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I have to admit that I wasn’t always an active Upromise member. I opened a Upromise account when my first child was born. I added my credit card and debit cards and all of my grocery and drug store loyalty cards and just forgot about my account. In July of 2011, soon after my second child was born and I started working at Upromise, I found my user name and password and logged back into my account. To my surprise I had earned less than $10 in my account after 5 years. This was my own fault. I didn’t understand the program and the best way to use it.
My friends and colleagues raved about the program and were earning much more than me. The secret to their success and now mine – whenever I go to make an online purchase, I always go to upromise.com first. To make it even easier, I also downloaded the TurboSaver toolbar. So even if I forgot to go to upromise.com and make an online purchase with one of Upromise’s online partners, I would be reminded.
I also applied for the Upromise Credit Card, so whenever I make any purchase online, in a store, at a restaurant, or at a gas station I am earning cash back for my children’s college education. I have even stopped using my debit card and just put all purchases on my Upromise Credit Card now. I am happy to say that in less than 6 months, I now have earned over $200 in my Upromise account from purchases I would have made anyways.
I now feel good when I need to buy something instead of feeling guilty. My last step was to figure out how to use my earnings. I have opened up a Upromise 529 College Savings Plan for one child and a Sallie Mae High Yield Savings Account* for another child who already had a college savings plan, so now that money transfers over to these accounts and earns even more for my children’s future. Upromise and Sallie Mae make it easier for me to save for college for my little ones.
Do you have a Upromise story you want to share? Send it to facebook@upromise.com with along with a photo (optional) and we will feature it on the Upromise Insider Blog.
By Leah Corcoran
*Deposit Accounts are offered through Sallie Mae Bank®, Member FDIC. These statements have been provided by active Upromise members. Individual savings may vary depending on spending habits and level of engagement in Upromise and may include cash back earned through Upromise online partners, the Upromise Credit Card and the Upromise Friends and Family Program.
I first heard about Upromise when I had to begin paying off my student loans in 2008. I signed up at the time, knowing I would need every penny to live on my own and start paying off my student loans from my rather expensive, private alma mater. As a recent graduate, I was trying to understand my adult life and new job. I earned some money and received emails about how to earn more, but didn’t put in the time to learn about all of the money I could be earning if I would have shopped online rather than in-store, eaten out at restaurants that participated in the Upromise Dining, or booked plane tickets to see my far-way college friends through Upromise.
After working at Upromise for a year and a half, I am proud to say I have saved over $300 in that time frame. I think that’s quite a lot as I don’t yet have a family, so my expenses aren’t too much. It wasn’t that I started saving a lot right away. It took time for me to change some of my shopping habits. I now buy my shoes (a favorite splurge) almost exclusively online through NineWest.com (3% cash back). I do 85% of my gift shopping through Upromise. (I hope my little brother liked the car magazines I just got him for his birthday from Magazines.com at 25% cash back). And I book ALL of my travel through Priceline.com (2% cash back).
I have my Upromise account linked directly to my eligible Sallie Mae student loan so that quarterly transfers are made. I was impressed by how easy it was to earn extra money. It just took a few minutes for me to figure out what I should be doing and how to change my shopping habits.
Do you have a Upromise story you want to share? Send it to facebook@upromise.com with along with a photo (optional) and we will feature it on the Upromise Insider Blog.
-Jacki
These statements have been provided by active Upromise members. Individual savings may vary depending on spending habits and level of engagement in Upromise and may include cash back earned through Upromise online partners, the Upromise Credit Card and the Upromise Friends and Family Program.
Guest post: College, not just classes but the whole experience, gave me so many opportunities and helped shape me into the person I am today. I now have two little girls, ages 1 and 3. When they are old enough, I want them to have a rich college experience like I did.
Most parents, I suspect, want the same for their children. But affording college is increasingly becoming a burden for many children to have to take on by themselves. If tuition costs continue to rise and federal aid isn't as available, who knows what it will be like in 15 years, when my first is ready to enroll?
I can only assume that to get the same experience I had, they'll have to pay twice as much, all while getting less help. But I don't necessarily see this as a demoralizing thing. I use it to motivate me to save and try to help them out a bit. Because I think it's worth it.
Balancing College Savings with Life's Other Needs Life brings with it many expenses, and our family is not immune. My wife and I have our regular monthly expenses, as well as savings needs (both short-term and long-term, like retirement) to take care of.
