Got a photo and a story of what you're most thankful for?  Then share it in FTD's Give Thanks Photo Contest for a chance to win $5,000 in your Upromise account!  That's right, five big ones is the top prize and then $3,000 will go to the second place winner followed by $2,000 for third place.  Not too shabby!

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 a photo* of something you want to give thanks to along with a caption of 100 words or less describing the 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 ten entries that receive the highest number of votes (or credits) between now and 11:59:59 ET on November 30, 2009 will be the finalists.  And an internal panel of judges will then select a winner, to be announced on or about December 21, 2009.

Check out the contest gallery here to view the pics and enter your own for a chance to win $5,000!

*Once you're on the contest page, click the "New Entry" button as shown below to enter

the contest.

See attachment below for official contest rules.

Thank you all for your participation in the Summer Fun Photo Contest! We had some absolutely fantastic entries for the Summer Fun Photo Contest. The winning photo is “Taking the Plunge in Jamaica,” entered Kendra (“jamaicanfun”), who has been a Upromise member since 2002. Kendra is saving for a son and a daughter, ages 10 and 12.

Although it’s a crisp fall day here in New England, this photo makes us want to pack our bathing suits and head to the nearest tropical location to soak up some sun. It seems like the days of applying (and re-applying) SPF 30 were so long ago. Summer, where did you go and why did you leave us so quickly?!

With over 1,300 views, we bet this photo has a lot of you thinking about summer, the beach, sunshine, and vacations! We’re a little jealous of Kendra-the prize for the Summer Fun Photo Contest is a trip for four to Mexico provided by Funjet Vacations. Kendra, if you have room in your suitcase, give us a call!

While there can only be one winner, we’d like to thank the rest of the participants-your entries were all beautiful and we had a tough time choosing a winner. Keep your cameras ready-you never know when the next prize-winning photo is going to happen. Until then, say “cheese.”  In the meantime, why don’t you play Spin2Win! Answer the question correctly, spin the wheel, and you might be a winner! You can play once a day every day until December 31st. Good luck!

Sorry folks, due to technical difficulties we're discontinuing this contest but hope to have it up and running at a later date. Be sure check back here for another photo contest coming in the next few weeks.

Attention all TurboSaver users: Welcome to the Upromise TurboSaver Ad-for-Cash Video Contest.  Here's the deal.  We want you to help us explain what TurboSaver is and how you've used it to earn college savings.  Create an ad and you could win $1,000 in your Upromise account.

Important:  Be sure to read the entire contest rules attached below.  But here's a few to get you started...

-  Help us tell others what TurboSaver is and/or how you use it to earn college savings.

-  Try to keep it to around 30 seconds.

-  Remember, you must vote for at least one video other than your own.

-  You must enter and vote by 11/16/09.  The top ten vote-getter will be the finalists.  The winner will be determined by an internal panel of judges.

-  Be sure to read the complete contest rules before entering.

That's the scoop.  So get your cams powered up and your creative juices flowing.  Be funny, be informative and instructional, it's up to you.  Just do whatever you think will help to creatively explain how TurboSaver works and how you use it to earn college savings.

Good luck!

Once you've read the complete contest rules attached below, click here to proceed to the contest entry page.

UPDATE 9/15: Within the next few days the winner of the trip to Mexico will be known. Look for the announcement here, under the Upromise Insider, along with news on upcoming contests and giveaways.

UPDATE: Today, 9/9, is the last day to enter and vote in the Upromise Summer Fun Photo Contest.  After today the top ten vote-getters will move on to the final round at which point a panel of judges will select the winner.  Stay tuned!

Have you checked out the Upromise Summer Fun Photo Contest entries?  Take a look, vote for your favorite and enter your own by 9/9 for a chance to win a trip to Mexico from Funjet Vacations!

Click here for contest details and to see all of the photo entries.

Happy September, everyone.  Here are some of the eCoupons available for your September saving pleasure.

