Thank you to Discover for sponsoring this post. The honest opinions are our own.
I remember my mom always used to make jokes about how she and my dad were the owners of 2 Daughters Taxi Service. I remember wondering how could it be that bad? It was just school, volleyball, basketball, gymnastics, track, softball, plays, choir, and more plays. All of these weren’t at the same time, so I recall thinking ‘it can’t be that bad, can it?”
Now Dave and I are starting to go through the same thing with Kora & Logan. I am guessing it is just going to continue to expand and get a little more difficult to figure out the logistics. At 7 & 6 the kids currently have about a third of the activities my sister and I had growing up.
I know that number will be rising soon especially when you throw in the new baby of the family, Yoshi dog, and her obedience classes and vet appointments, we are always driving them somewhere or driving somewhere to buy them all something.
We have had Yoshi for a couple of weeks now, but we have gone shopping for her more than I have gone shopping for myself in the last 3 months! On top of that, I swear Dave will tell me he is working later some days just to get out of driving everyone around (just kidding hubby! . . . kinda).
As a result, we are always trying to figure out a way to streamline our cash and miles by not driving around as much that’s why I’m excited to be a proud member of the Discover Preferred Blogger Program. I get the chance to share some tips about how parents can make their money go a little further.
With all this driving as a parent taxi service, it’s pretty easy to spend a lot of money on gas. One of our favorite ways to find the best prices for gas is the Gas Buddy App for our iPhone. We drive all around the city, why not get gas from the least expensive place? Sometimes I’ll be able to drop the kids off at their after school activities and head over to a local fast food restaurant or donut shop where I’ll use their free wifi to get some work done. We also love to use loyalty cards. Everyone has to buy groceries and a lot of grocery stores offer fuel discounts based on your monthly or quarterly shopping at their stores. On occasion you can also save money on certain products as a loyalty card holder.
Another great tip is to use a credit card that gives you cash back on purchases you are already making. As part of its quarterly 5% Cashback Bonus Program, Discover cardmembers can sign up to earn 5% Cashback Bonus on rotating categories such as gas, restaurants, home improvement and, next up, online holiday shopping on up to $1,500 in purchases from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31. Skip the trips to and from the store and shop online – it’s easier on your car and your wallet!
Also, you can save even more money just by shopping online through ShopDiscover.com, an exclusive shopping portal from Discover with over 200 online retailers that offer between 5% and 20% Cashback Bonus when you use your Discover card.
No one is perfect, but by trying to implement some of these things you will start to see some savings add up, and doing that may make that a special treat like a fancy coffee every now and then taste a little better!
Oh yes it will only get much worse! Just wait a couple more years and you won’t know if you are coming or going. Ha ha. You are smart to be using a cash back card when ever you can. It really is worth it in the long run.
Yoshi is so cute!!!! :)
Oh. I know how that’s like, shuttling kids around. :)
I remember days like this as well … i think it is enjoyable yet demanding but I wouldnt had it any other way.
How I remember the days of running the kids here and there! We would sometimes take turns with other parents to pick up and drop off the kids.
That is always the way it goes! lol Parents are a taxi service to their kids for sometime and oh my goodness yoshi is so cute!!
Gosh by the time my girls get big enough to need a taxi service I may need 10 jobs just to pay for gas! haha!
Just you wait…..it gets worse! My kids are 15 and 11 and they both take honors classes, he plays on the high school golf team and on a travel AAA hockey team. She does local community theatre, voice lessons, dance, student council, broadcast club and is a yearbook photographer. Throw in doctors, dentists, orthodonist, vet appointment, Homecoming dance, high school football games drop-off and more. It is crazy! I’m about to get a little relief when he gets his license in November, but then I get to worry! Hang in there….someday we will miss these days!
We did a lot of running around to our childrens activities too. We use Gas Buddy to check on gas prices and participate in our grocery stores gas credit program where if you buy certain items then you get credit toward gas the their gas station too.
We have used a card issued by a gas station that gives cash back on gas and other purchases. It all adds up!