When my wife and I discuss saving money, one thing we definitely agree on is making sure our basic savings needs are taken care of first, before we save for college expenses. I believe that's a rule most people should follow, as you can't take out a loan for your own retirement.
However, it doesn't stop us from starting small. My wife and I save $25 automatically each month for our girls' education. You're right in thinking that $25 isn't much. But I see a lot of value in even a small, routine contribution like this.
The contributions "get us into the game". If we were to wait around till we had $200 a month to contribute (likely what is needed for full coverage), we might never get started. Who knows how many ups and downs life will throw us between now and the time our girls graduate high school? So, I'm glad we're saving now.
Not to mention, getting started now also gives us a place to put our money when we do have it.
Funding 529 Savings Plans We chose a 529 college savings plan as our preferred method for college savings. It's a great account that allows us to save a few tax dollars and have a separate home for these funds.
We have one for each of our girls. We're always on the lookout for extra funds to stash away in their accounts. Whenever they receive birthday money from a friend or relative, some of it goes into the account. We've also informed the grandparents about the accounts so they can contribute if they want.
Each month, like clockwork, $25 is going into the accounts. Our goal is of course to increase this over the years. But if we never do, at least I know we're contributing something towards that future college experience.
-Philip Taylor
Philip Taylor is the owner of PT Money: Personal Finance, his personal finance site aimed at helping you make extra money, save more money, and spend money wisely. He's also a husband and father of two girls. Philip will be partnering with Sallie Mae and Upromise Tuesday, February 21st from 8-9pm EST to discuss personal finance at a Twitter Party. Participate on Twitter by following the hashtag #SallieMaeSaves.
Starting Sunday, there will be some changes to the Upromise Dining program. Simply put, the new Dining Rewards Program is simpler. You earn cash back based on how much you spend on dining, at all participating restaurants. The more you spend on dining throughout the year, the faster you can start earning at 8%.
The below image shows the new levels for earning cash back on dining, from Bronze level at 2% to Platinum level at 8%. And a special bonus, all Upromise Dining Card holders will automatically earn at the Platinum level when they use their Upromise Dining Card, continuing to earn 19% cash back (8% + 10% on dining + 1% on all purchases) on eligible dines.
You can learn more by visiting the program FAQs here: http://bit.ly/wvNUtF
Guest post: As you may have noticed, there are many ways to earn money when shopping with Upromise.com, and they are all pretty easy, which is nice. The only thing you need to remember is to log on to Upromise.com first. What's that? You have trouble remembering easy ways to earn money? I understand. I'd forget my head if I didn't keep my hats on it. Don't worry; Upromise can help with that, too.
By installing and using the TurboSaver toolbar you will enable Upromise to remember the details for you. Upromise never forgets how much you love to earn money. It's kind of their thing.
The TurboSaver toolbar will let you know whenever you are shopping on partner sites and guide you to the earnings. And they said chivalry was dead.
Another nice touch is that Google search results will be marked with the Upromise logo when applicable, alerting potential shoppers to potential savings. That's a lot of potential. Make the most of it.
Basically, you have two easy ways to earn money by shopping with Upromise directly through the site or by utilizing the smart and savvy TurboSaver toolbar. The choice is yours, and so are the earnings. That's a win-win, people.
Now if I could just find a way to remember where I put all my hats.
By Whit Honea
Whit Honea is an award-winning writer and producer living in Los Angeles with his wife, two boys, and more pets than are
Guest post: Saving money doesn’t have to be hard, especially if you do it little by little. Earlier this month, I offered some tips on saving money during the holiday season. Today here are some tips I try to keep in mind for saving year round:
Silvia is the founder of the award winning bilingual blog, www.mamalatinatips.com, where she covers topics of interest to
Guest post: From what I understand, your personality is formed both by your heredity and your surroundings. My kids, therefore, are a wonderful mix of myself, my husband, and the crazy life we live. I try my best to teach them about money, the proper way to shop and save, and how to best make their dollar work for them; personality, however, always gets in the way.
Take my oldest son, for example. He is all about value. He wants what he wants (the new action figure for the Skylander: Spyro’s Adventure video game, for example), but he doesn’t want to pay too much for it. He will buy it with his own money when it goes on sale, but not before then. He also won’t buy anything just because it’s cheap – especially if he doesn’t need it.
