Have extra brand-new toothbrushes lurking at your home that you’d like to donate to a good cause? Go here to read about an opportunity to donate them to a dental outreach for children in Honduras.
And while we’re on the the topic of giving, I’d love to hear what opportunities you’ve had recently to bless others with your free and almost-free coupon bargains. Tell us about your random acts of kindness and generosity in the comments section and let’s all encourage each other to take time to help out those in need!
Wow! There are sooo many generous people out there! At the beginning of the year I pledged to myself to spend a set amount each week for items to donate to our community food bank. I’ve been keeping records of what I donate, their cost to me, and their actual value (shelf price). Most of the items cost me no more than a few cents, so I am able to donate A LOT of food and toiletries for my money. Last week I did the math and discovered that the dollar value was 1000% more than what I spent, when comparing what I spent vs. the shelf prices. I was amazed.
Oh, and if you do not want to pay for shipping overseas, you can find a church or local support group for deployed soldier’s families. We have one at a nearby church, and all the shipping and most items are donated!!! The support groups usually ship once per month, and are always looking for items to include in the boxes! THANKS AGAIN! God Bless America!
There are so many responses, and I haven’t read them all, so forgive me if I am repeating what others have already said! Please keep in mind those men and women serving our country overseas! I have gotten so many great items for NOTHING or almost nothing, and I always ship them overseas! There is a great program, you can ship boxes to “any soldier”, and it will be dilivered randomly to our heroes all over the world. My husband is serving his second tour of duty in Iraq, and they are always in need of the items we have lying around the house not being used! THANKS!!!
This is totally simple, but I love when I see someone putting something in their shopping cart that I happen to have a coupon for. It’s fun to give them the coupon let them enjoy the free pickles, cereal, or shampoo etc. Most people seem so excited about a coupon with an overage!
My mother in law knows a family whose little 2 year old boy has eye cancer. In all of this the little boys mother found out that she was pregnant again and had another little one. Their medical bills are so high that they are having trouble paying for things like diapers, wipes and gas. So I just started this coupon thing and purchased a ton of size 5 diapers and wipes. The little boy is the same size as my son so I am going to make a box and give them to them tomorrow. I am also going to the store tonight with the remaining coupons I have and get the new baby some diapers too.
Since beginning couponing in mid March I have been able to get so many things for so very little. I’ve been able to share with my family and last weekend when our church hosted VBS our mission project was gathering things for a food pantry. I was able to bring lots of good things to start the children off with and encourage them to participate.
I give personal & HBA products to the Girl Scouts “April Showers” program in the spring for the local battered women’s shelters. We clean out our pantry in the fall for the Boy Scouts “Scouting for Food” program. Our church collects gifts for “Operation Shoeboxes” that go to poor kids in Mexico at Christmas time.
I’m hoping to find a local church who is gathering school supplies for needy kids too.
I heard that food pantries were short on Peanut Butter this year because the price had gone up so much. So with the awesome deal at CVS this week with BOGO plus the use of the Target printable, I was able to donate some to the Salvation Army for really cheap!
My husband and I are musicians and have been recording in Jake’s Place Studio in Charlotte, NC. What an amazing testimony he has. You can go to http://tashavia.blogspot.com/2008/07/ashlyn-hunter-her-fight-gods-grace.html to see what their last year has been like with his oldest daughter fighting leukemia. They are in huge hospital debt and we are so thankful to be able to give hims some business. Anyway, I had been praying about what to do with my overabundace and Jake’s family came to mind. I loaded up a whole box worth of CVS goodies for the family and you would have thought we gave them a stack of gold. It was so cool to see the look on their faces and their gratitude=)
Speaking of Honduras, my church (and many others) support a mission called “Little Hands, Big Hearts” in Honduras. They are always in need of vitamins to give to children, teens and pregnant moms. I haven’t picked up the Naturemade at Walgreens yet, but I intend to start passing on the excess vitamins to this organization. Your readers can find out more by visiting: http://www.littlehandsbighearts.net
My mom heads up a food pantry in southern Indiana. I give all of my excess to her for them to stock the shelves. I have also made shower gifts out of things I get for free…cleaning basket, makeup basket, etc. A lot of the time I just give things to my family members randomly and it keeps them from having to add those things to their shopping lists.
