Barnes & Noble Saves the Day #BNSchoolSavings

DISCLAIMER: This post is sponsored by the Barnes & Noble MasterCard, powered by Barclaycard. All opinions are my own.

The last couple of months have been full of some amazing new milestones. My "baby" turned five, my husband and I celebrated fifteen years together and my only daughter graduated high school and recently started college.

At first, things were going really well. We got her moved in, no problem. Her room mate is really cool, she loves her classes, her rug looks amazing with her comforter and she is already familiar with where each of her classes is located.

Everything was going swimmingly, until I talked to her about a week ago and she tells me she still doesn't have a few books she needs. Books?! Dang it!!! We thought of everything else, but we forgot books. We even remembered toilet paper and band aids. How did we forget books?!

What could have been a huge disaster (like a college kid four hours away from home with no money or car, huge), luckily was not, thanks to Barnes & Noble. Of course you know Barnes & Noble has all the newest books, but did you also know they carry new and used school textbooks?

After getting some info on the book she needed, I looked it up on the Barnes & Noble site and sure enough they had it and it was about $30 cheaper than anywhere else I found. I ordered the book, had it sent directly to her dorm room and it was there in a matter of days. Tragedy averted.

While I was able to save the day this time, what if wasn't a book she needed? What if it was something really serious? What would she have done? What would we have done? With her being four hours away, I will always have fears, but there are a few steps we can take to make sure she has a back-up plan, next time. Say "hello" to my back-up plan.... The Barnes & Noble Mastercard.

The Barnes & Noble MasterCard is a great credit card for parents and college students purchasing textbooks and supplies during the back-to-school season (and beyond). You will get 5% back when you use your Barnes & Noble MasterCard to buy school supplies and textbooks at any Barnes & Noble store, BN.com and at campus Barnes & Noble bookstores.

That 5% at back-to-school time can really add up. A recent study by the College Board shows the average cost for books and supplies last year was $1,225 at public colleges and $1,244 at private colleges. Using the Barnes & Noble MasterCard for those purchases at campus Barnes & Noble bookstores or at BN.com could give you an immediate $60 savings.

You will also receive a $25 Barnes & Noble gift card after your first purchase with the card and you will receive an additional $25 Barnes & Noble gift card every time you reach 2,500 points. (1 point = $1 spent) The best thing, in my opinion: there is no annual fee for the Barnes & Noble MasterCard. So you can use it if you need it, if not, just forget you have it. No worries.

While letting go of your favorite (only) daughter is never easy, you can ease your mind, knowing she has a back-up plan, in case of emergencies... and no, Kaylee, Dunkin Donuts is NOT an emergency.