card, but I’ve yet to see any kind of reward or discount — maybe I need to spend more money there! 
), Hallmark Rewards (I’ve gotten some nice reward checks from them to use at their store!), Things Remembered Rewards Club (They send out discount coupons).
The discounts and freebies are great. Having to carry around all those frequent buyer cards in my medium-sized purse and trying to FIND THEM when I need them is a pain in the butt. Add to that all your various credit cards, gas cards, gift cards, health insurance cards, and other “plastic”, and you almost need two purses to carry it all! So, what to do with all those necessary cards, and frequent buyer/reward cards?
If I have a choice, I prefer those small plastic cards that you can slip onto a key ring. I have a key ring in my purse devoted just to the frequent buyer cards. What’s left goes into a zippered coin purse (larger size), which holds all the other reward cards. But I still feel that’s it’s not as organized as it could be. Recently I came across a pretty cool organizer created especially for discount cards and gift cards. It’s called a “Card Cubby“, and it actually allows you to alphabetize all your various cards! What a cool concept. I haven’t gotten one yet, but I’m thinking it would make a great Mother’s Day gift to myself. Especially the hot pink one! :grin1:
So, how many of you out there have a ton of the frequent buyer rewards cards like I do? And how do you organize them?
Janelle Denison finds it hard to believe that it’s been nearly 20 years since she first started writing romance novels. At first, it was a way to pass idle time while her husband worked swing shift, but before long it became an obsession to get published. Luckily, she kept at it (it took her over 5 years to get that first book published!) and is now a Waldenbooks, Barnes & Noble, and USA Today Bestselling author! Now, after selling over 40 plus novels, she finds that her Plotmonkey pals help to keep her stories fresh and unique, and she can’t imagine writing a story without their input. Janelle lives in Oregon with her husband, Don, along with two teenage daughters that keep life interesting.
ANOTHER WILD WEDDING NIGHT
Hard to Hold
Love Me If You Dare
Wild For Him
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Oh will I have a good time making fun of you on this!
Who knew?
OK I’m finished.
Miss of the small purse needs another purse for her cards! :happy2:
Just kidding. YOu know I :heart1: you!
I have mine in my wallet and key chain although some of those fell off they were worn. I love the mini ones that if I don’t put on my key chain I can put in my wallet/change part. Borders and BN go in credit card slots. Grocery store and Sephora go in change part. Starbucks I just slip into the wallet. In other words, NOT organized. Your little cubby is SO cute!
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Morning everyone,
Discount cards: Safeway and King Sooper, Ulta Beauty, Barnes and Noble, Borders–a must have–Hallmark Gold Crown, Staples, Triple A. I even have an AARP card.
I have this nifty little thing called a Pouchee Hand Bag Organizer. It makes it real easy to change purses and I can keep all my cards including driver’s license and insurance cards, cell phone, keys, lipstick, compact, digital camera, tea bags and Splenda, cash, lip gloss, business card holder–(not that anybody really asks for one but hey, it could happen, right? –and last but not least my reading glasses which I never leave home without. I usually put my car keys in my pocket instead of my purse for some reason. But I saw this really cool gadget at the Hallmark store that you can hang your keys on “inside” your purse so it makes it really handy. I need to pick up one of those.
Hope everyone is having a wonderful day. I’ve started a new book and I’m ready to hit the delete key–after 50,000 words! They just don’t sing. Aargh!! :wallbash:
Hope I haven’t lose it…
Cher
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Forgot one thing, I have a poor man’s PDA in there too.
Cher
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I am so glad I am not the only one!! (Although at Border’s it should be on the puter and they can look it up by phone number or the email they send coupons too- one less thing to carry. I actually use that as a selling ponit!)
Did you sign up for the emails from Spencer’s? that’s where I get all the coupons and some nice ones too.
We have a grocery store here- a big one- that doesn’t do shoppers card and will still cash checks at the service desk, free of charge! Hear that Price Chopper, you greedy bast@rds??
What is worse, is that I keep a small carry bag in the car with all my coupons in it, rather than carry them in my purse every where. Especially my collection of Bed Bath and Beyond ones, since the suckers never really expire. they really hate to see me coming at the holidays, I swear to god.
Small purses are for evening wear only!!
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most of the stores around here have eliminated the cards, i did have ones for the grocery stores, but they just did away with them. I do use my military discount when we travel. etc.. and i am an avid sale, coupon freak… i also go to websites like walmart and sign up for free samples.. these days every bit helps.. and i have been stashing all the soaps and shampoos away for this fall when hubby goes back to Iraq.. i send them with him and tuck my care packages full of free samples…
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I hate all of those ‘club’ cards, too. I finally ‘whittled’ it down to one grocery/mass market store, credit card and Hallmark card (okay, there’s a Border’s one in there, too, but I don’t use it since I primarily shop for books online). My Costco card stays in the checkbook (I only use a checkbook there, so why carry it around with me all of the time).
