Here's an example: Tops Friendly Market, my favorite grocery store, may not have the best prices compared to Aldi's or Save-A-Lot, but they sure do offer great benefits for shopping in their store. For example, I get a point per dollar I spend, which converts to a certain amount of cents off per gallon when they're running their special gas campaign. So, when I spend $100, I get $.10 off per gallon, but you can let them accumulate through the duration of the campaign, and we've actually made it up to $1.00 off per gallon. And, you're getting an extra benefit for spending the same money you would have spent in their store. However, you're not going to get the gas points if you shop at Aldi's or Save-A-Lot.
Mission Tuition is essentially the same type of program, only you have to purchase through their participating merchants, and you will receive a specific amount toward college costs. I skimmed through their list of merchants and their must be hundreds of stores participating in this program! Circuit City, Sears, Payless, Groupon, PetCo, Best buy, New York and Co., each one listed with a specific percentage "cash back". While Best Buy is only 1% cash back, Blue Dolphin.com Magazine Superstore shows 24% cash back. Either way, like the Tops example I used, if you're going to spend the money in that merchant's store anyways, you might as well get the extra benefits that come along with it!
You sign up for the Mission Tuition program and every time you shop at one of their participating merchants, and Mission Tuition will deposit your rebates into a college savings account. You won't even miss the money, because you are going to spend it anyways, right?
For those of us who find it difficult enough to financially support our children until the age of 18, saving money for college without even knowing it is a major plus! We all want to know that we can afford to send our children to college! Mission Tuition wants to help us save the money without actually paying out of our already tight budgets into a college savings accounts.
If you know of any other programs like this, please let me know!
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