My oldest daughter never parts with her money. She’s a saver. She’ll put every hard-earned penny (and this girl works hard) into her piggy bank. It accumulates and grows. It collects dust. And then, on some random day that you never see coming, she does something really nice for someone by spending almost all of it on an extravagant birthday gift or by giving to charity. She then starts over with her saving.
The lesson that I’ve learned is that, as time goes on, people can change their money personalities. My son, for example, has been positively influenced by his sister to save up for something big. He’s even bought a few nice things for people with his money. My daughter has also learned to stray a bit from her tendencies. She used her money to buy something on sale for herself recently, and I think it made her feel good.
What about your money personality? How long have you been the way you are? Do you think you could ever change? Should you?
When going about your day-to-day shopping, consider how your personality can be best used to save you more money. Embracing the best about ourselves can lead to a more fulfilling buying experience.
By Lindsey Knerl
Linsey Knerl is a homeschooling Mom of 5 and Chief Mom at www.lillepunkin.com. When she isn't blogging, following
Guest Post: How many of you eat out at least once a week? If many of you said yes to this, then you need to definitely go and visit Upromise.com today and click on the link that says Restaurants. By going onto the website and clicking on Restaurants, you are able to put in any zipcode to find local participating restaurants,where you can earn up to 8% cash back. I know that for me, when I place in my zipcode I receive 20 locations within a 15 minute drive from myself. This is great because it tells me I can go to not only get good food, but also earn cash back. Thus, for my family and I, this is one of our first stops before we go out to find where we want to eat on a specific day.
On top of earning cash back, as a Upromise member you can also see the reviews that others have posted to give you a better sense of the food and service that you can expect if you are going there. On top of all of this you get the opportunity to learn more about each of the restaurants through the individual pages that each restaurant has and upon the page you get a better understanding of the percentage of cash back you can earn. There are also a number of great pictures of the restaurant, the menu and so much more on the website itself as well, which again provides you with even more details on the restaurant itself.
Upromise is more than just a college savings tool, it is a way to simply save earn overall.
By Chris Lewis
Chris is the author of http://dadofdivas.com/, a tale of one Dad's Quest to Regain his Kingdom One Day at a Time. Always do
Guest post: As a mom of 4, and personal finance blogger, I'm often asked about saving for college. Typically readers and friends want to know how much they should be contributing, where they should be storing their funds, and most often if they are doing 'enough' to save.
With skyrocketing college costs it seems impossible to save up enough, and much easier to just bury our heads in the sand and hope for scholarship funds. That approach can leave our kids with a mountain of debt upon graduation. Today graduating students have an average of over $25,000 in student loans.
How can we help our kids succeed when money is tighter than ever? I'll outline a few simple steps you can take to optimize your college savings.
1) Put your oxygen mask on first. We hear this every time we take a plane trip, and the same idea translates to saving money. If you aren't saving for emergencies and retirement, start there first. Once you've bulked up your emergency fund you can start maxing out your retirement and adding to college savings.
2) Start 'em young. Kids receive tons of money for holidays, birthdays, and special occasions. Even more money is spent on their stuff. Toys, games, and later clothes and the latest tech and fashions. Teach your kids to save their own money from the time they are little, and that will carry over into their tween and teen years. Devote a % (say 10-20%) of their 'income' to savings and show them how fast it can add up.
3) As income increases, increase savings. It's tempting to increase our lifestyle, but if we devote a little bit of every pay raise, tax refund, and unexpected windfall to college savings it can add up fast.
4) Be realistic. We all want our kids to have the very best of everything including an Ivy league education, but for your child college may mean art school, a public university, or maybe starting at a local college before headed to a larger university. The savings can be huge, and well worth it for professions that top out at a lower salary range.
5) Save for college. Saving while you shop is one of the easiest ways to save money for college. Sign up for a Upromise account, or consider a Upromise credit card to save while you spend on everyday purchases and holiday gifts.
What are strategies you're using to save for college?
-Kelly Whalen
Kelly Whalen is the author of The Centsible Life, a website where motherhood and money meet. The Centsible Life shares
We have partnered with Lenovo to give away a Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E425 on Facebook to one lucky fan (a 14-inch laptop, weighing 4.6 lbs, wrapped in a refined, soft matte finish and reinforced with sturdy metal hinges.... Lenovo helped us write those specs
You can enter the contest now through December 12. Just click here, "Like" us on Facebook if you don't already, and enter by submitting your name and email address (so we can contact the winner!)
