You know them: "Buy this Item anytime between Today and The Future and get A Whole Bunch of Money back from the manufacturer!" (Fill in the appropriate specifics.) Yes, they're real. They will send you the money provided you take the time to send in the form. There are two types of rebates. The most common is a general manufacturer's rebate; This is offered directly by the manufacturer for any purchase of the specified product within the specified time-period. The other type is a retailer-specific rebate; These are available only for purchases made at a particular merchant. Either is relatively simple: Provide proof of a qualifying purchase and the manufacturer (or retailer, as the case may be) will send you a check for the promised amount.

• I Don't Like Rebates.

You're not alone! Many consumers dislike them (merchants, on the other hand, love them!) Hate them or not, the plain truth is that if you're eligible to receive money back for the price of a postage stamp and five-minutes work filling out a form, you're being foolish and only hurting yourself if you don't take advantage of it. This is especially true in today's cyber-consumer age. As manufacturers and retailers work ever-more feverishly to even-out stock or to keep pace with a competitive product, and as product lines change or are updated more frequently than ever before, rebates have become continuously more common and for larger amounts. The bottomline: rebates are your money; If you want to throw it away, that's your choice. For our part, we claim every one we're entitled to!

• How do I find applicable Rebates?

Many merchants maintain a rebate "department" on their website. Look below for a list of the best places to find available rebates on products you're looking for. Also, of course, we list any applicable rebates and provide links to them in the deals we find and feature in the Daily Bargain Report.

• How do I use them?

Submitting rebates is really pretty simple. The common elements are a rebate form, a sales receipt, and a copy of the UPC code (the product identifying bar-code) from the item's packaging. Fill out he form, attach the receipt and UPC, and send it all to the address specified on the form. Be sure to pay attention to details! If the form says that it must be submitted within 15 days of purchase, don't wait a month to send it and expect the rebate to be honored. If it says "send the original receipt" then don't send a copy. In general, send every rebate as soon as you get the product home (manufacturer's count on your being lazy and know that if you plan to "get around to it later" there's a good chance you'll forget entirely!) Also, use your scanner or swing by a copy-shop and make a quick copy of each rebate form, receipt and UPC (all on one page) that you send. If a rebate doesn't arrive as scheduled, you'll have the documentation you need to get things set straight.

One special situation worth noting; Occasionally you'll find items that have a mail-in rebate being offered by both the manufacturer and the specific retailer itself. (Staples actually does this relatively frequently.) In this situation, you obviously won't have two separate original UPC codes and original receipts. When submitting these rebates (and you should submit both!), always send the originals to the manufacturer and just send the retailer copies of the required items. If they're selling a double-rebate item, they're well aware that you will only have one original of each. They must still honor their own rebate if they don't want to face charges of advertising fraud, so they'll accept the copies.

• When will I receive my money?

Most rebate checks take around eight weeks to arrive. Is that longer than it should be? Yes, but rebate houses and manufacturers know that if rebate checks were received within a week, consumers would see them as "immediate" cash and a much larger percentage of rebates would be submitted. Just follow their rules, submit your rebates, keep track of what you're owed and be a little patient. It may take them several weeks to arrive but, once they do, the money is still real, spendable cash and it's yours. Some rebates will take longer than the average but, if you're diligent about following the specific requirements and you deal with relatively established merchants/manufacturers, they will come eventually.