Box Tops for Education are a great way to help your school earn extra money for items like books, much needed school supplies and more! Find out my tips and how to get extra bonuses for your school.
Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #EarnWithBoxTops #CollectiveBias
If you have a kiddo in school, surely you’ve heard of and collected Box Tops for Education tops! They’re not just on boxes anymore–check butter containers and the plastic wrapping for products. Each top has the value of $0.10 for your school and they’re collected twice a year. Even if you don’t have child in school, you can donate them to someone you know. We have churches and grandparents who send them in.
I have been helping with Box Tops for Education at our elementary school for 4 years now. Even before the girls were in school, we would save them to give away to friends and family. Since they’re on numerous products we purchase regularly, they add up quickly!
Right now at Walmart, there are TONS of Box Tops products with bonuses on them. Plus, if you upload your Walmart receipt on the app, you get a bonus $5 for your school! You simply need to buy (at least) 5 participating items before January 31, 2018. (Download here: iTunes | Google Play)
Here are some bonuses we found:
- Honey Nut Cheerios™ – Family Size (2 large boxes)
- Yoplait® Original Fridge Pack – 4 Strawberry / 4 Harvest Peach
- Mott’s Medleys® Fruit Snacks – Family Size 40 ct.
- Nature Valley™ Crunchy Oats ‘n Honey Granola Bars – Value Pack 24 ct.
- Totino’s™ Combination Party Pizza Pack – 4 ct.
- Annie’s™ Cheddar Bunnies – 6 ct.
- Pillsbury™ Toaster Strudel™ – Strawberry 12 ct.
- Old El Paso™ Taco Dinner Kit
The tops are easy to find, just look on all sides of the package…Most are on the flaps!
Tips for collecting Box Tops for Education
Get the kids involved! When we are shopping, my kids look for products with Box Tops on them and when they’re helping with the recycling, they make sure to check containers for Box Tops. Let them know they’re helping their school and each one counts as money! My girls even notice bonus labels now.
Make a storage container. I re-purposed an old jar to just hold Box Tops. This keeps them in order for when it’s time to hand them in and the kids know exactly where to put them! I highly suggest something with a lid on it.
Supplies needed:
- Clean jar with lid
- Yellow all-purpose paint + foam paint brush
- Gray/Black washi tape. We liked one with glitter.
- Spray glue
- Pink/red glitter for “eraser”. We used a combo of light and dark.
- Find a clean, dry glass jar with a lid on it. This is a mason jar with a reusable plastic lid.
- Slowly pour yellow paint into jar, rolling to coat. We found a foam brush helpful. Allow to dry for at least 4 hours.
- Add gray/black washi tape to bottom outside of jar.
- Spray lid with glue (also you could “paint” glue with another foam brush). Over newspaper, sprinkle glitter to coat. Allow to dry.
- Voila! You have a super cute Box Top container that you’ll never lose! I had some Box Tops stickers from school to add a finishing touch.
Use the Box Tops app for bonuses…like the Walmart deal I mentioned. They always have extras! Last year, the Box Tops for Education phone app was introduced and I couldn’t have been more excited. This is a simple way to get bonus Box Tops for the school without much effort. The parents seem to enjoy it too. Best part: all bonuses are on top of the Box Tops found on the actual product you purchased…like a double whammy for your school. 🙂
Check expiration dates before handing in. Unfortunately, you can’t hand in expired Box Tops, so having to sort through and look at dates takes a lot of extra time for your coordinator. Trust me!
Trim them neatly. No, they don’t have to be perfectly cut out…but please don’t send in the WHOLE box. Yes, this happens! The coordinator has to group the Box Tops into 50, so if you’re open to doing that, go for it–just put them in a plastic snack baggie.
If you’re a coordinator, be sure to take advantage of the website. There’s a wealth of information and downloads available to you. I have found parents don’t respond well to the download sheets at our school, but some schools love them. Through trial and error, you’ll figure out what works best for your school… you’ve got this!
Do you collect Box Tops for your school? Any tips you can add?
A good and easy way to fund raise for schools. Thanks
Thanks for sharing such an informative article.