Who in your life could use a new laptop for the holidays??
P.S. You can earn 2% cash back every day with Lenovo thru Upromise.com
Guest Blog Post:
With 4 sons that are 7 and under, I'm all about trying to find ways to save. Ever since the boys were babies, I've always been aware of doing - what I thought - were the most practical things on the savings front. I would stock up on diapers and wet wipes and baby food when there was a really good sale. We wouldn't eat out more than once a week. I would (and still do) buy clothing for the boys a year in advance to get the best savings. Little things like that, that I felt and knew were making a difference.
But. And this is a big BUT.
The question for us has always been, "How are we going to pay for college?"
The boys are all a year apart, so we will literally have 4 boys in college at the same time. It's daunting to think about because I want to be able to give my sons everything I possibly can.
This summer I became a member of Upromise by Sallie Mae. I remember hearing about the program when the boys were little from my mother-in-law, but I never got on the ball to join it. But this past summer, I realized I wasn't alone in not signing up immediately when the boys were babies. To be honest, it made me feel good to know that I wasn't alone and that it's never too late to start with Upromise! I know it's a step in the right direction for my family.
I love that with Upromise you're getting cash back on the things in my life that I do every day. So without even thinking about it or changing my habits, I'm getting cash right back for my sons. So when I'm shopping online or heading out to dinner or even doing my (daily) grocery shopping for the 4 boys, I can get something back. How amazing is that? I know I just started, but I'll tell you what… I'm excited!
And I think it's important to note here, too, again… that it's never too late to get going. I felt embarrassed to admit that I hadn't started college funds for the boys. But the truth was, I didn't feel like we had any extra income coming in to be able to do that. Upromise offers that light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to saving. They showed me the way I could do it, that works in and for my life.
Which brings me to the Holidays!
I love Upromise's Holiday Savings Hotspot. It really is the Hotspot! Each week through the Holidays, they're offering cash back and some amazing deals! So you can shop at stores that you usually do throughout the holidays like Sephora, Best Buy, Dick's Sporting Goods, Target, etc. and get extra cash back. Upromise is also going to be giving away a $500 Apple store gift card every day now through December 13th! Learn more here.
By Audrey McClelland
Audrey left the fashion world of Donna Karan International in NYC to raise her brood of boys (4 of them, 7 and under) in her home state of Rhode Island. She’s learned that you can take the girl out of the Fashion District, but you can’t take the Fashion District out of the girl. She is the co-founder of MomGenerations.com where she offers fashion and beauty advice to moms.
Saving tip: Always buy clothing for your children a year in advance! Shorts start to go on sale right around October, I start stocking up now for the boys for the summer! They're the only ones who have full wardrobes a year in advance!
Upromise Local is the new online service that lets you find places near you where you can earn cash back. You can search from your desktop, or download our free mobile app for your smartphone. The best part is that you can use it wherever you are — at home, on vacation, or on a business trip to find local ways to save.
Try out Upromise Local. You'll wonder how you ever shopped (and saved) without it. And let us know what you think!
Today we're at Artesani Park in Brighton, MA sponsoring a Radio Disney AM 1260 Boston concert along with Upromise partners Liberty Mutual and New York Life, which is providing child identification systems. Sponsors also include Expedia, Dell, and Sears.com. Rising star Coco Jones is kicking off the concert followed by a performance from YouTube sensation Savannah Outen. The Radio Disney Road Crew is on hand for on-stage entertainment including music, dancing, games, and a red carpet leading to prizes. Here are some pics of the fesitivities so far. Enjoy and stay tuned as we roll out similar events in nine other cities across the United States.
Enjoy! And check here every week for more big brand college savings.
UPDATE: Congratulations to Upromise Community member taustin, the winner of our Pix4Kicks Holiday Dining Photo Contest, for "Tessie couldn't stop with one test!" Enjoy your new iPad, taustin. And a big thanks to Restaurant.com as well as all participants!
How many of us manage to pull off a picture-perfect Norman Rockwell kind of holiday dinner? That’s what I thought!
So why not make the best of some of those unforgettable dining moments? Send in your funniest, silliest, cutest holiday dining photos. You could win the Pix4Kicks Holiday Dining Photo Contest and walk away with a tasty new iPad!
Pix4Kicks is brought to you by Restaurant.com. With more than 16,000 restaurants to choose from, you’ve always got plenty of delicious options. Submit your best shot now and add a little fun to your family traditions.
