Something as simple as a phone call can save you hundreds! Don’t forget to always choose kindness when voicing your concerns. The front line employee you deal with and voice your concerns are just doing their jobs. If they tell you nothing can be done for you. Don’t take it personal. They are just the messenger.
You can read Brandy’s previous posts by clicking here!
Saving money and frugal living has so many different aspects! Today, I want to tell you all how I saved $500.00 on a car repair. I wish I could add this HUGE chunk into my Disney fund but I just can’t. Because truth is if we would of had to pay for it. I would of had to cut other areas to afford it. Which would of been nearly impossible. There really isn’t fat in my budget currently. Because of that more then likely it would of been charged on a credit card or taken from savings.
I drive a 2004 Sequoia. Since its an older car every now and then we expect to have to make repairs. Its just part of the cost of diving older cars. We are fine with that. In December of 2018, my rear latch handle stopped working. We have everything done at the Toyota dealership. Since its older we want to make sure the repairs are done correctly so it lasts as long as possible. We took it in and they told me the part had corroded, because of that the little pulling system inside the rear door had gotten weak due to the corrosion and snapped. Which is normal for being 14 years old. We where fine with that. Paid around $600 for labor and parts.
Fast forward to last month April 2019. The rear door latch stopped working again. The $600 repair only lasted us 16 months. We called the dealership they said they had to look at it and see what exactly happened. We took it in paid a $98 diagnostic fee. To be told it was the same problem. We asked about the warranty. Guess what the dealership warranty only applied to 12 months after the date of the repair. That left us on our own paying to repair it.
We did buy Toyota certified parts and had it put on at a Toyota dealership. We felt it should of lasted longer then 16 months. For all of those reason’s I decided I was calling Toyota Corporate to see what they could do. The whole time I was very calm and kind explaining my issue. Remember you get more with honey than vinegar! The lady took my information, looked over the service record, and said she would call me back within 72 hours with a resolution. The next day I heard back from her. Toyota Corporate was going to cover the cost of the parts and labor for the repair. She did say this was a one time courtesy since we had a record of all the maintenance and work done by certified Toyota mechanics. Either way I was extremely pleased! I saved us $500. We did have to pay the $98 diagnostic fee. Moral of the story anytime you feel something isn’t right. Call corporate offices explain your issue and see what they can do for you. It never hurts to ask!
On to the fun part…how I earned this go around! Swagbucks the only big offers I did was Experian trail under Revenue Universe when it was double. That earned me 664 ($6.64) it did cost $1.00. Bliss Coffee mate offer for 1,200 ($12.00) no longer available. I had a panel type survey credit for 3,000 ($30.00). Also a shop and earn credit for 1,498 ($14.98). The rest was from small earners, printing coupons, surveys, SB codes, and all the other small things.
With Ibotta I got lucky! I got 3 bonuses that stacked for $15.00 back when I redeemed 15 offers. I have been ignoring Ibotta just because the bonus offers where crazy high. The $0.99 Cent Store has been keeping me pretty well stocked! It was actually hard for me to find 15 items in Walmart I needed that where on Ibotta. I always check Ebates and Swagbucks for cash back whichever is paying the most is where I click thru from to shop online. Its always a nice bonus when the Ebates cash back shows up. Whenever a good deal on Southwest gift cards pops up buy them. Then I use some of my Disney fund to pay back my credit card!
5/8 – 5/20
My Swagbucks – $100.00
Cashback bonus from Paypal – $1.14
Ebates – $5.36
Ibotta – $44.29
Olive Oil Settlement – $22.78
Total to date – $1218.04
Gift cards, and cash balances:
Southwest Gift Card – $358. 27 for a $400.00 balance (Only another $1,400 to go!)
Universal annual pass and 5 day ticket – $341.00 – Already spent!
Cash Remaining in my Disney fund – $510.54
(Thanks, Brandy)
Use code Savears to get started with 70 SB! New to Swagbucks? Swagbucks is a way to earn points by doing surveys, watching videos, and discovering new things. All these points, called SB, can be redeemed for gift cards from hundreds of major retailers including Target, Walmart, and you can also redeem your points for Paypal!
If you are not a member of my Facebook group Saving for Disney with C2D (The SavEars) you should go join! It’s FREE and we help each other out. You don’t have to be saving for Disney to join. It’s a fun way for all of us to connect, and get to know other like minded individuals. If you are new to Swagbucks, they will be more than happy to help you along and answer any questions you may have!
Every day there is a new daily thread started that lists ways to earn Swagbucks. This helps everyone reach their goals. Just search Swagbucks after you go to the Savears group and you will see it!
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