A big shout out to the awesome folks at General Mills for sponsoring today’s post! As you all know, my son recently started preschool. We’ve got his keepsake shirt created and handprinted, his art smock ready and personalized, and his chalkboard prop and requisite photos taken….and momma here is still a little misty-eyed three weeks in!

Now that I’ve been in school mode for the first time as a mom, I’ve been thinking about ways I can help support Rowan’s school, because supplies ain’t cheap! One of the easiest ways I’ve discovered doesn’t require any extra cost on my part, and involves only minimal work….and by minimal I mean just a few snips of my scissors.

It’s simply collecting General Mills products with Box Tops for Education tabs that our family already buys and enjoys…..I know, so simple!

A Rookie Box Tops for Education User’s Guide!

The Box Tops for Education Program

I’m a total rookie to the Box Tops for Education program, so I’ll lay it all out here for my fellow newbies:

A Box Top is that cute little graphic featuring some pink, purple, and white with a yellow pencil that you’ve probably seen a million times on the packaging of tons of different products at the grocery store. The tiny pair of scissors on the left tells you what you need to do to it.

Each Box Top is worth .10 cents for your kid’s school.
- Some items even come with BONUS box tops that can really up your donation power!
Over 80,000 K-8 schools participate in the program (you can go here to see if your kid’s school is enrolled).
Schools can use their Box Top reward money to purchase ANYTHING they need: supplies, playground equipment, field trips, technology, and more!
Since launch in 1996, they’ve contributed over $525 MILLION to schools, making it one of America’s largest school earnings loyalty programs.

So How Can You Help Save Money for Your Kid’s School??

This is the best part: it’s so easy to participate and earn your kiddo’s school some cold hard cash! We moms are all busy wearing lots of different hats and being pulled in every direction, so quick and easy is the name of the game, amiright?

Look for the cute little Box Top graphic.
Cut out each Box Top and start collecting them.
Turn in your collection to your kid’s school.
Your school will then submit all donations and receive FREE money!

Wham-o Jam-o! That’s it! Yep, just look for the Box Tops on items you’re probably already buying, then just cut ’em out and turn ’em in!

Since Rowan is now entering his schooling years (*insert sad mommy-missing-her-baby face*), I want to try and do everything I can to give him the best educational experience. This is just one easy way to do that….and did I mention that it’s super simple?

Look Out for BONUS Box Tops!

Sometimes you can snag items that have Bonus Box Tops too, which can really up the donation power. Right now, there are a bunch of different specially marked General Mills goodies available at Walmart that have FIVE Box Tops on each package….wahoo! This helps us make a great start to Rowan’s collection.

Rowan and I recently took a trip to our local Walmart store to scope out these Bonus Box Tops items and there’s a huge selection to choose from: breakfast, lunch, & dinner items, as well as tasty snacks.

As you can see, he was excited to find them on some of his (and Mommy and Daddy’s) favorite treats. We think these “Chi-Chi’s” are the bee’s knees…..did you see what I did there? ;)

Now I’m kicking myself for not starting to save these babies years ago….we’d have a small fortune collected for sure! It’s such an easy (and free!) program to take part in, and Rowan’s school can use the donated money for great things that can have a huge impact on all students.

Box Tops Collection Reminder Magnets & More!

Anyone can collect Box Tops, not just parents of kiddos in school. That’s why I’m going to recruit our grandparents, aunts/uncles, and friends to start collecting their Box Tops too since their pantries are probably already home to a bunch of General Mills goodies….they can add up to big money!

Because a little friendly reminder never hurts (and since fridges are usually the command center for most families), I’ll be sending some magnets I whipped up to family and friends to encourage (and remind) them to help build Rowan’s Box Tops collection.

Check out my full tutorial as well as the FREE cut file and printable so you can make your own! The printable can also be used to add a little decoration to school bulletin boards, posters, newsletters, as stickers or mailing inserts, and more!

So are any of you rookie Box Tops for Education users like me? Maybe a seasoned veteran? Let us know if you have any tips for collecting lots of these babies!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of General Mills®. The opinions and text are all mine.