UPromise compiles tips for back-to-school shoppers

Back to School by RyanRules

Thanks to Budge reader Bethany for sending this tip in.

Bethany writes that, "according to the National Retail Federation, 56% of back-to-school shoppers are hunting for sales this season." I immediately got stuck on that percentage, as large as it is. Only 56%? Are the other 44% looking to buy the most expensive pens possible?

But I digress. In response to this statistic, Bethany says Upromise, with the help of family financial expert Ellie Kay, has put together some tips on ways to make the most of your back-to-school budget. Shoppers can find online deals and coupons on everything from school supplies, clothing and college dorm essentials, in addition to earning 1-25% back in rewards toward paying down student loans or saving for college.

The full press release follows. Thanks, Bethany!

Upromise by Sallie Mae Teaches Consumers How to Boost College Savings with Back-to-School Shopping

Newton, Mass., July 16, 2009 – Upromise, Sallie Mae’s saving for college program, is providing parents and college students lessons on how to earn and save money for higher education this back-to-school season. On Upromise.com/backtoschool consumers can save money on school supplies, clothing and college dorm essentials when shopping online at more than 650 of their favorite retailers and earn money back for higher education. The site features online deals and coupons, tips and tools to help save and plan for college including advice from America’s Family Financial Expert Ellie Kay. By shopping Upromise partners, downloading the Upromise TurboSaver or using the Upromise credit card, members can increase their college savings far beyond the nearly $500 million earned to date.

“Upromise was founded with the mission of helping to make college affordable. Members have put away nearly half a billion dollars for college simply by shopping any of the more than 650 Upromise participating companies,” said David Rochon, president of Upromise. “Most families need supplies and other items such as backpacks, shoes or clothing to start off the new school year. Millions of smart consumers earn college contributions whenever they make everyday purchases and watch the savings add up.”

In addition to providing 1 to 25 percent back on eligible purchases, Upromise offers the following resources this back-to-school season:

* Shop –Upromise credit card holders can save money on all purchases and on average earn seven times more than members who don't. Also, by downloading TurboSaver, members will be reminded of college savings opportunities when shopping online.
* Learn –Upromise has partnered with America’s Family Financial Expert Ellie Kay. As a mother of seven children, three of whom are currently attending college loan-free, Ellie provides tips on ways to save for and reduce college costs. A host of college planning resources, such as a college savings and budgeting tool and information on investment options, can also be found on the site.
* Share – Families and students facing the challenge of saving and paying for college can connect with like-minded members by joining Upromise’s Community, finding Upromise on Facebook and following Upromise on Twitter.
* Win – Beginning July 26, 10 new or current members will win $10,000 in the second annual Upromise College Dream Sweepstakes. By downloading the helpful TurboSaver tool, families will automatically be entered into the contest.

For additional information on using this back-to-school season to jumpstart a college savings strategy, visit upromise.com/backtoschool.

Food - the Neverending Budget Bender

Ever since I started collecting ideas for this blog, I've noticed that the area in which I'm most constantly looking to cut costs is buying food. Fast food, groceries, dinners out, snacks ... they seem to add up more than anything and, indeed, it can be more expensive to eat healthy than otherwise.

Here are a few of the little tips and tricks I've noticed lately - I'll try to keep these coming. Leave a comment if you have a suggestion of your own, too!

- When grocery shopping, take note of the freezer case at the end of the frozen foods aisle. It often has clearance and sale items inside that have been cleared out to make room for new product.

- McDonalds iced tea, unsweetened or sweetened: This is my favorite realization lately. A large iced tea at McDs is $1. A medium, mind you, is $1.45. Go for bulk! (Also, Dunkins just added a .99 - cent breakfast menu. Double score).

Mass Media Jumps into the Savings Race

Advertisers have been pretty quick about responding to the economic crisis we're in, making their spots more diverse, more price-centric, and often, funnier or more engaging -- perhaps to keep us in their minds and their stores as much as possible.

The media has been quicker to point out how bad it is - but I have seen a few bright spots. One such spot is on my local NBC affiliate, WWLP - which runs a 'Ways to Save' feature every evening. It's good news, in both senses of the term.

Here's one such piece on car-washing savings tips, by reporter Jackie Bruno:

It's made from corn.

My budget tip for entertainers? Popcorn.

Seriously! A lot of us have gotten away from the simplicity of popcorn in today's convenience-fueled climate. We think it's time consuming and complicated to make stove-top corn from kernels, but in fact, it takes just a few minutes, is much more inexpensive than microwave popcorn or even JiffyPop, and creates less waste, too.

Here's the recipe, give it a shot:

Buy one bag of popcorn kernels -- I only paid $1.65 for a two-pound bag of a store-brand variety.

To make one batch of popcorn,

Add three tablespoons of cooking oil to a cooking pot with a cover. Stock pots don't work as well.

Set on stovetop on medium-high heat. Measure out 1/3 cup of kernels. Add one kernel to the pot - once it pops, the oil is ready for the rest. Add the corn an cover the pot - remove from heat as soon as popping slows.

