Frugal Web: Ask And You Will Receive

This past month, over the weekend, I have been writing to 2 companies whose products I use on a semi-regular or regular basis. It isn't hard to get ideas of who to write to, I simply open up cupboard doors and look in.

I go online to each companies website and find their 'contact us' link - many of them are at the bottom of their websites. I take about 5 minutes out of my day to write a note to them that, in return, gets me some coupons I know I will use.

My standard writing technique is to first write about what I like about their product or why I buy their product over another brand. The second part of the email is giving them at least one idea for an improvement or a marketing idea.

For instance, I wrote to Haagen-Dazs a few weeks back and thought they should come out with some ice cream for dogs, since I don't like to give my dog all the weird ingredients in human vanilla ice cream. They informed they they already had it and sent me some extra coupons to try it out, along with their Haagan-Daz ice cream coupons.

And then I finish up with a request for coupons if they have any or a link that will take me to some place that gives more coupons for their products - because, we all know we COULD go for store brand instead and they have been increasing in sales! ☺

So far I have gotten coupons from each company I have written to: Del Monte, Haagen-Daz, TollHouse, Cottonelle, Cheerios and Cream of Wheat. I have more to go and won't be running out anytime soon - obviously, if I found the store brand cheaper than some of these name brands w/coupon I will buy them instead - but at-least I didn't waste a stamp.

I also noted that Quilted Northern has a Money Back Guarantee on their site for one of their types of toilet paper if you are interested.

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Who uses coupons most and least, and why - The key finding? Well-to-do white shoppers are confident enough in their affluence that they are not threatened by the attitude of clerks. Those who struggle to keep their financial footing, on the other hand, are very sensitive to the criticism they often receive at the checkout counter, and therefore unwilling to use the coupons they see as symbols of their financial plight. This is an interesting read.


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As you can tell I don't write about some things that are very handy with living frugally and investing is one of them. My weaknesses are others strengths and dividend reinvesting over at Bargaineering and Frugal Dad is one of those weakness for me - I really like the idea of getting a 'two for one' with stocks - having them go up and getting dividends to reinvest as well.

Dividend Champions- What makes the Dividend Champions list so valuable is in the wealth of information the list provides. Not only does it include almost everything you could possible want to know about the Champions and their payouts, but it includes soon-to-be champions/aristocrats (20-24 year streaks) and the extent to which a company is a champion.

How to Buy a Single Share of Stock Certificate- The process for buying a certificate isn’t difficult, it just takes a bit of time, and there are a few options out there.

Reinvest Dividends for Greater Long-Term Growth- In ten years ATT could go from paying his Netflix membership to making his car payments, in thirty years ATT could pay his mortgage.

Dividend Investing Supplements Passive Income- Slow and steadily, we will be building a portfolio of dividend stocks with the potential for lifestyle-sustaining income for the years ahead.

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Reclusive Russian math genius rejects $1M prize for solving century-old puzzle- This Professor solves this ridiculously old math problem, that no one else could do, and then rejects the reward. I love what he says in reference to why he rejected the money.
Dr. Grigory Perelman, 44, who lives as a recluse in a bare apartment in St. Petersburg, said through his closed door: "I have all I want."

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Living On Less: One Woman's Life-Altering Decision

Micah White’s Thought Bubble - In the 14th century, pollution had an exclusively spiritual and immaterial meaning. Back then, to pollute meant to desecrate or contaminate what is sacred, such as one’s soul or moral sensibility. Not until the late 19th century did pollution take on the scientific and materialist connotation it has today.


Tragically, with the changing meaning of ‘pollution,’ we’ve become increasingly concerned about contamination of our external, natural environment, while ignoring the desecration of our internal, mental environment.