Tightwad Tuesday: Saving on Printer Ink
Posted by Lynnae on February 5, 2008
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I save lots of money with MyPoints!
I almost skipped Tightwad Tuesday today. The Festival of Frugality kept me up way too late last night, and I was just going to relax this afternoon. Until I saw this post from Money Saving Mom. Crystal is asking where to find the best bargain on printer ink.
When I read that, I just knew I had to write my post, because that’s EXACTLY what I had planned on writing today. So let me tell you about my great deal on printer ink.
First of all, I have a Canon printer, which is great, because Canon ink is inexpensive. But to get the very best deal, I shop through MyPoints. If you’ve never heard of MyPoints, it’s a great program where you can read emails (I rarely do), take surveys, and shop through their site to earn points. When you have enough points, you can redeem them for gift cards at a wide variety of places. I’ve used the gift cards for actual gifts, for treats for myself (think Bath & Body Works here), or for necessary household stuff (Target & Walmart).
I buy my ink at 1-2-3 Inkjets through the MyPoints page. By shopping through the MyPoints link, I get 350 points every time I order. And 1-2-3 Inkjets carries the printer ink I need at $3.75 a cartridge for either black and white or color. The price drops to $2.75 if you buy 2-9 cartridges and to $1.95 if you buy 10 or more. Shipping is only $3.95, meaning the ink is still a bargain, even with the shipping charge. It’s been my experience that there are often free shipping specials, too.
The 350 points per order at 1-2-3 Inkjets quickly add up. It only takes 1500 points to get a $10 Target gift card from MyPoints. That means you only have to place 5 orders for ink, before getting a $10 in a giftcard back. Some giftcards are only 1400 points, so you’d only have to make 4 orders.
So that is the steal of a deal I get on printer ink. If you haven’t tried MyPoints, you should. If you don’t want to deal with the emails, set up an alternate email address. My experience has been that MyPoints is worth signing up for, even if you don’t want to read lots of emails.
To see how other bloggers use MyPoints, visit:
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I am not a financial expert. I'm just a wife and mom doing the best I can to live a frugal life and get out of debt. Like any human, I make mistakes. I write this blog out of my own experiences, and nothing I write should be taken as expert advice. If you need financial advice, please consult a professional.
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GREAT idea and thanks for the mention.
I actually refill cartridges. Got a refill kit from Costco a few years ago. It’s messy, but it’s totally cheap!
You make a good point when buying a printer, it isn’t the cost of the printer that matters it’s the cost of the ink. Alot of the new printers have patented ink you you can’t get the cheap ink anymore, or at least not at a decent price. this is what happened to me, only a small price difference between the no name ink and HP ink.
I’ve been refilling my cartridges myself for years now. I buy the ink at a place called Island Ink Jet when I go to the mall. They are very helpful and I haven’t had too many problems. Not enough that I’d quit doing it anyways. It gets scary when it is cheaper to buy a new printer than get refill cartridges.
I just signed up for MyPoints and it seems like a nice little program. I have to admit that my printer has been out of ink for about 4 years…I just avoid printing. I save on paper and ink. Plus, I save trees