Completely Hassle-Free Holiday Shopping... with Benefits!

I'm one of those people who, given the opportunity, will make a competition out of just about anything--even when there's no one to compete with but myself. It keeps things interesting. Example: think I can't fix that broken towel rack? Watch me! (all said in conversation to myself)

So now that the holidays are upon us--although it is a tad bit late for those of you who are the more conventional brick & mortar shoppers--here's a little challenge I typically put myself up to: shop for everyone on my list (usually 15+ folks--not including those (ugh!) obligatory work/school/childcare gifts) in 24 hours or less without leaving home! If you really know me, you know this is no challenge at all. Why? Because a) I let my fingers do the walking on my keyboard at the speed of light; and b) I belong to www.upromise.com;

Upromise has been a great little "friend with benefits" for saving for my kids' education. The beauty of it is, you shop online just as you would normally, and automatically (provided you shop via the Upromise site/links) a percentage, from 1% to 10% or more of your purchase, is dumped into your Upromise account. It sits there and collects until you either have it electronically transferred to a 529 account, or you withdraw it via snail mail check to deposit into an account that's not directly linked to Upromise. (check out the site for the specifics...)

And here's some other Upromise perks... Your everyday purchases (groceries, gas, restaurants, etc) may be eligible for savings--provided you register your grocery store savings card, your gas credit card, and your primary credit card numbers, it's all automatic and you can track how your purchases are adding up to savings online. You can also have your family and friends register and have their purchases benefit your little ones' futures. Not bad.
I've been a member since before my first was born (yes! you can register your child in utero!!) and now the "deposits" keep coming on auto-pilot...

Oh, and yes, my shopping's done. No malls, no parking hassles, no food courts. I'm just sitting back sipping my coffee and waiting for the boxes to arrive via my UPS guy....