Back to School with Bluebird

This is the third in a sponsored series of posts about Bluebird by American Express.

Well, we did it. Shopped for school, that is. Each year I think it's the most taxing thing I deal with. This year was actually a little easier. I have a tendency to micro-manage the kids and it can be overwhelming for all of us. With a Bluebird account, however, it was far easier with at least one child.

I set her up with her own sub-account on Bluebird and set a daily limit - which was also her back-to-school limit. I let her know how it worked, told her the dollar limit and stepped back. Not only did she get what she needed, she actually did better than usual!

Happy with her "stuff" and her Bluebird card!

This is a huge deal here. She has difficulty making choices so I expected the same as always; that she would come to me after an hour whining that she couldn't find anything within our budget. Imagine my shock as she showed up at our meeting spot with an armload of clothing she really liked.

I'm sure I could have done this in years past, but with the actual dollar limit enforced by the Bluebird account, there was no mother giving in at the last minute so my daughter could buy that one thing she just "had to have!" It was wonderful and her independence level is increasing as well.

I also used it for our first week back to school menu and kept in budget (came in under!) with it as well.

See any recipes you need? ;) Let me know!

As for me, the Bluebird account and card worked just as my bank account works, but without the extra fees. I didn't do direct deposit, but it's available, and with that there are even less fees. The mobile app keeps me connected at any moment so I can check on my own balance and my daughter's balance. If I need to deposit a check, I can snap a photo and send. Easy as that.

I honestly don't know that I'll switch over completely as I haven't had enough time yet to put it to the test as I want, but it's very possible. Overall I really like having an extra purchasing source on-hand and my favorite aspect, if you couldn't already tell, is the sub-accounts. I have one other child I'll most likely be adding an account for as well. I think it's a great learning experience for them and it takes a little bit of the shopping burden off of me.

Check out Bluebird by American Express at your local Walmart and grab a kit for $5 or sign up online for free like I did. It's fast, it's easy and it's worth it. Read up about Bluebird for yourself at the website and get started today!