Buy any one (1) Bounty Paper Towels six (6) count or larger, save

$1.00 for college

Buy any 1 Charmin MegaRoll, save $1.00 for college

Buy any 1 Spray 'n Wash, save $0.50 for college

Buy any 2 jars of Beech-Nut®  Homestyle Stage 3 baby food,  save

$1.00 for college

Buy any 1 package of HUGGIES or HUGGIES Supreme Diapers, save $1.50 for college

Buy 3 Similac Ready to Feed Infant Formula, save $5.00 for college

Buy any 3 packages of  Beech-Nut®  Let's Grow toddler food,  save $1.50 for college

Buy any box of Krusteaz Waffles, Pancakes or French Toast featuring CoroWiseTM For A Healthy Start To Your Day, save $1.00 for college

Buy any one (1) Weight Watchers® Frozen Novelty, save $1.00 for college

Buy any 1 Chiquita Bites Multipack or Family Pack, located in the produce section, save $2.00 for college

Click here for the complete list of eCoupons for this month.  Be sure to come on over and activate them before you shop.

For an automatic entry, download TurboSaver, your online savings reminder.  That's right, by downloading TurboSaver you'll automatically be entered for a chance to win one of ten $10,000 prizes in the Upromise $100k College Dream Sweepstakes.  But remember, the sweepstakes ends today, 8/31/09, at 11:59 PM EDT. Click here for details.

Watch Toledo-based Upromise members Tom and Penny Wilson as they were featured in a Super Savers segment on WTVG-TV (ABC) in Toledo.

UPDATE: Here's a video tutorial on Go Card USA, a Upromise partner offering discounts on fantastic destinations across the country.  And read on for more information on getting out and about on a budget.

Go Card USA is a pass that provides you with general admission to many tours, sites, museums, and other attractions at discounted prices.  In Boston, the Go Card includes unlimited free admission to more than 70 attractions, (the Duck Tour and Aquarium are two of my favorites) and red carpet treatment at select attractions (no waiting in ticket lines!).  You also get a snazzy guidebook and savings of up to 20% at certain shops and restaurants around the city.

So take a look and enjoy the last few weeks of Summer and beyond with Go Card USA.  And here's the best part...you can earn 3% for college when you shop through Upromise and purchase one of these handy cards.

And be sure to check out Go Card USA's deals for Chicago, New York, Las Vegas, Orlando, and many other destinations.

Welcome to the Upromise Summer Fun Photo Contest!  Submit your best summer fun photo between now and 9/9 for a chance to win a trip for four to Mexico (see details below).

Here's the deal:

1) First, be sure to read the complete contest rules attached below.

2) Head on over to the contest page, submit your best summer fun photo* along with a brief caption of 20 words or less.

3) Vote for an entry other than your own in order to be eligible to win (again, be sure to read the attached document detailing the complete contest rules).

And then here's what will happen next:

The ten entries that receive the highest number of votes (or credits) between now and 11:59:59 p.m. ET on September 9, 2009 will be the finalists.  And an internal panel of judges will then select a winner, to be announced on or about September 16, 2009.

Check out the contest gallery here to view the pics and enter your own for a shot at the big prize!

*This is how to submit a photo:

First, click the "New Entry" button.

Second, click the image upload icon

Third, write a caption of 20 words or less and click the post button in the lower right corner.

And finally, be sure to vote/credit at least one entry other than your own.  You can vote for an entry in the gallery where you see all of the photos displayed together (see example 1 below).  Or click on the photo and then vote for it (see example 2).  Here are the two icons you can click to submit your vote:

example 1

example 2

That's it.  Click here to proceed to the contest page.  Good luck!

Funjet package giveaway - four travelers (2 adults & 2 children 18 years old and under):

• Flight + 3-night stay at Iberostar Paraiso Maya Resort (All-Inclusive) in Riviera Maya Beach, Mexico
• Private transfers
• Maroma Paradise Beach Tour as well as a Tulum Ruins & Xel-Ha Tour

Valid for travel Sept 2009 - Sept 2010

Maroma Paradise Beach Tour:

With something for every member of the family, this tour blends action and adventure with snorkeling and rides on a speedboat and an ATV. Guests ages 16 and older on the tour will get to drive their own speed boat and ATV! Enjoy lunch on the beach while taking in beautiful ocean vistas and cool breezes. With snorkeling, speed boat riding and ATV racing all part of the package, this unforgettable adventure tour is the perfect choice for the active traveler unable to decide. Spend the day at the beautiful beaches of Maroma where you will sail across the waters on the Mexican Caribbean on board your private speedboat; traverse the lush mangroves and colorful flora of the jungle and snorkel amidst colorful coral formations and vibrant undersea life. Taking advantage of all that the white-sand beaches and crystalline waters of the Mexican Caribbean has to offer, this fun-filled tour provides fun and sun for every member of the family.

