Tips for the Kellogg’s Fuel for School Rebate

The new school year is nearly upon us, and Kellogg’s is running it’s annual “Fuel for School’ promotion. This is a straightforward deal: Buy ten participating Kellogg’s items in a single transaction within the promotion period, and you will receive a $10 rebate check from Kellogg’s and a $70 coupon code from Dell computers towards the purchase of select Dell Inspirion Mini-laptops and Studio laptops.

To get the rebate, you will need the form, which you can find in newspapers and stores, or you can print from the Fuel for School website. Once you have made your 10 item purchase, you mail in the form, 10 proofs of purchase, and the original store receipt. The purchase toward rebate must be made between 7/6/09 and 9/30/09 in a single transaction at any store. The request for the rebate must be postmarked by 9/30/09 and received by 10/9/09.

The list of participating Kellogg’s products includes:

• Any Eggo Product, 4 ct or larger
• Any Keebler or Austin Product, 8 oz or larger
• Any Kellogg’s Cereal, 10 oz or larger
• Any Kellogg’s Fruit Flavored Snacks, 6 ct or larger
• Any Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Cereal Bar, 8 ct or larger
• Any Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts Toaster Pastries, 8 ct or larger
• Any Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treats Squares, 8 ct or larger
• Any Kellogg’s Special K Cereal Bar, 4 ct or larger
• Any Morning Star Farms Veggie Foods Products, 5 oz or larger
• Any Sunshine product, 6 oz or larger
• Any 100 Calorie Right Bites, 6 ct or larger

Obviously, some items cost much more than others, and while stores may tempt you to buy one sale item and nine other more expensive items, it's possible to get some great deals, or get money back, by following a few basic guidelines.

Some Tips on How to Make the Most of this Deal:

Take Full Advantage of Sale Prices. Stores may run sales on some or most of the participating Kellogg’s products during this promotion period. The hidden trick to watch out for is that a store may have a super discount sale on one item, while raising the price on the other participating items to make up the difference. Fortunately for you, you don’t have to buy ten different items! If Eggo’s are a family favorite and they are on sale for 99 cents a box, why not buy 10 boxes of them at the sale price and store them in the freezer? Excluding sales tax, this amounts to a break even deal ($9.99 purchase versus a $10 rebate).

Use Coupons to Reduce the Purchase Price Even More. The newspaper insert for this promotion included coupons, and there are even better coupons out there. When evaluating deals, be sure to include the coupon savings. For example: a 99 cent sale on Eggo’s combined with five “$1 off 2 boxes” coupons reduces the pre-sales tax purchase price for 10 boxes of Eggo’s to $5. Combine this savings with the $10 rebate check and you achieve a profit of $5. Better yet, if you use ten “75 cents off 1 box” coupons, the profit rises to $7.51 pre-tax.

Take Advantage of “On Your Next Order” Deals. Many stores will be offering special deals on Kellogg’s products during this promotion period, including the standard “spend $XX and get a coupon back to use on anything the next time you shop“ deal. (For example, spend $12 on Kellogg’s products, get $5 back on your next order.) Consider this an extra bonus to the deal: if they have Eggo’s at 99 cents, AND you have the coupons, AND you get $5 to use on your next purchase, that amounts to getting free Eggo’s, a rebate check, and $5 to use on your next purchase of whatever YOU want or need. Just be aware that these deals typically are designed to entice less informed buyers to purchase more expensive items, such as the $8 Special K shakes on sale for $6. If you need the more expensive items, this isn’t a bad way to get them, however your overall outlay of cash is likely be higher than you could achieve with the best deals available.

Don’t Forget Rain Checks. Kellogg’s typically has great sale prices BEFORE this deal is published in early August. But, if you have rain checks for the $1 boxes of cereal or other items, it may be a great time to cash them in. Team them up with other Kellogg’s items that may be on sale as part of the current promotion, and finding ten items to purchase in one transaction for a real bargain may be a bit easier. And, if the stores are currently out of the Kellogg’s items featured in this weeks’ sales, get rain checks now, watch for even better sales coming out on other Kellogg’s items in the coming weeks, and team them up to make your own super sale for the ten items.

Other Tips to Consider–

• The first week of this offer usually does NOT have the best sale prices. Stores know that most shoppers want to take advantage of rebates immediately, lest they forget, and the promotional signs and ads encourage them to do so. But if you wait and watch, you will probably notice better sales, and the OYNO deals, beginning to bloom. Have some patience, and wait for the best deal for your family.
• Consider teaming up with friends. You may want the Morning Star Farms coupons or products, while a friend may be desperate for free Pop Tarts. Share information, coupons, and even sale items.
• Most food items freeze. Cereal keeps indefinitely in the freezer, as do cookies, muffins, snacks.
• Most of the participating items have “alternate” uses. Can’t use 10 boxes of cereal? Why not make them into muffins or pancakes. Think out of the box, literally.  And if in doubt, remember you can always donate an extra free box of cereal to your local food pantry.
• Remember, you aren't required to use the Dell coupon code to receive your rebate check for the Kellogg's items.  But — if your family has a need for a mini-netbook or a laptop, or you will consider buying one during the holidays, the $70 coupon code from Dell computers may be just what you are looking for. Dell’s Mini Netbooks start at $299 and the Inspiron Laptops can be had for as low as $379 on the Dell website. The $70 savings amounts to about 20% off for the laptop and 25% off for the Mini Netbook.    Look for a sale or other discount to combine with  the deal.