College – SnipSnap

Recently, I got the chance to catch up with Anne Cahalane from MomsThoughts. Anne hosts a no-holds-barred radio show about everything on every mom’s radar: kids, family, parenting, relationships, social media, and pop culture. Her personality is totally fun and completely contagious, which is probably why she’s gained a following of over 10,000 fans on Twitter. Anne’s also a prolific blogger; but busy MomsThoughts fans can get their fix by taking Anne’s podcasts with them on the go. Anne’s a super-mom, so she knows how to save – but, recently, parent-child roles reversed when her teenaged son taught her how to save a money using SnipSnap! I loved getting the chance to talk with Anne about how she balances motherhood, work, a successful podcast, and a love of social media. Here’s what she had to say:

My name is Anne and I am known in social media circles as “MomsThoughts.” I warn everyone that I always have an opinion and I am not afraid to share it. My passions in life begin and end with my children. They are everything to me. I also enjoy theater, music, photography, politics, pop culture, and my guilty pleasure: Bravo’s Real Housewives shows.

“The MomsThoughts Show” was just a natural evolution. At my daughter’s urging, I joined Twitter about 4 years ago. I fell in love with the networking and all the really cool people I met. My tendency to over-share led to opportunities for a radio show. I enjoy having the opportunity to interview and learn more about people I admire. My topics and guests are chosen solely on the basis of who is interesting to me! My hope is they also interest others and, so far, it’s a winning strategy. I really get a kick out of doing this.

Of course, my website takes my over-sharing even further with my blog. I love to write. I employ the same strategy here and write about what interests me. This includes: theater, Real Housewives, the return of my favorite “soap operas”, etc. But what I really love doing on my website is reviewing products and sharing tips. Basically, I love connecting with people. That is really the bottom line.

What is my parenting philosophy? I guess it is “Lead with Love.” I believe as parents we have a responsibility to raise competent, caring, self-fulfilled adults. I think we have a sacred obligation to our children and God to do everything possible to ensure our children realize their fullest potential. That can be difficult, exhausting and even heartbreaking at times. As a single parent, I find it especially challenging to be firm in disciplining my children, but I know it is my responsibility. I require a lot of them which can be hard at times. I want to jump in and do it all for them, but I know it is far more important they learn to do things for themselves. I am so very proud of the people my children have become.

My daughter Cait is 19-years-old. She just finished her Freshman year in college. She is a talented singer and student. She just made The Dean’s List! I could not possibly be more proud of all she has accomplished. My son Ryan is a 17-year-old Junior in high school. He is an old soul with a wicked sense of humor. He does an amazing job of balancing school work, volunteer work, and a demanding part-time job, while enjoying a very active social life. Of course, both of my children have both always been required to help out around the house too! The most important lesson parents should teach their children? Be responsible and be kind.I am not great at traditional couponing, honestly, either because I can never keep clipped coupons organized or because I never remember to bring the right ones to the store. But I love saving money; I actually hate when I have to pay full price for anything! I have always been careful with money, but, as a single mom with one child in college, I find it even more important to save money whenever I can. I despise waste. I tend to only buy something if it is essential – and then I use it fully.

Since I am not great with cutting coupons and then remembering to bring them to grocery stores, I save money in other ways. I love using phone and computer apps. We enjoy traveling, going out to eat, going to see good theater, movies and concerts. I use hotel and travel sites. I use a credit card with reward points for hotels. I use Groupon and other group rate sites for discount tickets. I shop sales! If there’s a great sale, I’ll use it to stock up on things.

I learned about SnipSnap from my son! He has always had a taste for the finer things in life. He knows that I do not usually like the price that accompanies his tastes! Now that he is working and paying for a lot of things himself, he is well aware of the value of a dollar. It was like music to my ears when he told me about this app! He now, finally, “gets it”: saving money is good and smart! He actually came home the other night excited to tell me about how SnipSnap saved him money while he was out to dinner with his friends. What’s not to love about a 17-year-old excited to save money with coupons!

