In this new post, I'd like to address how to save money for college (or pay off your existing loans) while shopping for Christmas, eating at restaurants, or even buying everyday essentials such as groceries and toilet paper.
I was told about a website years ago called Upromise.com. It is an absolutely amazing way to save money. The premise is simple enough; sign your child up for a college savings plan or attach your current student loans to the plan. Register your store shopping and loyalty cards as well as your debit cards and credit cards on your Upromise account. (yes, this might seem a bit scary, but I have been using this sight for almost 10 years, and I have never had a single issue or had any information stolen or sold.) After your cards are registered, you can save money three basic ways:
1. Shop at your local stores and eat at your local restaurants as normal. When you are at the store, look for a little blue and yellow Upromise sticker below the items. When you purchase these items, a set amount of money is automatically transferred into your account by the store or company. It is really that easy! Want to know what products are eligible to help you plan your shopping trip? Visit the www.Upromise.com and find out! And guess what! For all you coupon-aholics, there are online clipable coupons on the site that immediately register to your account and offer "extra" savings on the items you are already purchasing (with or without coupons) in the store. This is savings that will be transferred to your Upromise account. Have grandparents or parents that want to help? You can send an evite to them through the site and they can register their cards to your account as well, (privately, you never see their card information, but you are informed of the amounts you receive through them)...effectively helping you save more money for college OR pay off your student loans! Many restaurants and other retail/service establishments also participate. (You can find a detailed list by area on their site, or you can search by retailer.) In fact, one of my favorite local restaurants, Azteca, participates! I usually get a rebate of about $2 every time we eat there, just for using one of my registered cards (my check card).
2. Use the Upromise.com website as a launching board when you do any and ALL of your online shopping. Upromise has thousands of corporate sponsors and businesses that offer huge discounts and rebates to your upromise account for purchasing through their links on the Upromise site. Sound complicated? It's really not! Visit www.Upromise.com and register. Then look up your favorite stores. Click on their link to launch to their website. Buy as you normally do, and receive money back in your account from those stores! For instance, Tuesdays are 10% Tuesdays. Shop as you normally do, and receive 10% back from your purchase from participating online stores on those days! Check our a recent list here. http://shop.upromise.com/mall/shopping-deals?olmsrc=E&afsrc=1&olmpos=Email|mcE6679_2&ax=mcE6679_2&cm_mmc=mc-_-email-_-OLM-_-mcE6679_2&CS_003=7914158.
3. Stack your savings! ToysRUS is an amazing participator in this program. I often get 10% back from them and free shipping by buying online. (Target too!) And what's even better about these two retailers is that I can actually stack my savings! How? Well, about 8 years ago I applied for and received a ToysRUs Upromise Master Card. I get additional money back into my Upromise account for using this card, and an even higher percentage back for using it at ToysRUs. So last year, I used my Upromise ToysRUs MasterCard, linked through the Upromise site to shop at ToysRUs.com, got free shipping, and ended up receiving over 15% back on all my purchases after I stacked all the amounts (again, by doing nothing but registering, going through the Upromise site, and using a registered card to purchase). I also paid attention to the ToysRUs adds and noted that some HUGE savings and sales on the things I wanted were happening the day BEFORE Thanksgiving and others Thanksgiving day! So I made a list, used the link, used my card, purchased with free shipping, and got WAY better sales than I found the entire year, plus received my cash back into my Upromise account! Now this ONLY works if you pay the credit card off when it comes in so that you don't waste savings on interest! Target also has a credit and a debit card that give you an immediate 5% off of EVERY purchase, so you can register and use that card, too!
It may seem confusing, but I would be happy to meet personally with you and explain it in better detail. You will find there are a lot of other ways to save money using this site that I haven't even explored here, so definitely check it out! Since this was a little more detailed post, I will be doing a separate one on how I actually organize my shopping/purchasing chart next!
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Christmas Tips & Tricks
Lots of people keep telling me I should really write down all my tips and tricks for things like traveling and Christmas shopping. So here goes!
With the upcoming Christmas season, I decided to start my "Tips & Tricks" blogs with some information about early preparation. With all the "worry" about preparing for the Zombie Apocalypse, I know that many of you have an idea how important early preparation can be to "survival". Well, staying on budget and getting things that your family could really use and want requires the same mindset! Some of the things I will be writing about include; early "Wish List" prep, How to watch for and find "Best Prices", how to get money for college while Christmas shopping, preparing the ultimate "Gift Buying" chart, and more! So keep checking back!
Today, I'm going to start with a few simple tips. First, it is not too early to start getting ideas from your kids, family and friends about what they really need for Christmas. In fact, asking questions now tends to get more realistic answers as friends and family might not expect that you're digging for Christmas ideas! I like to start by prepping my Christmas Notebook. I make a page for each of my kids and place their name at the top. Next, I take that notebook with me on a simple trip to a store. It's the perfect opportunity to walk around with my kids in the toy/ clothes/ shoes/ electronic/ bedding departments. When I see what they are drawn to and see their eyes light up, I'll write those items down and leave about 5-7 lines beneath to write how much they currently cost at stores and online as below:
Alyssa
teal wool scarf by Wentworth
(T) $19.99
(JCP) $24.99
The "T" here stands for target (the item is made up, lol). As I go to other stores, I carry my notebook with me. When I see the same or similar item at another store, I list it with the price. (JCP stand for JCPenney). I also check online with those same stores because prices and sales online are often different, and many times I can save taxes and even get free shipping.
Don't forget to add room for teachers, music instructors, neighbors, Pastors, or anyone else whom you usually give a gift. Prepping a Christmas Notebook may seem like a lot of trouble, but the more time you take to plan now, the less time and money you will end up spending running around getting the gifts you "forgot" later, plus, it can really be a life and budget saver when it comes to finding great deals when purchasing gifts you really want!
Another thing that is important is paying attention to adds and articles EARLY! For instance, here is a great "Introductory" clip about planning the best times to buy.
I was really happy to see this add, personally, as I was ready to trade in my "not-so-smart" phone on a new model this week! After watching this, I know to wait a bit to get a lot better deal.
Check back next time to see how to set up a Gift Shopping Chart that will help you plan and keep track of individual gifts, what you purchased, how much you spend, when you have it "in hand" (if you ordered online) and even when it is wrapped! Also, I will let you in on a few great ways to save for college (or pay off our current loans) while buying Christmas gifts, grocery shopping, or even eating out!
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