• VSP Vision Care has a national Eye Pledge campaign that provides a free eye exam and glasses to kids in need, through the Boys & Girls Club of America. Visit See Much More, click on "Eye Pledge," take it, select a Boys & Girls Club and share with friends. For every pledge, VSP is donating an exam and new pair of glasses. Nice!
• Retail Me Not is giving away a $5000 shopping spree, plus $5000 to the school of your choice; it ends 8/31.
• Already, I'm wondering how I'm going to top Max's car wash Halloween costume from last year. I'm thinking a plate of spaghetti. Hmm. Meanwhile, I've got some scoop on a cool way to find costumes for free. Swap.com and the nonprofit Green Halloween are teaming up for National Costume Swap Day, on Saturday, October 8. Read more about it here.
• HP is having back-to-school specials on ink—25 percent off. Like HP's Facebook page, go to the "Ink - Welcome" tab and click on "Inkology" to get the deal.
• Del Monte Fresh Produce is running its second annual Teacher Monday: Cash For Classrooms program. It encourages kindergarten through 12th grade teachers to incorporate healthy living messages into class activities. Sixty teachers will each win $750 in cash and $250 in Del Monte fresh fruit coupons for purchasing school supplies and fruits for their kids. Teachers have to register online by November 6; let yours know!
• A new site, Simplee, helps you understand, track and manage medical bills for free (like me, I'll bet you have a few of those. JUST. A. FEW.). You create an account, then enter log-in info for your medical, dental and vision insurance sites. Simplee pulls all claims into a dashboard, and you can get summaries of spending and details on claims. What the site won't do: Get the insurance rep on the phone to explain why they have been holding your claims hostage for months. For that, you need patience, endurance and sometimes, a big mouth.
