The following is our guest Thrifty Thursday post from the The Suburban Mom. She lives in the heart of Suburbia, and her life revolves around her suburban family.
Couponing is fun. It is fun to get an amazing deal and even free items, but what is one family really going to do with dozens of deodorants or body washes? So do you call it quits when you have successfully stocked your shelves? Nope. Once you have gotten everything you need for your family, it is time to use your resourceful (read – thrifty) spending habits to help those less fortunate.
When you get cheap and/or free items decide if your house will use them, if not, create a donation stockpile. Find a place to store your extra deals for when a charitable opportunity arises.
At any given time, I have a good stock pile of personal hygiene items (toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, shampoo, etc) that I know my family will never use that I got for free or just pennies. I keep these things in a bag in my laundry room so they are ready when the time comes. For example, when the earthquake struck Haiti, a local organization collected personal hygiene items to send to the victims, I cleaned out my donation stock pile and donated everything. I felt great about helping, but I was also able to make a generous donation without any money outta pocket.
Another way to use turn your thrift shopping habits into donations is to use $10 off $10 or $5 off $5 coupons that more and more stores are offering lately. These coupons are awesome for stores you regularly shop at, but what about coupons for stores you never shop? Use them to buy something to donate. For example, I had a $10 off $10 coupon for JCPenney, but there was nothing my family needed (that the coupon worked for) so I used it to purchase a pair of shorts and a polo for the back to school drive that my moms’ club holds every fall. Even though school is just getting out now, come fall we will be hunting for clothes for kids for back to school. Paying just $0.88 out of pocket, I have a cute outfit ready for the drive. Not only did I get a great deal, but I won’t be pressured to buy something full price at the last minute to make sure we have donations.
The moral of the story is to use your thrifty shopping to plan ahead and create a stockpile. Just like your personal stock pile, use your donation stockpile when need arises so you won’t be tempted to splurge later.
A Note from Coupon Teacher: You know how I feel about donating! If you can afford to get a few extra cheap or free things, you can surely fine someone who can use them!
Do you have a Thrifty idea? Did you save a ton of money this week? Do you have a Thrifty deal you want to share?
If so, please leave a comment or link up below!
Please leave a link back to Coupon Teacher so that we can all share ideas.
This is linked to Life as Mom and Madame Deals.
I disclose: There may be affiliate links in this post.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
That's a great idea!
Our church has a foodbank Sunday every two months, and I'm going to change how I prepare for that.
Annie Kate
Thanks for including me Coupon Teacher!
Annie – good luck preping for your food bank, not only will you be able to give more, but it will be fun too!
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