OK, so here’s what you need to know to enter (and hopefully win!) the Pix4Kicks Holiday Dining Photo Contest:
- First, read the complete contest rules attached below and then submit your best shot that captures the holiday spirit while focusing on or including food. It can be funny or silly or charming—just make sure it has something to do with holiday dining.
- Next get your friends and family to vote for you. And while you’re at it, feel free to lobby for votes on the Upromise Facebook page by posting a link to your entry on our wall.
- Finally, all entrants are required to vote for one entry other than their own. Do that by clicking on the white star next someone else's entry. Note: it's not possible to vote for your own entry.
The contest begins on 11/19 at 12:00 pm ET and ends on 12/13 at 11:59 am ET. The top 10 vote getters will make the finals. And the winner will be selected by an internal panel and judged based on what picture most captures the holiday spirit while focusing on or including food. Winner of the iPad will be announced on or about 1/7/11.
You in? All righty then—get cookin and enter today!
By the way, there’s plenty of fun out there for free! Check out the Upromise Daily Spin2Win Sweepstakes. You could win a trip from Funjet Vacations, a little pampering from TRIA Beauty, a $250 gift card from Lands’ End Canvas or photo gifts from Snapfish. Give it a whirl here.
UPDATE: At long last, here’s a run-down of our Click for Treats Photo Contest winners and their entries…
Grand Prize - tammeescha for Tristin Holding Own Head!!! First Place - rbenson1011 for Norah, Norah, Pumpkin Eater Second Place - mwil214 for Ballerina Cow Third Place - ksjyhwk25 for Who knew lobsters were so cute?
Honorable Mentions:
Mishelle21 for Irish Lad Js124578 for The Play-Doh Family AngelBoarder for Don’t Have a COW! Allysonwhitt for Mommy’s Lil’ Pumpkin (Collin Whittaker’s 1st Halloween) Tarbear for Kelsi Bug’s First Halloween Happy_in_NC for Eeek!!!! Scary enough to make my hair stand on end!!! JessicaWhite04 for The Female and Pinhead from Hellraiser! karateblake8 for M&M Goodness!! adrianG for Baby Lion’s First Victim rjwehr for Lego Family
Congratulations to the winners and thanks to all who participated! (Winners, we’ll contact you by email within the next week regarding your prizes.)
Original contest announcement:
Here's what you need to do:
- First, be sure to read the complete contest rules attached below. - Then slide on over to the contest page and submit your best Halloween photo.* - Next, vote for a contest entry other than your own by clicking on the "Credits!" button.
And here's what will happen next:
The twenty entries that receive the highest number of votes (or credits) between now and 11:59:59 a.m. ET on October 20, 2010 will be the finalists. And an internal panel of judges will then select a grand prize winner, along with first, second and third prize winners, plus ten honorable mentiones, to be announced on or about November 20, 2010.
Prizes:
Grand prize: one (1) $100 Oriental Trading Company gift card, one (1) $100 Costume Express gift code, four (4) $20 DisneyStore gift codes, and four (4) $20 Colonial Candle gift cards
First place: one (1) $50 Oriental Trading Company gift card, one (1) $50 Costume Express gift code, three (3) $20 DisneyStore gift codes, and three (3) $20 Colonial Candle gift cards
Second place: one (1) $50 Oriental Trading Company gift card, one (1) $50 Costume Express gift code, two (2) $20 DisneyStore gift codes, and two (2) $20 Colonial Candle gift cards
Third place: one (1) $50 Costume Express gift code, one (1) $50 Oriental Trading Company gift card, one (1) $20 DisneyStore gift code, one (1) $20 Colonial Candle gift card
Honorable mentions (10): one (1) $20 DisneyStore gift code, one (1) wooden sentiment block set from Lillian Vernon, one (1) $20 Snapfish credit, and one (1) $20 Colonial Candle gift card
Check out the contest gallery here to view the pics and enter your own for a chance to win. Good luck!
*Once you're on the contest page, click the "New Entry" button as shown below to enter the contest.
Following is a guest blog post from parenting expert and author Dr. Michele Borba. Dr. Borba is working in partnership with MasterCard, Upromise and Bank of America and is being compensated for her time.
Make a shopping list of needs. Get the kids involved early by having them create their own shopping list. Your child’s school should get them off to a running start by providing a recommended list of supplies (If you haven’t received “the list,” check the school’s website). Don’t forget to check around the house for supplies that can be reused from last year.
