This post is sponsored by RetailMeNot.
Now that Dash is in kindergarten, one of the first things we celebrated was not having to write a check every month for preschool. I, of course, immediately transferred savings and had us remodeling our bathroom in no time, but here’s the thing about kids: they get more expensive as they grow. And a little money leftover in one area tends to send a secret message to a need somewhere else that suddenly reveals itself. End of diapers savings passed the torch to the beginning of preschool monthly payments, and now preschool savings will pass the torch to orthodontic needs and extracurricular activities that might as well just be advertised with “Give Me Your Wallet” signs.
(loving lacrosse, but gear isn’t cheap!)
That said, we know the drill (hang on a little longer, bathroom dreams!) and foresee certain times of the year as more expensive, and back-to-school is definitely one of them. Not only do our kids need school supplies, but we tend to update their wardrobes a little this time of year, buying the next size up (we are finally out of 5T in this house!) as well as paying sign-up fees for activities and purchasing necessary equipment.
The good thing about all this is that I’ve been doing it for a long time, and I’ve learned many tools and tricks that help us save money. I’m good at finding deals, “free shipping” is my love language, and I get a rush of adrenaline handing my phone to a cashier and watching them scan a discount code that knocks $7 off my bill. We’ve used RetailMeNot (I have the app on my phone) many times to hunt for deals, coupons and promo codes we may have missed, but this year they’ve upped their savings game by doing even more deal hunting work so you don’t have to. As usual, you can save up to 70% off clothing, electronics, school supplies (lots of Staples deals!) and more at your favorite shops; but now RetailMeNot offers Genie, a new browser extension you can install (quick and easy, you can add it here) so that the promotions and coupon codes are automatically found, combined and applied at checkout. This is great for easily distracted people who get all excited about a great promo code but then finish checking out only to realize they forgot the very promo code that sealed the deal. I mean, not that that’s ever happened to me, but…you know, a friend.
So, this is what it looks like–you’re shopping on the site of a favorite store, and a little Genie message pops up to let you know RetailMeNot found savings they can apply at checkout. You click “apply,” and boom–nothing more to do at checkout to earn your savings.
We used RetailMeNot to find Dick’s Sporting Goods deals for Lainey’s lacrosse (oh my gosh, the uniform, the mask, the stick, the mouth guard, the practice ball, the little drawstring sports bag she wanted to carry everything–so many things!) and saved $20 plus free shipping.
We’ve also found great deals on Best Buy, Macy’s and more through RetailMeNot.
Over time, these savings add up. They help us pay dentist bills and transfer to swim lessons, vacation funds and impromptu ice cream dates on Saturday afternoons.
If you want to try the new RetailMeNot Genie extension, RetailMeNot is offering a $500 Visa Gift Card to one lucky winner. To enter for the chance to win, visit RetailMeNot.com/Genie and install the free browser extension. Then visit your favorite online store and comment on this post with the discount you’re most excited to use.
The latter brought me to compiling this list so instead of poking around Netflix for something good to watch or trying to remember what movies go well with chili and cornbread, I can pull out my trusted favorites. I’m not a big T.V. watcher and rarely sit on the couch for longer than ten minutes, but I love going through my fall/winter repertoire of movies from September on. Whether it’s putting one of these movies on in the kitchen for a Saturday session of pumpkin bread baking or huddling together as a family for our 
