upromise | The Mommy Insider

The importance of receiving a quality education cannot be measured specifically in dollars and cents. While many people have price limits on products and services they purchase, the return on investment in obtaining a degree from a credited university far outweighs financial costs associated with reaching that goal. It is estimated that over an adult’s working life those with bachelor’s degrees and master’s degrees earn more in salary than adults with high school diplomas, approximately $1 million and $1.4 million in additional income respectively. Individuals with doctorate degrees and professional degrees command significantly higher earnings potential as well.

The dilemma many prospective students encounter, however, is obtaining the funds required to finance their college education. Over time, the annual cost of attending college has increased considerably as tuition has risen by nearly eight percent each year. Can you believe that.. 8%! Although scholarships and financial aid are available, few applicants are accepted, leaving a majority of people unable to advance their academic development. Parents that desire to provide their children with a better future by sending them to a respected college often experience a greater financial struggle than the students. Either poor planning, job displacement or other unforeseen events have created the inability for parents to afford college tuition.

Upromise provides a program that assists individuals in realizing their goal of higher education. While many financial institutions promote savings and investment plans, Upromise offers parents the ability to build their children’s college fund through a unique and simple process. Upromise provides participants the option to accrue funds by accessing their purchasing power.

Shopping online or at grocery stores, dining at restaurants, or purchasing particular items through the use of available coupons enables participants to earn a percentage of money spent. Money is deposited into an account to be applied towards future educational costs. Additionally, family and friends can assist in the program simply by what they purchase. With over 800 online stores, 8,000 restaurants and thousands of grocery and drug stores, saving for college has never been easier. It’s never too early to start!

Useful upromise links:

How upromise works
upromise college planning resource center
Ways to earn using upromise

Disclosure: I am a paid upromise college savings ambassador. All opinions are 100% my own and were not influenced in any way.

I am a huge fan of shopping.. but I also love saving money! I prefer to save more (way more) than I spend and I try to teach my kids the same.

I have told my 12 year old son many times that we will not be paying for his college education and that he must earn his college education by making good grades. College is just about 7 years down the road for him and that’s not long. I signed up for Upromise when my son was a baby and I am glad! I can’t believe how quickly these years have gone by. Not only is he 12 years old but I’m a mother to a 12 year old! That’s almost more shocking to me. He’s going to be driving in the next few years and then off to college he’ll go.

Upromise by Sallie Mae is a program that offers shoppers cash back towards collage savings, on certain purchases. Everyday shopping that you do at the grocery store, toy store, book store, and even eating out can put money into your child’s college fund.

Upromise is offering some great deals this holiday season and for 10 weeks Upromise is featuring some pretty amazing cash back bonuses throughout the holiday season through their Holiday Savings HotSpot. They are offering 10%, up from 3%, off at Sephora this week (ends 11/17) so if you love Sephora as much as I do, you’ll want to jump on this deal!

You probably already shop at Toys R’ Us, Macy’s, Brookstone, Sears, Target, Apple Store, Best Buy, Land’s End, Home Depot, and The Disney Store so why not save for your child’s college fund at the same time by shopping through Upromise?

Crazy, cool upromise goodies!

If you aren’t a member of Upromise yet, you can sign up here. You’ll get $5.00 in your account when you sign up and there are no fees.
For those of us who shop online a lot (raise your hand), you can download the Upromise Internet browser tool bar, TurboSaver. This toolbar will search participating retailers sites that you visit, for coupons and discounts. How easy is that?!

Through December 13th, all shoppers at Upromise will be entered into a daily drawing for a $500 Apple gift card!

A brief overview of 529 college savings from my point of view:

Parents should start saving early for their children. But even if college days are soon approaching, getting even a little bit of a head start on tuition and additional college expenses will be beneficial. One of the most popular college savings resources available is a 529 college savings plan. A 529 college savings plan allows families to save a significant sum of money in an account designed specifically for college funding. Upromise makes it easy for parents to save for their child’s college education just by purchasing the same every day items they always do. 529 plans may be one of the most effective means of saving for college because of the tax benefits and because parents, grandparents and others can contribute on behalf of specific students. You can learn more about 529 college savings plans on Upromise here.