BTW, IEP meeting went well yesterday. His teachers are awesome (yey :)) and love him! Now, I just have to convince them to stay (probably never going to happen, but I can try).
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Wow, Janelle – that’s some intense club card going on there! I’m impressed! I try to clip coupons and use rewards cards too. However, I don’t shop much – I was telling my friends and fellow students that I shop in my parent’s fridge :X – then I take it all to my apartment.
I have a BN membership, CVS, Giant Eagle (grocery store), Kroger (grocery store), Acme (grocery store), and Border’s rewards card. I think that’s it! None of those other stores. I think the card cubby is just the thing you need. I never remember the “buy X amount get 1 free” cards.
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I use my grocery store ones all the time. The nice thing about Weis is that you get the weekly discount but you also gain “points” for every dollar you spend. And a couple of times a year, they give you notice that between x date and y, you gain as many points as you can, and then you have like a week to use them and get up to 20% of your bill if you have enough points.
I saved a HUGE amount of money during Christmas baking shopping one year.
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I don’t have mine organized at all. I carry my B&N, Borders, Costco, and Kroger cards in my wallet. I can never find my Hallmark Gold Crown card, but they always look it up by my name and address. I only have my gym keytag on my keychain.
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Julie: How’d the mouse go yesterday? I have to tell you, I have been thinking of that margarita (okay, if it was in the dacqeri version, it would be even better :)). I don’t even drink. Sounds so yummy!
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I’m glad to see that I’m not the only ones who collects those buyer cards! Like I said, I love to get free stuff!
Yes, Carly, those reward cards are my little obsession :giggle:
Cher wrote: Hope everyone is having a wonderful day. I’ve started a new book and I’m ready to hit the delete key–after 50,000 words!
Noooooo!!!! You can ALWAYS fix/revise what you’ve written to make it work! Don’t give up, Cher. Do you have a critique partner who can give it a read and tell you where you can make changes?
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Oh, yeah! Got all those little cards too. But like you said, it’s such a pain to find them when you need them. I keep the grocery store ones on my keychain, but the “buy 10 Pizza Inn Buffets get the 11th free” cards drive me crazy. We eat out almost every day for lunch and I can never remember which place has a card, if they have a card do I have one of their cards, and is it one that I have or hubby has in his wallet! :wallbash:
I used to be great about clipping coupons but our paper has gotten to where they don’t hardly have any in there anymore. Plus I don’t get the local paper so…..
Cher – hang in there!!!! keep on plugging away and I bet when you go back at a later time and look at those first 50,000 words you’ll say, “Dag, I didn’t know I was that good!”
Sending you some good vibes to keep you going!
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Janelle wrote: “Do you have a critique partner who can give it a read and tell you where you can make changes?”
I don’t. I haven’t been in critique for a while now. I’m just making my way through the maze by myself. I should probably try to find someone but most people are just too darn busy except for beginning, very green, new writers.
Jodie, thanks for the good cyber vibes. I think I can feel em’ comin’ through, girlfriend… :hug2:
Cher
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Hang in there, Cher…. :wub:
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Thanks, Katie I’m trying.
Cher
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Since I am not big about change in my wallet. I use the change area for all on my discount cards. I find it very handy and easily accessable. What do I do with all the change? I keep a dixie cup in my suv and I throw all of the change in there. Talk about very handy for parking and diet coke attacks. :wub:
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I love my Hallmark Rewards card. All of their discounts and cash back stuff saved me around $70 on cards and stuff at Christmas this year!
Let’s see, in addition to Hallmark, I have Tom Thumb (grocery-same company as Janelle’s Ralphs), Kroger, had an Albertson’s but they closed the ones near me, Borders and B&N, CVS, Staples, and Office Depot. I love the email coupons I get from Office Depot.
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I forgot to mention my Starbucks card (a gift card or in my case, gift cards!). Love the ‘Bucks.
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I only have two grocery store cards, so they are easy to find in my purse.
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Without looking I know I have my ATM/Debit Card, Safeway Discount, Hallmark Gold Crown card, COSTCO, Border’s, credit card, insurance, AARP. :wave: Hi Cher! Now I’m looking to see what I forgot: ACE Hardware, Starbucks gift card with minimal money on it!, Staples, Blockbuster don’t trade there anymore, Perfect Image Salon a locally owned beauty product & salon, Oakville Grocery a gourmet/deli spot this one is for their coffee drinks. I think that is it , oh I forgot to list my Medicare card!!! I carry all this in my checkbook which I always take with me if I am going to buy anything. If I am out for a walk I only take my keys!!
