You have made the commitment to homeschool your children and so your family has chosen to live on a single income. God has blessed you with everything you need, but the rising costs of gas, food and health care are giving you occasional moments of budgetary heartburn. We know what it is like!
Below are a handful of the sites and programs we’ve found online that can help you save a buck or two.
On to the good stuff...
Freeflys – Everyone likes to get free things and this site is devoted to just that: sending you free samples of all kinds of things. In their own words:
“FreeFlys.com collects hundreds of freebies throughout cyberspace and offers them straight to you. Shampoo,coffee, make-up, candy bars even over the counter medicine. Whatever you’re looking for, you can find a freesample of it. Name brand products line the virtual shelves of FreeFlys waiting for you to give them a try.”
Comment: I just learned about this one and haven’t tried it yet. Sounds very interesting, but I think their “forums” section is a bit useless. Seriously – who needs to see a discussion board devoted to “Relationships” on a site devoted to freebies?! Not me. It makes little sense in light of what they do. Plus, the comments seemed juvenile.
Next site…
greenpoints.com – This site is the electronic version of S&H Green Stamps (remember those?!). You earn “greenpoints” for making purchases with a number of well-known online stores and services (like LifeLock, Shoes.com, 1-800-CONTACTS, iTunes and more) and then you can redeem those points for FREE stuff. There is no cost to join.
According to the info we found on their site, they also have participating grocery stores in New York, New Jersey and North Carolina – but none yet in Florida. Bummer.
Comment: This site is good for those of you who make a regular habit of making purchases online. You earn these “greenpoints” at a rate of 20 per dollar (usually), so over the course of time you can earn something from their rewards selection.
Speaking of points...
MyPoints.com – I guess you could consider this one the competitor to greenpoints.com. Like greenpoints, these points are earned by shopping online, as well as participating in surveys. Your points can be redeemed for similar merchandise and gift cards. Unlike greenpoints, mypoints doesn’t appear to have any grocery store participation and they seem to make much greater use of email marketing. I seem to receive a couple a day, which I honestly don’t always appreciate or read. You earn fewer MyPoints per dollar than you do with greenpoints, but a single MyPoint seems be worth more than a single greenpoint, so it seems to work out in the end.
Next site…
Homeschool Freebie of the Day – This site promises to make available a new “freebie” every day (Monday thru Friday). Each of the items that are made available for free would be of appeal to homeschoolers. Examples given on their site include: Unit Studies, Ebooks, Audio Programs, Games, Samples, Lesson Plans, classic books, and other quality resources.
Comment: For a homeschool family on a budget, this seems like a nice, easy way to acquire some useful materials from time to time.
Last one for today…
National Payment Card – Prices at the pump making you sick to your stomach? This Florida-based company may be able to ease the pain a little. They offer a unique service that allows you to pay for fuel (at a discounted rate – usually 3¢ to 5¢ per gallon) at participating fuel sites using your driver license or a valid loyalty card. Using this form of payment, they claim that the fuel station owner can pass savings on you to because they do not have to pay credit card fees on that transaction.
Comment: I’ve tried this one and it works. Fortunately for me, there’s a participating station near my home. Your mileage may vary (pun intended). I recommend that you check our their site for yourself and make your choice.
Thanks for stopping by. We’ll be writing about more sites in a future post.
If you have a favorite cost-saving site that you’d like to share, drop us a note or write a comment. Don’t be shy! We’d love to hear from you so that we can share with others. This site all about homeschoolers helping each other.