Tulum Ruins & Xel-Ha Tour:

Explore the amazing views of the only Mayan fortress built by the sea which was used by the Mayans as port of entry for Caribbean goods. Combine this cultural visit with the pleasure of swimming and snorkeling at Xel-Ha lagoon. Xel-Ha, one of the largest natural aquariums, is an experience you cannot miss. Also available for an additional cost is "Swim With the Dolphins". Tour is not wheelchair accessible. Tour includes: round-trip transfers, continental breakfast on the bus, 2 hours at Tulum, 4 hours at Xel-Ha with lockers, towels, meals, drinks, snorkel gear and bilingual guide.

As a parent of two with a third due in September, I'm all too familiar with the need to keep the family busy and active while sticking to a budget.

With that I'm pleased (and relieved!) to point out one of our partners that I recently discovered that will solve all of my problems.

Go Card USA is a pass that provides you with general admission to many tours, sites, museums, and other attractions at discounted prices.  In Boston, the Go Card includes unlimited free admission to more than 70 attractions, (the Duck Tour and Aquarium are two of my favorites) and red carpet treatment at select attractions (no waiting in ticket lines!).  You also get a snazzy guidebook and savings of up to 20% at certain shops and restaurants around the city.

So take a look and enjoy the last few weeks of Summer and beyond with Go Card USA.  And here's the best part...you can earn 3% for college when you shop through Upromise and purchase one of these handy cards.

Click here to see Go Card USA's deals for Boston, Chicago, New York, Miami, San Diego, and many other destinations.

Take a look at this video of Ellie Kaye, America's Family Financial Expert as she talks about back-to-school savings tips and the new Upromise World MasterCard from Bank of America.

Welcome Summer with a listing of back to school savings, deals, coupons, and sales.

It's stocked with a listing of online stores offering back-to-school savings, with an easy way to search alphabetically, by college savings amount or by special offers.  And you can also find what you need by selecting one of the age-specific categories - elementary, middle, high school, and college.

Enjoy the second half of summer along with these great ways to save money for the upcoming school year.

One more thing before you go...we've set up a discussion thread for sharing back-to-school scores, finds, deals, tips, or whatever's on your mind related to back-to-school.  Click here to share, ask or simply window shop.

UPDATE: Change your email address by 7/13 to match your Upromise.com email address.  This has been extended through Monday.  Please read on for details on how to keep your community screen name as we transition to a new sign in system on 7/14.

...

Original post:

On 7/8 you will lose access to your Community account if your email address does not match your Upromise.com email address.  Please be sure to do that today.  Really, we don't want to lose you!

This change is part of Wednesday's move to a single sign on system.  One of the benefits to this is when you're logged in to your Upromise.com account you'll also be logged in to the Community at the same time.  It eliminates the need for a separate login.

You may have seen me post about this over the past several weeks in the community.  And if your email address does not match the one you use for your Upromise.com account, then you also received the email below.

So again, please be sure to make the change.  Otherwise, beginning on 7/8 you'll no longer have access to the screen name you've been using.  Instead you'll have to select a new screen name and you'll no longer be associated with your previous history in the community (including past posts).

Here's the email with instructions:

On July 8, 2009, Upromise will begin using a new sign-in system. You must take action in order to remain a member of the Upromise Community.

To ensure a smooth transition, please follow these directions:

Upromise Members:

In order to maintain your Community screen name/handle, make sure your Upromise Community email address matches the email address in your Upromise account. If it doesn't, click here to change your Community email address.

Community Members Only:

If you are not a Upromise member, you will need to become one. Join Upromise today so you can continue to post or comment in the Upromise Community. Be sure to use the same email address you are currently using in the Upromise Community.

Questions?

Contact us with questions at communitycare@upromise.com or call 1.888.434.9111
Monday – Friday 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM Eastern Time.

Thanks for being a part of the Upromise Community.

Sincerely,
Jeff G.
Upromise Community Manager

www.upromise.com/community

UPDATE: As of 6/30 approximately 500 out of the original 5,000 remain.  See details below:

Special offer for Upromise members only! Install TurboSaver, our online savings reminder tool, and you could get $2 in Upromise savings.  Valid only through the end of June and for the first 5,000 downloads.  Click here for complete details.