Establish a budget. A great way to teach financial planning is by creating a budget and sharing it with your child. Make sure to prioritize shopping list wants versus needs and have the child take this list with him or her to the store. Anything beyond your set budget must be purchased out of pocked by the child, or eliminated.
Find the bargains and stock up! Teach children the value of finding great deals and bargains by having them look through the penny saver deals of the local stores and have them clip out the coupons. Over the next few weeks you’ll find some of the best back to school supply offers so stock up now for the entire school year. The time to buy binder paper, folders, notebooks, pencils and glue sticks is now. Keep “extra” purchased supplies in a basket or box ready for homework needs.
Make sure your child goes to the register. Make sure to see this process all the way through by bringing your child with you to the checkout aisle. This is where you can really teach the importance of sticking to a budget. If your child goes over budget, make him or her decide which unnecessary items to remove. It’s also good practice to have them learn to check the receipt once the shopping is done.
Save for the future. While stocking up on supplies for the present, parents have a great opportunity to save for the future. A simple idea is the Upromise World MasterCard from Bank of America.
With the Upromise World MasterCard card, you will earn an additional 1% back in college savings on all your purchases, all of the time. Earnings are automatically deposited into your Upromise account (you can sign up for the Upromise program for free) and can then be transferred into a tax-advantaged 529 plan, a high-yield savings account, or used to pay off an eligible student loan – or just ask for a check. Plus, you can earn even more when you shop for eligible groceries at Upromise participating merchants. Even better, there is no limit to the amount of college savings you can earn, and there is no annual fee. Visit Upromise.com/cardcenter to learn more about the card and the thousands of participating retailers and restaurants that offer money back for your child’s education fund, helping you build a strong foundation for the future.
And for more parenting tips, read my blog at www.micheleborba.com/blog or follow me on Twitter @micheleborba.
Special Notice: Join us on August 12 at 1:00 ET for a live chat with Dr. Borba on Upromise’s Facebook fan page. Click here for details and to RSVP.
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Participation in the Upromise Community is subject to the terms and conditions of the Upromise Community Rules and Upromise. Upromise Community bloggers are compensated by Upromise for their blog posts. Upromise blogs that reference a Upromise partner(s) are reviewed and approved by the applicable partner(s). Important Note: Any links to partner websites used in the Upromise Community blogs are provided for your convenience only. If you use unauthorized promotion codes or link directly to partner web sites from the Community to make purchases, you will forfeit Upromise contributions. Remember to always start your online shopping at www.upromise.com in order to earn your Upromise rewards. While Upromise makes good faith efforts to ensure the accuracy of the deals posted on our site, Upromise partner offers are subject to change by the retailer without notice and any descriptive, typographical or other error is subject to correction. Upromise shall have no liability of any kind for any such changes or errors. If not otherwise indicated, free shipping offers are valid for standard domestic shipping only and do not include express, international or other shipping services. Some special product, order or handling fees may still apply. See the retailer's site for complete details. Specific terms and conditions apply to each participating company's contributions and can be found in the Program Details or by clicking on the "store info" popup for that company. Participating companies, contribution levels and terms and conditions are subject to change at any time without notice. Links to external websites do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by Upromise of any of the products, services or opinions of the corporation or organization or individual. Upromise bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of external sites or subsequent links.
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really necessary. He blogs all over the internet including 
moms including food, entertainment, kids, health, fashion, and beauty among others. Her favorite holiday savings tip is make a list and set a budget.
politics, or enjoying a grilled cheese, she tries her best to stretch her dollar. Her favorite tip for saving money is to stay home and order it online; you'd be surprised how much you save when you skip the "window shopping".
your research before you buy. Search online and comparison shop and save money wherever and whenever you can!
tips and real life stories to help women live the life of their dreams on a budget. Kelly has been featured on television including the Today Show, and print and magazines including Woman's Day, Kiplinger's Personal Finance, and Money magazine. Kelly lives in the Philadelphia area with her husband and their 4 kids.
). 
The bell will soon ring for the start of a new school year, which means it’s time once again to stock up on school supplies. Back to school shopping can be fun for both parent and child. As an educator and mom of three, I know firsthand that we can use this as an educational experience – by teaching our kids the importance of being financially responsible. Here are five back to school shopping tips to get you started: 
