When Cash Back Is Cash Back

“Spend $1,000 for the first three months and you will get $100 cash back.”

This is just one of credit card promos that I get almost everyday. It usually ends up in the shredder. I am not about to put myself into debt just to get $100 cash back. A small cash back is not enough to convince me to go on a shopping spree. 

It is stupid.

That was my rhetoric until our favorite warehouse company decided to drop our current credit provider and contracted another one. We had no choice but to go along with the changes to keep the cash back that we have accumulated with the previous card.

Problem is, we really like doing business with our old credit company. When someone stole our card information and used it to pay for bills, they stopped it right away and gave our money back without a hassle. When we call, they do not put us on hold for a long time. That is a big deal for us.

To be able to continue doing business with them is to open a new credit card that we do not need. 

Then an idea came when we received a bill for our car insurance, then my health insurance, then the utility bills, then…

I did not wait for another second. I filled out application for the new credit card. Because we were old customer, the application was approved right away. When I received the card, I put all the bills that were due for that month.

I got the $100 cash back without adding any expenses. We pay all those bills regularly anyway, why not get cash back from it, right?

The secret is to pay all the credit card balance on or before the due date to get the cash back. If you don’t, it will just go to the interest payment.

Don't Waste Your Left Over Brewed Coffee

Every Friday morning, it is my routine to clean up the coffee pots that I used for the Bible Study that is held in my house on Thursday nights. I usually get 10 to 15 women so I make sure that there is enough coffee for everybody. It is better to have more than less.

While I was pouring the left over coffee last week, it occurred to me that maybe I could use it to fertilize my plants instead of wasting it. I have been using used ground coffee for years, so why not the left over brewed coffee? I stopped what I was doing and started searching the internet. Voila! I found three helpful articles about it.

No more wasted leftover coffee from now on. I only need to dilute it then sprinkle my vegetable garden and flower garden with it. You can find the information on this link.

My Water Friendly Backyard

To save on water, we converted most of our backyard into a rock garden. It was a back-breaking project but we did it and survived.

Then on the farthest back, there was an old swimming pool that was too damaged and would cost too much money to repair. It was an eyesore for a long time, not to mention dangerous. To make it useful, we put a wood deck on top of it and converted it into our "mini resort".

On the side, we planted drought tolerant plants. It only needed to be watered occasionally.

The only part that needs regular watering is the narrow strip where I grow my vegetables.

After doing all these, our water bill dropped significantly.

Turn It Off!

When we received our gas bill last month, my first reaction was to turn the thermostat off. 

During winter, our usual bill ranges from $90 to $130 a month depending on how cold it gets. To get a bill for $195 is way too high for us.

We have centralized heating and airconditioning unit and we thought maintaining a constant temperature in the house would save us money. We never bother to turn the thermostat off even when we leave the house for a whole day. 

Getting that particular bill prompted us to diligently check if the thermostat is off everytime we leave the house. 

I was so happy when I received our next bill. It went down to $95. 

Turn it off. Save energy and money.