Saving Money

Do Fund Raising Discount Cards Really Save You Money?

I grabbed my wallet on the way to answer the door. I knew who it was, and why he was ringing my doorbell. It was the son of a family member who is playing football for the local community college, selling discount cards as a fund raiser for the team.

Image courtesy of digitalart at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

We had told his mother to have him stop by, so we really couldn’t say, “No,” at this point.

We get several visits each fall from high school and college kids selling similar discount cards. If it’s someone we know, we buy one to help out their team, club, or whatever organization they’re raising funds for.

Then they usually end up at the bottom of our kitchen junk drawer never to be used.

They usually cost $10 or $20, so it’s not like it’s huge amount of money. It doesn’t bother me much if we don’t use the card because I view it more of a donation than as a way of saving money. But this time I decided to try to get the most out of my discount card. I wondered if I could save enough money to make my $10 discount card worth my while.

I scanned the sixteen businesses that offered discounts on the card, and found three business that I already use. I then estimated how much I would save using the discount if I didn’t alter my shopping habits:

1. Oil Changes: $10 off an oil change, limit 3 uses. Within the one year the card is valid, I would most certainly use all 3 uses. Total potential discount: $30.
2. Broadway Pizza: $4 off any two topping pizza. We go to this pizza place about once every 6 months, and always get a pepperoni and sausage pizza. Total potential discount: $8
3. Holiday Gas Stations: $0.05 cents off per gallon. I run my van near empty before I fill it back up. I filled up on Friday and used the card earning a 94 cent discount. If I got the same discount for 52 weeks, my potential discount would be: $48.88.

Adding up these three discounts, I would earn $86.88 from buying a $10 discount card.

My purchase helps the football team, local businesses get promotion, and I save some money. Sounds like a win/win/win scenario to me!

Do you buy fund raiser discount cards? Have you ever calculated whether they are worth it?

Brock Kernin

Brock is a software engineer by day and personal finance blogger at night. He is a fitness junkie and enjoys grilling and smoking meat. Married with two children,  Brock strives to improve his skills as a husband and father, and is always on the lookout to stretch his family’s budget as far as he can.