Interesting subject & look at all the stuff we have that we don’t think about.
Janelle, I don’t think I told you how much I loved Born to Be Wilde. Loved Joel’s story and how all the brothers & cousins were brought into it some way & how the next Wild group was introduced. I’m looking forward to Wilde for Him.
I hope everyone had a great day.
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I have a lot too! I keep the most important one’s like borders rewards petco and the one for the grocery store in my main wallet, then i keep all the other ones in a wallet strictly for credit cards, Its not the best sytem but its the one that works for right now.
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katie- glad to hear all is well on the IEP front. Just remember that you always need to be his advocate (and after 23 years, I am still Heathers) and that they can not make any changes without your ok. That is the big one to remember.
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I’m afraid to count. B ut at least yours are organized!
Unlike mine. Something to work on. :wallbash:
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I have a few, including one I’m pretty sure I’ll never use again. However, on my little purse, I have a front zipper pocket that has all of those club cards next to my little picture holder for the pictures of my nieces and nephews.
Since the cards are just loose, I have them in a specific order that I memorized. So, the two most used cards, my Kroger club card and my employee ID card (that I use at the library for the University I work at), are at the front. I believe my Bonfils blood donor card is after that. There are about five or six others, ending with that one I’m almost sure I’ll never use again. It’s an Ingles club card that my brother signed up for last summer when we were in the middle of the North Carolina mountains in the middle of our treasure hunt spanning from DC to New Orleans.
Good luck with your book, Cher. :)
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Donna — I’m so glad you enjoyed Joel and BORN TO BE WILDE! Only two more months for WILD FOR HIM!
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LOL. Um, I don’t have as many as you, but I do have Barnes and Noble, Staples, and the AMC Movie Watcher card. Every time I use that I get rewarded. All the discount combo meals and candy ones get thrown away, but I keep the free small popcorn, free small drink and free movie ticket ones.
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Hey Celise, I have the AMC movie watcher card, too! And the Barnes and Noble card (that’s where I feed my addiction for romance books) and I have The Body Shop card. I might need to get me that Vic’s Secret one, though.
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Oh, that’s another one I have, too — the AMC Movie Watcher and the Edwards Theater rewards card, too!!!
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Whow I didn’t know that there were that many reward cards out there. But I’m a sucker for a bargain so I’d probably join you.
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I have so many, off the of of my head I can name B&N’s and Borders (must haves), Best buy, Spencers, Foot locker, Lifestyles, Petco, Finish line, CVS, & Hallmark Gold Crown. I’m sure I have more just can remember them all. Oh and I have a UPromise for my college funds. They’re all so hard to keep up with. I keep the small one on my key ring and the big ones in my wallet.
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something ,somewhere i heard, that the grocery store cards, which i use, they use to sell the info, your phone number to telemarketers
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Gypsy, I don’t think this is true AT ALL. My husband works for a grocery marketing firm and the retailers he works with are VERY proprietary about that information. They don’t sell it to ANYONE. Now some stores might be different, but he works with a dozen or so and he says they keep that information very close to the vest. They use that information to sell to YOU, which is why they don’t want to share.
But it’s best to read all the fine print before you sign up for anything that has your personal information. The contract will use address third party sales.
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HI Everyone!
I am the owner of the Card Cubby and saw all the great posts on here. I guarentee you that a Card Cubby will allow you to be organized and actually get excited about frequent buyer cards. I can not tell you how much money I save by using them along with the coupons I have.
I would love to have you all try one and would like to offer a 10% discount.
Visit the website at http://www.cardcubby.com and use the code CC208. They make a great mothers day gift!
Thanks! Wendy
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Hi! Just wanted to let you know that I immediately ordered a hot pink card cubby after reading this post, and the lady who owns the business gave me the BEST customer service. Her site was being updated and the order wasn’t going through, but she responded immediately to my email and took care of my order. So, I definitely :heart1: her. Now I can’t wait for my order to get here.
Right now I’m still making do with one of those large “passport” wallets with the credit-card slots jammed full and all other spaces taken up by five plastic photo holders that I use to hold my various discount cards, health insurance cards for me and the kids, and other “must carry around everywhere” stuff. Can’t wait to organize a bit better … and now I’ll also get to buy a nice, new, SMALL wallet. :banana:
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This is Great site! I am loving it!! Will come back again – taking your feeds also, Thanks.