Lara Zielin

STATUS: Just had breakfast.

FAVE LINKEY-POO RIGHT THIS SECOND: This old commercial for Jordache jeans. There’s so much wrong here it’s right but, really, what’s with the monkey?

I’m up early tackling more edits. So far, so good. When I talked to Ellen about the editing process for her book (Keeping the House, out in stores now, some assembly required, batteries sold separately), she said that it was daunting at first but once she jumped in, she never looked back. Recently, for my day job, we interviewed a UM alum who said, “My head does not do a 180-degree turn. Therefore I never look back.” I think that’s about where I’m at right now: Moving forward, no looking back …

STATUS: Boo Berryific. Rob bought me my fave cereal! He found it and brought it home and gave it to me as a surprise. So, that right there? That’s why I totally dig this guy. Well, that and about 40,000 other things. But the Boo Berry? It’s up there.

FAVE LINKEY POO RIGHT THIS SECOND: The commercial for the Montgomery Flea Market. I hear it’s just like a mini-mall.

Over Labor Day weekend I bought four cans of paint from Home Depot and proceeded to update the kitchen. During this same time, I saw several commercials that Home Depot was running about a “sale” on Behr paint — $5.00 off each gallon. I bought four so that’s a $20.00, right? Well, turns out rebates are a tricky business. I received an email telling me my rebate had been rejected because the Home Depot store I bought the paint from wasn’t a qualifying store.

Your what hurts?

I called the customer service line and told them that was crap. They told me, “Oh, our bad. We’ll send out the rebate right away. That was for one can of paint, right?” No, I explained. It was for four. “Do you still have your receipts?” I didn’t … because I mailed them in.

Who knows, now, if I’ll get a rebate for $20.00 or $5.00. Either way, this rebate stinks. I think Behr deliberately threw the “non-qualifying store” wrench into the rebate game by sending out that email. How many people, after filling out the forms and cutting up the UPC symbols, would then call customer service to demand they get their rebate? Probably not that many is my guess.

Turns out I’m right to be cynical about rebates over all. Check out this article from MSNBC.com about how people get screwed over in the process. It has great tips for winning the rebate game (they advise, actually, not to play it at all) including copying the receipts before you mail them – which I should have done. Because I didn’t, it might have cost me $15.00. But, live and learn.