Ring. Ring. Parents- It’s UPromise Calling to Save You!

 Are you scared of ringing phones? If you are, it’s likely you have a college student. That ringing phone can only mean one thing- a request for cash! This is enough to break most parents into a cold sweat picturing how much it will cost when they answer.  Late night calls from college kids can translate to seemingly endless unexpected financial needs.

Here are some blood curdling samples I’ve heard:

1. I owe $80 in parking tickets but the towing bill is even worse!
2. I’m stranded in x-place, (which will no doubt be a high crime area, full of gangland activity)
3. It’s just a little tattoo, but it cost way more than I planned.
4. My school books are paid. I wrote a check for only a $100 more than I have in the bank.
5. Its ok, you don’t need to send money. I can go without food this weekend.
6. The hotel wasn’t that trashed. I don’t know why they charged our band $200.00.
7. Someone robbed our dorm. They took all my gas and food money, but at least I still have my Ipod.
8. What does, “Overdrawn” mean? (see also, “What does NSF mean?”)

Sigh. What’s a parent to do to prepare for these unforeseen financial bumps in the road? Is saving money a real hardship right now? Odds are, you aren’t alone. Many parents are having economic trouble these days. It might be all you can do to stay afloat, much less bail that kid of yours out fiscally.  How do you save college money for these things?

Your salvation comes in one simple word: UPromise.

Here’s how it works:

1. Go to their site and make an account. You’ll need basics, (i.e. name, address, phone, etc).
2. Then Upromise asks you for the name of a college student you’d like your cash back money to go toward. What’s this?
3. Simply enter the name of a student or a potential student (you don’t need school codes or social security info).
4. Click on the “grocery ecoupons” tab once you’ve created your account.
5. Select the coupons for items you normally buy, (i.e. brand name groceries, beauty and health care).
6. Attach these coupons to nearly any store check cashing or members card, such as CVS, Kroger’s, etc by entering the card i.d number when prompted.
7. Print list of coupons.
8. When you shop, the selected items will earn college money for your child, grandchild or (even yourself if you’re going back to school).
9. Choose whether you want a check mailed, deposited in a college savings account or applied toward a federal student loan.
10. Save for college every time you shop!

I was hesitant at first, assuming these would be for products I’d never use or buy. Happily, I was wrong! Who doesn’t buy paper towels, cereal or pasta, to name a few? UPromise is every parent’s best friend for college prep!

November’s sampling of the selected ecoupons are:

11/03/2009	Bounty Paper Towels	Buy any 1 Bounty Paper Towels 6 count or larger, save $2.00 for college	$2.00	11/30/2009	NOT REDEEMED 1
11/03/2009	Bounty Napkins	Buy 1 Bounty Napkins, save $0.50 for college	$0.50	11/30/2009	NOT REDEEMED 1
11/03/2009	Charmin MegaRoll	Buy any 1 Charmin MegaRoll, save $1.00 for college	$1.00	11/30/2009	NOT REDEEMED 1
11/03/2009	Charmin Plus Lotion	Buy 1 Charmin Plus Lotion, save $1.00 for college	$1.00	11/30/2009	NOT REDEEMED 1
11/03/2009	Charmin Fresh Mates	Buy 1 Charmin Fresh Mates, save $1.00 for college	$1.00	11/30/2009	NOT REDEEMED 1
11/03/2009	Krusteaz	Buy any 1 box of Krusteaz Waffles, Pancakes or French Toast featuring CoroWiseTM For A Healthy Start To Your Day, save $1.00 for college	$1.00	11/30/2009	NOT REDEEMED 1
11/03/2009	Krusteaz	Buy any 1 box of Krusteaz Waffles, Pancakes or French Toast, save $0.50 for college	$0.50	11/30/2009	NOT REDEEMED 1
11/03/2009	Fisher Snack Nuts	Buy any 1 Fisher Snack Almonds, Cashew, Mixed Nuts and Pecans, 5 oz. or larger, save $1.00 for college	$1.00	11/30/2009	NOT REDEEMED 1
11/03/2009	Fisher Baking Nuts	Buy any 1 Fisher Chef’s Naturals Baking Nuts 4 oz or larger, save $0.55 for college. Create confidently with Fisher Nuts	$0.55	11/30/2009	NOT REDEEMED 1
11/03/2009	Snyder’s of Hanover	Buy 2 Snyder’s of Hanover Tortilla Chips 16oz, save $1.50 for college. Visit us on line at www.snydersofhanover.com to learn about our products, join the pretzel eaters club, enter a sweepstakes, and much more!	$1.50	11/30/2009	NOT REDEEMED 1
11/03/2009	Snyder’s Grande	Buy any variety of Grande Tortilla Chips 12oz, save $1.00 for college. Grande Tortilla Chips are prepared the old-style way to deliver hearty flavor and a satisfying crunch! Look for them in Midwestern retailers!	$1.00	11/30/2009	NOT REDEEMED 1
11/03/2009	Snyder’s Padrinos	Buy any variety of Padrinos Tortilla Chips 12oz, save $1.00 for college. Padrinos capture the hearty flavor of real stone-ground corn, providing a light crunch texture filled with wholesome goodness. Sold in CA retailers!	$1.00	11/30/2009	NOT REDEEMED 1
11/03/2009	Wacky Mac	Buy 1 Wacky Mac Multi-Shaped and Multi-Colored Pasta, save $0.50 for college	$0.50	11/30/2009	NOT REDEEMED 1
11/03/2009	No Yolks	Buy 1 No Yolks Egg White Pasta, save $0.75 for college	$0.75	11/30/2009	NOT REDEEMED 1
11/03/2009	Wacky Mac & Cheese	Buy 1 Wacky Mac & Cheese Dinner, save $0.50 for college. Look for Wacky Mac & Cheese Dinner in the Kosher aisle of your grocer.	$0.50	11/30/2009	NOT REDEEMED 1

 

Simply reload each month. Print a list and buy your groceries. You’ll be saving for that kiddo and keeping in budget at the same time!

Quick notes:

• These take up to sixty days to reflect in your account.
• You can stack these with manufacturer’s coupons to really save. You’ll still get the full cash back toward college, while saving cash up front.
• Super stack the rewards by coupling with a rewards credit card, such as Discover More.
• While UPromise has their own credit card, I’d advise against it. Too many cards can play havoc on FICO scores if they carry a balance. Plus your deals are still better with major credit card cards like Discover!