Good to know: Energy Star rebate in Virginia

Fellow Virginians (who do not read Young House Love, in which case you might already know...), lend me your ears.

When we were in the midst of buying our refrigerator and dishwasher earlier in the fall, I was under the impression that all Energy Star appliance tax deals/rebates were a thing of the past. But while scanning my Google Reader after a long first day back at work, I stumbled upon this post from the good couple at Young House Love. Apparently, they were not aware of the Energy Star Virginia rebate either until their readers alerted them to it.

So, I followed this link to the Virginia Appliance Rebate Program and plugged in my info into the "Request Rebate" link on my Matter O Fact machine (the new term Matt uses for computers). I went with the refrigerator rebate because it's a whopping $10 more than the dishwasher rebate, and according to the website's FAQs each household can only request one rebate. So, I'm crossing my fingers our furnace doesn't blow out, because replacing that's worth a solid $250.

Within two minutes my request was approved. It appears there must be a magical elf with incredible scanning skills at the other end of the Matter O Fact machine. Now I just need to dig up all the paper work and send off for our rebate.

When our check arrives, I'll be sure to put it toward my new bag. With $60 in my pocket, it will be like my bag only cost $92, right?

Does your state offer a similar rebate program? If so, please share!

Ritz photo special: 5 free prints today

This is the week of photo deals, apparently, because today Ritz is offering 5 free 8x10 photos. Here's the info. You only have until 10 p.m. EST to make your purchase. Which is what I will be doing right now.

This will be the start of my dining room wall redecoration, which you may recall I've been wanting to fix for some time now. I've rearranged the frames that were on the wall -- still cleverly placed over the giant bolts left behind by the previous owners -- and added a couple new frames to fill in the gaps left behind by poorly arranged giant bolts.

Goodbye bad dining room wall!

MPix Gallery Wraps Sale

The time has come for me to make a decision about the remaining decor for the recently redecorated hallway bathroom because Mpix is offering 25 percent off gallery wraps through tomorrow. (Enter the code gwsale10 at check out.)

If you're not familiar with the term, gallery wraps are a really cool photo product because they take your photo and transfer it to a piece of canvas, making it look almost like your photo was painted. I've been coveting these things for a while now (my friend Megan got a couple done using her wedding photos) and have been waiting for a sale to make the purchase.

Originally I was planning to use a piece of art from our European vacation, but I actually think a photo from our cross country trip two years ago would be a better fit for this space.

Picture something above the toilet...

Once I decide and the art arrives, I'll show you the finished space!

This just in: The Container Store teacher discount!

This one comes to us from my lovely husband, who read an email from his principal about this new program and immediately thought of me, forwarding it along my way.

You know that I love me some teacher discounts, and just tonight I found out about the 15% off The Container Store is offering teachers until December 31. To sign up, follow this link, and then you'll receive an email containing your special discount card. You'll print this card and present it along with your teacher ID when making a purchase. The card can be used as often as you'd like, and it's accepted for purchases made in store, online or over the phone.

Right now my head might explode thanks to this combination of teacher discounts and organizational heaven.

Teacher discounts

One joy of being a teacher -- besides the satisfaction you can get from shaping the country's future -- is teacher discounts. Some discounts are clearly advertised at stores; others you have to check for carefully on the company's website or, more likely, hear through word of mouth.

Here are some of my favorite teacher discounts:

Books -- Borders and Barnes and Noble both offer teachers discounts. There is a form you have to fill out the first time you take advantage of the discount, and you're expected to show your school ID each time you use the discount. Borders grants a 25% teacher discount, and Barnes and Noble offers 20% off for teachers.

Clothes -- There are a few places I shop that offer teachers clothing discounts:

• Ann Taylor Loft offers 15% off everything, including sale items. Granted, anytime I go in to spend money at Loft, I have at least a 20% off coupon, or Loft is having a 40% off sale on dresses, or they have a Buy One, Get One 50% off promotion, but sometimes coupons they offer only apply to full-price merchandise. So, the 15% off everything teacher discount is especially great for sale items. There is no sign-up process involved; just carry your school ID.

• JCrew offers 15% off everything, but it supposedly cannot be used for phone/internet purchases. I don't know as much about this discount because I've only used it once or twice because....well, you know, JCrew is still pretty ridiculously expensive, even when it's 15% off. Also, JCrew does not have anything officially posted on their site (that I can find, anyway). The discount is valid at factory stores, though, so that's a nice bonus, especially given the fact that there's a JCrew outlet in the Outer Banks we like to hit up.

• Aerosoles offers 15% off items priced $39.99 and higher. I used to think Aerosoles were ugly, orthopedic shoes, but there are a few cute items there, and two of my favorite pairs of shoes come from this store. So, while I'm not flocking to Aerosoles, it's nice to know I can get a discount if I want one.

Office supplies -- Our school system has a contract with Office Depot, and because of this Office Depot offers teachers the ability to link our personal credit cards to the discount program and get the same prices the school system receives. This is a tremendous discount. While I do not buy too many school supplies for my classroom use, I do buy some, and I also buy some supplies for Matt and me to use at home for other projects, like my recipe notebook (plastic binder sheets are expensive!). Let me tell you -- the discount is amazing. The Office Depot clerk will ring up my purchase and it will show up for $15, and then once the system processes my credit card the price will drop to around $4. I love to watch this happen. If only there was a way to make this happen at all stores, all the time...

