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Garrelts family photo (Amy, Elizabeth, Max, and Claire)

Members of the Garrelts family, which includes Chris (the unseen photographer), his wife, Amy, and their three teens (Elizabeth, Max, and Claire), saved $35 per ticket at Universal Studios Hollywood — plus another $1,200 in unforeseen cell phone repair costs, all thanks to their checking account powered by BaZing.


By Chris Garrelts

As a father of three teenagers — I know, pray for me — I’ve become an expert at spending money. While it’s expensive raising kids, it’s also very fulfilling. 

Over the years, I’ve found that my bank account’s benefits help me save both time and money. Let me give you a couple of examples. 

BaZing has helped save me more than $1,200 in the past three years alone simply by protecting my 15-year-old daughter’s cell phones. See, Claire is on quite a streak — she’s managed to ruin a cellphone each year for the past three years. 

  • The first time, Claire jumped in the pool after a bee scared her. (Unfortunately, her phone was in her hand at the time.)
  • Next, she left her phone on the back porch. We got two inches of rain that night.
  • The third one was the best; Two days before we were set to go on a family vacation to California, Claire followed the advice of a YouTuber who recommended putting the phone in the microwave to charge it.

    (I’ll be honest; I’m not sure about this next generation.) 

In all three instances, I took Claire’s damaged phone to Sprint (now T-Mobile), where I had to buy a replacement that cost $450 — each time. Luckily for me, BaZing covered $400 of each new phone (minus a $50 deductible). Needless to say, my daughter was happy, as was I! 

Oh, and during that West Coast trip, BaZing helped us save big at Universal Studios Hollywood. A $35-off-a-one-day-pass discount we found in the app meant that our family of five saved another $175 on just that one outing alone! My kids love the Harry Potter ride and dad loves saving big.

I always thought it was essential to have a free checking account where I didn’t pay fees. Now, when people talk about free checking, I tell them my bank gives more than free — they give me peace of mind and save me money on things I am buying. 

Yes, my checking account has a small fee ($6/mo), but it’s the best account I’ve ever had, thanks to the savings. In my house, we think of it like Amazon Prime. I pay $10/mo for that service, but it pays for itself just in free shipping. 

I can’t stop telling my friends and family about all the great benefits of BaZing. With so many families struggling these days, what better way to help them than to teach them how to save money on things they buy (or need) every day. 


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My BaZing account also includes ID Theft Protection as well as local deals — which allows us to support local businesses during the pandemic. BaZing has been great to my family and me. 


Chris Garrelts is regional director at StrategyCorps. For more information about BaZing (or how to save money while parenting a teenager), connect with him on LinkedIn, send him an email, or give him a call at 913.481.5719.