Milking the Dollar$

While my intention is to focus this blog on strategy and philosophy rather than individual products and services, sometimes I find opportunities to “work the system” which I believe are not only newsworthy, but will also help save you money. With that in mind, I want to talk about a way to use a special offer from NET10 to save a few bucks or even make some on the side.

About NET10

For those of you who don’t know, NET10 (http://www.net10.com/new_customer.jsp) is a prepaid cell phone company brought to you by Tracfone.  Being prepaid, users don’t have to sign any contracts, nor do they have to worry about hidden fees or taxes.  In addition, with NET10 there is no activation fee, which can be done easily over the phone or online at their website.  A summary of NET10’s rates can be seen below:

• $0.10 per minute for local, long distance, and roaming
• $0.05 per text message
• $0.05 extra per minute for international calls to over 60 locations worldwide

As you can see, these rates are very reasonable when compared to other prepaid services.  However, I will show you how to cut that rate significantly for up to 12,000 minutes if you act now.

Working the system

This method of getting cheap NET10 airtime is simple.  The process involves using NET10’s own promotional codes combined with their special offer to get a phone + $30 phone card to your door for $22 (tax may apply in your area). Below I have detailed how this scheme works:

1. Click on the link above or google “NET10″ to direct yourself to their website.
2. Click on the “Buy Phones & More” at the top of the page
3. Now enter your zip code (Note: The two phones that allow you to do this are only available in certain areas. If your area is not compatible with these phones, enter an alternative zip code. For example, these phones are not available where I live, so I entered the zip code 72227. Both phones are available in this area, and I can order them. However, I have to remember to change my zip code back to the one I receive my mail at during the check out process.
4. A list of different phone options should appear after you verify the zip code. The phones you are looking for are the LG 300 and the Motorola v176. Notice it states in their descriptions that each “includes a NET10 300 minute air card.”
5. Click add to cart for whichever phone you like. On the next screen click “proceed to checkout.”
6. On the proceeding screen your order should be displayed. Where it asks you if you have a promotional code type “34567” and click submit. Now enter “44477” and hit submit again. Notice your final price is down to $22.
7. Click “proceed to checkout” and fill in your credit card information. Select Fedex 3 Day Shipping on the next screen and fill out all the information. (Note: The free shipping code should automatically apply)
8. Submit your order and repeat as necessary!

Things to know

Before I leave you at this, there are a few things to know about this particular scheme.

• You can only order two phones at a time. Once, you get a confirmation email from NET10, you should be good to go for 2 more.
• There is apparently a limit on the number of phones one can order. Rumor has it that number is 40.
• Both of these phones are reconditioned.  The ones I have received, however, looked brand new.
• In addition to the free 300 minutes/60 day card, these phones also include another 300 minutes/60 days of service upon activation.  All together, that equals 600 minutes and 120 days of service for each phone you purchase.
  

Profiting from this offer

There are two ways to benefit financially from purchasing these phones in the manner I described.  Each are detailed below:

1. Saving money:  If you are a NET10 customer (0r will be in the future), the money saving potential is obvious. Getting a $30 card for $22 alone cuts the price per minute rate down to $0.073.  However, if you sell the phone (which will fetch you around $10 profit on eBay as of now), the price per minute drops down to around $0.04!
2. Making money:  The idea behind making money with this offer involves selling both the phone and refill card separately.  Expect to get around $13-18 for the phone and $25-28 for the card pin if you sell both on eBay for a total per phone profit of around $12 after eBay and Paypal fees.  That might not sound like a lot, but if you get 40 phones that’s close to $500 in profit!

Final thoughts

As you will see, I’m a firm believer in thinking outside the box to exploit any available offer that can make or save you money.  This whole NET10 phone deal is just that – unorthodox, yet potentially lucrative!  I hope you enjoyed the post and take advantage of these low cost phones while they last.  In the meantime, if you have any questions, please post a comment and I will be happy to assist you through the process.

For my first real post on Milking the Dollar, I want to share my adventure in ordering contact lens online.

For many years, I purchased my contacts from the same optometrist’s office where I would get my annual exams. I had no reason why really; it was just what my parents had done, so I had followed suit. However, as the years went by, I became more aware of personal finances, and thus I began to individually investigate how to lower my recurring expenses. This winter my contacts finally became the focus of my cost-cutting attention, which led to me shopping for them on the internet. In the end, not only did I find out that I was paying too much, but as it turns out, I was paying way too much!

The hunt is on!
After being subjected to endless 1-800-CONTACTS commercials on T.V., it finally occurred to me that I needed to look into this whole contacts online thing. Thus, I visited the 1800-CONTACTS website. The brand I was looking for was CooperVision Frequency 55 Aspheric for which I had been paying $30/box for from my optometrist. Not soon after I visited their website, did I indeed realize that I could save money by purchasing from them – about 33%. However, I didn’t let the excitement of these new-found savings go to my head, and after getting over my initial joy, I continued to surf the web for the best deal possible.

After visiting multiple websites, I made my first online contact lens purchase of my life when I bought 4 boxes of Frequency 55s for $59.72 (less than $15/box) from http://www.visiondirect.com/! That’s right, after a couple of promotional codes, I got my exact same Rx contacts delivered free to my door for over 50% off. I was a little skeptical one could get contacts this easy for so cheap. However, after calling my optometrist’s office to verify my Rx, Vision Direct notified me by email that my lens were on their way. They arrived about 1.5 weeks later and the rest is history!

Things to know about ordering contacts online
As you can see, ordering contacts online can be a financially smart decision, and I recommend that all of you try it. The actual process is easy; it’s just a matter of doing it. However, even though I highly recommend this, there are a few things you should know and take into consideration before making your final selection:

1. Shop around: There are several reputable websites besides the the two I mentioned. What I noticed is that the site with the best deal depends upon the brand you are looking for. Just Google “cheap contacts” and start your search. After visiting multiple sites, it is easy to compare and eventually select the best price for your brand.
2. Be prepared to buy multiple boxes: One minor catch to getting cheap contacts is that you usually have to buy in bulk. The more you buy, the cheaper the price per box. Be expected to purchase anywhere from 4-8 boxes total.
3. Search for promotional codes online: You may be able to pay even less if you can find a promotional code online to add during checkout. For example, you could type “Vision Direct codes” into Google and get several hits. See this example I found from Ultimate Coupons: http://www.ultimatecoupons.com/coupons/vision_direct_coupons.htmhttp://
4. Use available cashback offers: This is one place I messed up. Given that I have a Discover Card, I could have used Shop Discover to earn an extra 15% cashback. Unfortunately, I got caught up in the moment and forgot all about it. Most cards have some sort of extra cashback offers, so see what your card(s) offers. However, if you don’t have a credit card, never fear! Many sites such as http://www.fatwallet.com/ allow individuals to still get some cash back.

Final Verdict: Smoking Deal!
Sorry Dr. Shepard, but from now on I’m going to be purchaing all of my contact lens online. From my own experience, this is the easiest, cheapest, and most convient way to get lens to your front door. Therefore, I highly recommend all of you do the same. Remember, however, to follow my tips to maintain maximum wallet girth!

Anyway, thank you for reading my first post. Check back soon for more money saving tips and remember – keep milking those dollars!