Regarding your email address, please read this today and follow the instructions below...

Very shortly we'll be changing to a single sign-on system.  That means the username and password you use to login to Upromise.com will be the same you'll use for the Community site.

The good news is you'll soon have fewer usernames and passwords to remember.  And if you're already logged into Upromise.com you won't have to log in to Community as well.

The most urgent and important part of the announcement:  In order for this to work and for you to maintain your Community screen name/handle, make sure your Community email address matches the address you use for your Upromise account.  If it doesn't match, you can change it here:

http://community.upromise.com/upromise/user_profile

Please be sure to do this today.  Thanks and let me know if you have any questions.

And now here's Maria Bailey of NewBaby.com interviewing Amy of SelfishMom.com.

Here's Maria Bailey at Upromise's Tuition Tuesday event in NYC interviewing Kim Orlando of TravelingMom.com.

Watch as Maria Bailey of NewBaby.com interviews Amy of LIParentSource.com.

Also participating in Upromise's Tuition Tuesday event in NYC was Maria Bailey, co-founder of NewBaby.com, author of The Ultimate Mom and mother of four teens.

Bloggers attending the Tuition Tuesday event in NYC yesterday included, from left to right, Amy of SelfishMom.com, Kristen of ElmCityParent.com and Amy of LIParentsource.com.

Tuition Tuesday kicked of the Upromise Tuition Tales video contest.  For more details and to enter, visit www.tuition-tales.com.

Upromise member Esti brought her son to the Tuition Tales event in NYC yesterday.  Esti is the founder of Primetime Parenting at primetimeparenting.wordpress.com.

Here's another photo of Caleb Shreve and his mom Melissa here at the Time Warner Center in NYC this morning.  Caleb won last year's Tuition Tales contest with a music video, which he later peformed on MTV's TRL show.

This morning I had the pleasure of meeting Michael and his three-year old daughter Diana.  Michael has been a Upromise member for seven years, since the birth of his son Jeremy.

Check back again soon for a future blog post about Michael and his family.
 

This morning we unveiled what may be the world's largest piggy bank, built by inner city students shown here at the Time Warner Center in New York along with David Rochon, president of Upromise.  More details are available below the photo.

As part of the Tuition Tales launch, 75 disadvantaged inner city students, ages 5-14 years old, are building the world's largest piggy bank as a symbol of the importance of saving for college. The students participate in afterschool programs conducted by LeAp, a non-profit New York City-based educational organization.  Containing the student artists' hopes for the future, the piggy bank which aims to be in The Guinness Book of World Records, will be 14 feet tall, 22.5 feet long, and six feet wide.

Click here for Tuition Tales contest details.

Here's Maria Bailey, host of www.MomTalkRadio.com and author of the The Ultimate Mom, speaking this morning at the Upromise Tuition Tuesday event.

Tuition Tuesday kicks off the Upromise Tuition Tales video contest.  For more details visit www.tuition-tales.com.

Here's family financial planning expert Ellie Kaye speaking to the Tuition Tuesday audience at the Time Warner Center just moments ago.

Here's David Rochon, president of Upromise, speaking moments ago about the Tuition Tuesday and the Tuition Tales video contest.

I'm here at the Time Warner Center in NYC for the Upromise Tuition Tuesday event, which kicks off our Tuition Tales video contest.  Here's Caleb Shreve, the winner of last years contest, warming up to perform the song he played in his winning video.

The entries for our Messiest Room Contest were nothing less than a hot mess!  But with Kmart®, Homz®, Sears®, The Container Store® and Target® gift cards on the line for the winner, our members had good reason to put their reputations on the line and let it all hang out - literally!

From trash covered dorm rooms to empty soup cans on bathroom floors, Upromise members were more than willing to share their disaster areas for a chance at the title of "Messiest Room".

Where were contests like this when I was growing up?  Back then, the prize would have been a one way trip to my room and free stay there until the mess was clean!  Anyhow, congratulations to our winner babycat1216.  She submitted a photo of her kitchen which was, well, to put it nicely, a sure winner!

Congratulations babycat1216 and thanks to all of you Mr. and Mrs. Messes for your sloppy submissions!