We all love technology and gadgets and we’re all about phone apps, so SnipSnap is perfect for all of us. My daughter is learning to live on a college student’s budget and saving money is crucial. Apps like SnipSnap make it so easy; you can’t lose. For someone like me, who can never get organized with paper coupons, SnipSnap is ideal. I am excited about all the money I will be saving! This is really the way of the future. Paper coupons are wasteful, tedious and archaic. The future is all about apps. In addiction to SnipSnap, I love using apps like Groupon, Deal Chicken, Hotel Tonight, Best Parking, Hotwire, BroadwayBox, Google Offers!

Thanks to Anne for taking the time out to chat with the Mo’ Money blog! Want more on The MomsThoughts Show? Make sure you “like” MomsThoughts on Facebook and follow Anne on Twitter!

Every September, I think about Pete, one of my Freshman college dorm mates, who signed up for about sixteen different credit cards his first week of school. He did this because they were “pretty” and he liked to take his collection out of his wallet 1) for show and 2) to spend – because, for all he cared, it was free money. I shudder at the memory. Poor Pete.

Attempting to learn financial responsibility in college is scary, but it’s a lot easier today with so many smart phone apps to help you shop savvy, manage your money, and save on the spot. And because college life is rich with ridiculous expenses (text books, overpriced food, and travel costs) it pays immensely to be a smart, smart phone shopper. Here are ten great apps to get you started:

Campus Special: Campus Special is a mobile coupon book that uses your phone’s GPS to locate restaurants and business around your college’s campus. You’ll get access to exclusive deals; you can redeem coupons straight from your phone, and you can even order food through the app and have it delivered right to your dorm door.
GasBuddy: Commuting to school? Taking weekend road trips or visiting friends at other universities? Gas can be a huge, unanticipated college expense, but GasBuddy lets you comparison shop for the best gas prices in your area, anytime, anywhere. (For a more extensive review of GasBuddy, click here.) Best part? The more you contribute to price updates, the more frequently you’re entered into a weekly drawing to win free gas.
Hotel Tonight: College life isn’t necessarily about advanced planning, so when you’re taking a spur of the moment trip and need a hotel that day, Hotel Tonight is your hero. You can get great deals, day-of, on rooms at participating hotels, and you can even book for more than one night. (For a more in-depth review on Hotel Tonight, click here.)
Tip N Split: You’re going to eat out a lot in college, which is great as long as you can count on everyone you’re eating with to play fair when tip times rolls around. That’s not always the case, but now you can easily split the tip based on everyone’s bill, in black and white, on your smart phone.
Red Laser: This app lets you scan any major retail bar code on an item in-store and instantly pull up price comparisons on that item online and in other stores near you, so you can make sure you get the very best deal on any item possible. You can order online through the app too, if the best deal is not in your immediate vicinity.
Wrapp: Want to give your friend a birthday present but can’t really afford it? Wrapp is a social, mobile gift giving app that lets you give free $5 an $10 dollar gift cards to your Facebook friends. It also lets you give more substantial, paid gift cards, and you can even split the cost amongst your other friends. (Read my review of Wrapp here.)
Mint: Mint is an amazing money management app that lets you keep track of your finances in one place. Mint links to all of your bank accounts and credit cards, creates budgets based on your actual spending, graphs your spending so you can see where your money is going, and reminds you to pay your bills on time.
BigWords: This text book buying app helps you score the absolute best deal possible on textbooks by searching top discount sellers on the web and calculating all coupons and promotions, plus buyback rates and more.
Starbucks: Starbucks and college go together but it can be an expensive combination. Register any Starbucks card online, and you can use it to pay for drinks through the app. Plus, for every 15 transactions on your Starbucks card, you’ll get a coupon for a free drink.
Groupon: Tired of dining hall food? Achy after slumping over your desk for 12 hours straight? Groupon lets you get in on great group rates so you can dine out or get a massage at serious discounts.

Are you a college student? What would YOU add to the list? Email me at liz@snipsnap.it!

Anne Cahalane from MomsThoughts: Teenagers Can SnipSnap Too!

10 Money Saving Apps for College Students