In the meantime, in the microwave or on the stove, melt one-to-two tablespoons of butter. Honestly, one is enough. Add the butter to the popcorn, cover and shake to coat. You can also shake in a paper bag for ultimate coverage (and fun!).

Salt to taste, enjoy. One batch makes about 4.5 cups of popped corn. Nom. Seasoned salt is also good.

Got Loans?

Graduates by Pocklock

If you have student loans through a company like Sallie Mae, you may be able to enroll in UPromise not to save money for the future, but to pay down an existing loan.

Sign up is quick, and you can link a UPromise account directly to your loan account. Then, whenever you make purchases at certain retailers and restaurants, both online and IRL, a percentage of the sale is subtracted from your loan balance.

UPromise even made it a little easier by developing an application that, once downloaded for free from their site, automatically finds and highlights eligible retailers during a search online.

We don't think you're crazy, Dawn.

Photo courtesy of mokolabs.com

Dawn of Daybreak1012 writes Budge:

"People think I am crazy when I say this, but it never hurts to call your cable provider to inquire about new promotions. Promotions generally run 12-24 months. When my bill makes a significant jump up because a program ended, that's my cue to call."

Dawn goes on to note that she went from paying $140/month (increased from the previous promotion of $125/month) for digital cable with DVR, high speed internet, and phone service with unlimited long distance to paying just $109/month, locked in for 24 months. That was for the same service, plus 12 free months of HBO & Showtime and a boost to her internet service.

"Just because I called to inquire about the available promotions," she said. "It took about 15 minutes of my time. The cost & promotions will obviously vary from provider to provder, but they are out there--you just have to ask for them."

Thanks, Dawn!

Get Minty

TexasLauren77 suggested Budge look into mint.com , which offers a free personal finance tool that downloads, categorizes, and graphs all of your finances automatically every day— so you don’t have to.

Sign-up only takes a minute, and after you choose a username and password, you have the option of linking mint to all, one, or some of your bank, credit, and investment accounts. This takes a little bit longer, but after the accounts are synched, your expenses are automatically tracked and updated.

mint also offers tips to save money, tracks what merchant receives the bulk of your dough on a weekly basis and keeps an eye on trends. But after setting up an account and watching mint in action, I think the best aspect of the site is the at-a-glance dashboard it creates of your finances. You can easily see which accounts carry high and low balances without visiting multiple Web sites. mint is great for business owners, too - you can view income versus debt, and mark purchases that may be reimbursable.

Thanks for the tip, Lauren! Keep 'em coming!

America Runs Low on Dunkin' (sorry, Dunkin.)

All Hail the Mighty, by A Glimpse of Life

Shawn at TooheyWorld suggested that Budge look into the cost of a coffee run -- more specifically, a Dunkin' Donuts run -- and how much eliminating that expense could save.

It's a valiant suggestion coming from a guy who loves Dunkin' Donuts so much he uses their logo as his buddy icon on flickr. But also a good one. According to FlexNews, a medium cup of hot DD coffee costs about $1.75. In searching for more information online, I stumbled on this neat little Coffee Calculator that does the work for you of figuring how much money you're chugging away each year.

I used the relatively conservative variable of one cup of $1.75 coffee each day, during a typical work-year ( the average American works 250 of 365). Those factors add up to $437.50 a year. The calculator works for other daily expenses, too - a $6 lunch every work day costs $1,500, and a $6 pack of cigs everyday is $2,190. My husband and I figured out that one of our common purchases, two, 2-liter bottles of soda about five days a week from the convenience store near our house, amounts to $750 a year.

What does your daily ritual add up to?

Saving is Spreading

Peace in Style, WriterJax

There seem to be budget-conscious blogs popping up everywhere lately, and I couldn't be happier. Jeanne at Social Mindfield has just started the Budget Babes Brigade on her blog, for instance, and Erin launched Simple Ways to Save.

I think the preponderance of blogs like this probably comes from our heightened awareness of things around us that can help ease the financial burdens of this tough economic time. As bloggers, we love to share our ideas, and what better medium than the Internet?

One of the best tools to help us spot deals and steals is on the Interwebs, too: GasBuddy lets visitors search for the lowest gasoline prices in their area, just by typing in a zip code. I was reminded of GasBuddy earlier today, when I saw the long lines of cars at the gas station advertising $1.99/gallon. I was thinking how great it would have been to make that pit stop with a little advance notice, and arrive at the front of the queue!

Chicken - meal with wheels

Here's my foodie finance tip for the week: Buy a full chicken, either uncooked or prepared at your grocery store (my local grocer offers pre-cooked chickens called Super Birds for about $10), and you've got at least three meals in the bag.

Day one: sliced chicken;

Day two: pick the meatier pieces that are left over off, and throw them in the blender or food processor with a few tablespoons of mayo, a little bit of lemon juice, a dash of salt and pepper, and a jigger of white vinegar (I've never been one for measuring). A little Jamaican curry powder or another favorite spice goes a long way, too. Serve with salad or as a sandwich;

Day three: boil the carcass with a few cups of water until the remaining meat falls off the bone, discard the bones, and add a box/can of chicken broth and whatever pasta and veggies you have in the house.

Voila: three gourmet meals in one. Bon appetit!