Of course there are local discounts teachers in different school systems receive for housing or gym memberships (we get a small discount at Gold's Gym). And I am sure there are some that I'm missing.

So, to all the teachers in the house, where do you use your teacher discount the most? Please share so we can all make the most of our discounts this summer!

Tip 43: Birthday freebies

Today's tip comes courtesy of my friend Courtney, who just celebrated her 27th birthday in style (and I mean style) through a 1920s-inspired soiree. Also, my friend Christine celebrated her birthday last week, and it's my friend Lindsay's birthday today!

Tip 43: Soak up your birthday freebies! For a short list, try Suddenly Frugal's 14 items, and for an extended list check out Frugal Living.

All I have to say is free chips and queso will get me out of the house any time.

What are your favorite birthday coupons and freebies that are not included on these lists? I know I get excited when I get my DSW shoes birthday coupon in the mail.

Tips 19 and 20: E-mail coupons

Today's technology organizational tip does double duty because in my mind you can't have one without the other.


Tip 19: Maintain two personal e-mail accounts.


Tip 20: Use your second personal e-mail account for all coupon and shopping-related e-mails.

I still use my maiden-name e-mail account for all my store coupons and newsletters. Do I do this because of my fear/hatred of spam? No, once again Gmail saves the day with its outstanding spam filter, and I never get spam in my inbox. Instead, I keep two e-mail accounts to save money and resist temptation.

Matt's favorite joke to tell every time he's reading the Sunday paper is, "Hey Steph, guess what? Macy's is having a sale!" (Punchline: Macy's is always having a sale.) You know who else is always having a sale? Ann Taylor Loft and J.Crew and everyone else on the planet who e-mails me coupons and sale notifications. Then, because I am weak, I think to myself, "Well, I can justify this purchase because it's on sale." I know I am not alone here

I rarely check my secondary e-mail account. I use it as a place to turn to when I'm looking for a coupon or a sale. It's much better than the opposite -- waiting for a sale to find me.

Of course, if I know I'm in the market for a particular item and I'm scoping out a particular favorite store, I might temporarily sign up for e-mails to be sent straight to my primary address. I do this mostly for convenience so I don't have to spend needless time checking my other e-mail address. But once I make the sought-after purchase, I remove my primary e-mail from the mailing list.

I know this takes strength of will, but keep in mind that even when something is on sale, the best way to save money is by never spending in the first place.

Reader question: Online coupon organization

Sam raises a great question in response to my coupon filing post, and it seems particularly timely as we are in the midst of technology week: "What is your system for handling online coupons that you would use online (rather than print and use in store)? Do you use Gmail labels or some other system?"

Actually, I do not have a dedicated system for sorting online coupons. I like Sam's recommendation of Gmail labels. If you use Gmail and haven't gotten into Gmail labels, I highly recommend them. When I am planning a big trip (like the cross country 2008 trip) or an event (like a friend's shower) I make a Gmail label for that topic and sort all related e-mails accordingly.

But, I digress. I don't have a system for organizing online coupons because, quite honestly, most of my purchases are made in stores, unless I am making a purchase on Amazon (still, after all these years, a great one-stop shop). So, what I usually do is archive the e-mail with the coupon in Gmail, and then search for the e-mail if I wind up needing it later on. How did we all manage our e-mail before we could sort it and search it?

(And no, I do not work for Google, though this week it certainly sounds like it! Full disclosure: my brother used to work for Google, but that has little bearing on any of our lives now.)

What about you all? Do you have a system you can recommend?

Tip 4: Coupon organization

My Sunday morning ritual, likely held by countless others, involves clipping coupons from the newspaper circulars. Until about a year ago, I would clip, but then never actually use the coupons, until I discovered to...

Tip 4: Use a coupon file

I found my little wonder-worker at Target. I can't seem to find it anymore online, but this one from The Container Store is a similar idea (and it's an awesome store!).

Keep your file with you whenever you go to a store (I just always have mine in my purse), and remember to include coupons you get in the mail along with online coupons. The trick to staying organized is to immediately put any coupons you receive into your file. Don't forget to purge your file at least every month or two.

Find a system that works for you. Here's how I've organized mine:

• Wegmans -- for the grocery store I love and their occasional coupons I get in the mail
• Personal care -- for toiletries, make-up, medicine, first-aid
• House care -- for cleaning products, batteries, Ziploc items
• Grocery -- for any food items
• Stores -- for shops that frequently send me coupons, such as World Market, Ulta, Hallmark, CVS, Michaels
• Clothes -- for any clothing store, particularly Ann Taylor Loft and their bazillion coupons, or those receipts from stores like Banana Republic where you complete an online survey to get 20% off your next purchase
• Restaurants -- these mostly tend to be from take-out places, such as Baja Fresh, or the occasional coffee shop, such as Caribou
• Car -- for all those oil change and inspection coupons from Mr. Tire
• Dogs -- for food and treats

 As a bonus, my file has a front pocket where I store gift cards and discount program cards, and it contains a zipper pouch where I file receipts I may need later (as a teacher, I keep all receipts from my personal classroom purchases).

Next up...planning a weekly dinner menu!