10 Ways Parents Can Prep Financially for Back-to-School or Zoom-School Season

child coloring on a table with parent in background with laptop
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As the nation wrestles with the pandemic, it’s also battling the back-and-forth debate of how to handle back-to-school season this fall.

Even if schools do open, 58% of parents don’t think their children should go back.*

They’re also planning to spend even more money during home school or “Zoom-school” because indoor activities will be needed to keep children learning and entertained at the same time. More “busy work” to keep them occupied as well as more snacks, groceries, water, and sanitizing products too.

Obviously all these costs will add up. And if your financials could use a little boost to help prep for this uncertain school season, here are some useful (and fun!) ways below.

1. Get Up to $55 Per Win Popping Bubbles

Make consistent extra money playing Bubble Cash, where you match 3 bubbles of the same color until you clear the board. It’s popular, too, since the game is frequently ranked within the Top 10 in the App Store with a 4.6/5 star rating with over 74K+ reviews!

Win free cash when you collect enough gems to enter practice tournaments, and then win MORE when you enter the higher stakes tournaments (there’s a small entry fee for the bigger tournaments).

“Finally, a game that isn’t a scam! I won $71 yesterday on Sunday, and today on Monday, it was already in my Paypal” – Mzmari

Play for free now, and then switch to cash games to increase your winnings whenever you want. Obviously, this won’t make you rich, but 100% worth it compared to other games that don’t pay.

2. Get Free Money Back on All Your Shopping Hauls

Check your pockets; check your purse. And keep receipts for your iPhone.

Just grab all your recent receipts from your coffee runs, grocery trips, restaurants, and gas station fill-ups, scan them into Fetch Rewards on iOS, and earn points for free money! Connect your email account, as well, to count DIGITAL receipts from Amazon, Instacart, and more.

Basically, snap a pic of your receipt from anywhere, and that’s it; you’ve got points for money. There’s no minimum spend, no need to select items manually, scan in any receipt from any store or gas station, and it’ll automatically reward you.

It’s free and easy to use and is a must-have iOS app for anyone who buys stuff!

3. Free Rewards Program Gives Out 7,000 Gift Cards Daily

There are a lot of survey programs out there, but none are as popular as Swagbucks, a free rewards program where you can earn free cash for your time and opinion. They’ve paid out over $885 million to their members already and they’ve been in business for 15 years.

Earn points for doing surveys, online shopping, uploading receipts, and playing fun games then redeem the points for free gift cards to Amazon and Walmart or choose PayPal cash. 

New members can get a free $10 just for signing up, so join the other 10 million members already part of Swagbucks and start earning free rewards!

4. Please Spot Me Up to $2001, So I Don’t Get an Overdraft Fee!

We got you. Or, more specifically, Chime ® has your back; the award-winning mobile financial app and debit card will have you saying goodbye to overdraft fees!

That’s because their SpotMe®️ tool can literally spot you up to $2001 without charging a fee as long as you receive qualifying direct deposits.

You need qualifying direct deposits of at least $200 a month into your Chime Checking Account to qualify, and one of the easiest methods is to route your paycheck there so you don’t have to think about it.

Other perks:

  • Get paid up to 2 days early3 with direct deposit
  • Get 2.00% Annual Percentage Yield (APY)4 with the high-yield Chime Savings Account5
  • Access to a new way to build credit history with the Secured Chime® Credit Builder Visa® Credit Card6
  • FDIC-insured up to $250,000 through The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC.7 (it’s safe!)
  • No minimum balance, no monthly fees, and no foreign transaction/transfer fees

Sign up for Chime and say goodbye to overdraft fees and other benefits!

5. Over $55,000 Paid to Members Daily - Join for Free

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It’s about time you got paid for your opinions, right? It’s free and fun with Survey Junkie, which pays you with PayPal, gift cards, or directly to your bank account. Members get paid every day, and they’ve already paid out $76 million so far, so join to get your share!

“It’s easy to use, and you can get paid the same day. I really like that you can make a little bit of extra money,” Gabe L.

Just follow these simple steps:

  1. Click here to sign up for a free Survey Junkie account
  2. Take surveys
  3. Repeat daily and get paid; there’s no limit!

It only takes a few minutes to join Survey Junkie but remember to verify your email address.

Completing each survey earns you 20 to 100 points. Each point is worth one cent, and when you hit 500 points (or $5), you can cash out, which is one of the earliest cash out points we’ve seen!