It’s time for another mom tip! I am so thankful for all of my friends and my family who have given me wisdom and advice over the years. Some wisdom and/or advice has become a staple in our home, and other advice has not. It didn’t make the advice wrong necessarily. The advice usually just didn’t work for myself or for our family. So, this blog is geared towards giving you something that works for me, and if it works for your family then that is great too!
For the past two years, I have been following a plan which has enabled me to get my Turbo Tax for free or almost free that I thought I would pass on. ‘Tis that time again after all.
I have a rewards card at Staples. I collect all of my printer ink cartridges throughout the year. In December, I traded in 10 used ink cartridges which was the monthly limit for my card type. It is possible to trade in as many as 20 if you have a higher rewards card. In January, I traded in 10 more. You also get rewards for purchases you make in the store.
I waited for my rewards to post so I could use them, and then I drove myself to Staples to buy the Turbo Tax. It was on sale for $10 off, I had a 15% off coupon for an in-store purchase, and a cash reward voucher for $57. In the end, I only paid $10 for the Premier version of the Turbo Tax software which full price was $89. If I had gotten the Deluxe version, it would have been free, and I would have had some money left over to get additional items in the store. That is a better deal than I can find anywhere even at Costco.
I know there are many people like me who file their taxes early, and it might be too late to do this for this year. However, I know there are many people who wait until April to file. There are still three months (February, March, & April) between now and then to trade in cartridges and save up some rewards points. Think about asking your employer for used cartridges if they are getting thrown away or friends who might not be wanting to use or recycle theirs.
I know Turbo Tax is free for those filling a simple return, but for those of us who are not, every penny saved during tax season is like hitting a home-run for me. Happy filing!