We sponsor a little girl in Rwanda through Compassion International. My mother was able to visit our sponsored child while visiting the country recently. While we packed a bag full of goodies and necessities for our little girl’s family, I was excited to find a use for so many toothbrushes and toothpastes. We also enjoyed using our ECBs to buy extras for this family!
My husband and I have decided we are going to send our CVS and other “extras” to a missionary family in Honduras. They have taken in/adopted 12+ children who were orphaned, abandoned, or neglected. We hope to send them lots to use in their large family. Thanks, Crystal, for helping us to help others…I am sure you do not even know the blessing you are to others. We appreciate your blog so much. 🙂
I’ve made goody baskets for the college students who work in the kids program that I direct at my church on Wednesday evenings. Also, our Vacation Bible School took part in a missions project in which we donated canned goods and nonperishables to a local missions agency who feeds the hungry around the world. It was great to be able to donate a lot of my extras! Finally, this week I have a former student of mine when I taught high school staying with us while she takes a graduate class at the university. Before she leaves tomorrow, I’m giving her a goody bag of makeup, toothpaste, medicine, snacks, etc.
we recently gave toiletry items and kitchen cleaning items from our “stash” to some missionaries who just began their furlough in our area. they were happy to not have to worry about stocking up on those things as soon as they arrived in the states so they could concentrate on other things.
Since my husband is a pastor, we entertain a lot of missionaries and evangelists. I have enjoyed being able to give them some high-priced items (like razors) that I got for free with coupons.
I also regularly “donate” to my parents and my sister-in-law, both of which are barely making ends meet. It makes me feel good to be able to save them even $10-15 on toiletries and household necessities.
It may sound silly but I stock up on free pads and tampons when I can and leave them in the locker room at work. I replenish every couple of months and many women have let me know how grateful they are to see them! It’s a great idea for anyone that works outside the home to share with others in an urgent time of need!
Yesterday I posted on my blog about how we were also the recipients of a very special blessing recently- a gift certificate card passed along to us by a family member who did not plan to use it. For us it’s a very big deal and we are really looking forward to using the certificate every week for several months of enjoyment.
Great topic! I’ve enjoyed reading about all of the giving here today.
Over the past couple of months, I have been stocking up on deals at CVS, and now I am excited to be able to give! Our church is doing an outreach day next weekend, and our group has chosen a couple of outreaches to participate in. One of the outreaches we are doing is adopting a family with five children. The family’s youngest child (an 8 month old) has been in the hospital since birth. Because of medical expenses, they have lost their home, and the parents, along with four of their children, are living in a trailer with the children’s grandmother.
They don’t get to do much and finances are extremely tight, so our group has arranged for them to have a nice dinner for two at a fancy restaurant, with a gas card to get there and a gift card for a movie afterwards. We are going to feed and entertain the kiddos and grandmother for the night. AND I am making a HUGE goody basket full of items like shampoos, conditioners, razors, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shower gel, baby wipes, etc. to bless the family with. We are also going to be getting the kids’ school supplies.
I am THRILLED to be able to bless this family!!!
Thank you for blessing me with your teachings so that I can be a blessing to others!!!
My favorite place to give freebies to is Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, closely followed by UMCOR (United Methodist Relief)health and school kits. There is a free medical clinic in my community where I plan to donate medications, band-aids, and glucose monitors. The women’s shelter and crisis pregnancy center are great places to take diapers and toiletries. I recently found out that the American Legion accepts donations for military–a great place for those toiletries for men that I didn’t know what to do with.
I volunteer with Operation Christmas Child, A project of http://www.samaritanspurse.org
People pack small gifts into shoe boxes and they are sent to needy children in over 100 counrties and the Good News of Jesus Christ is shared with each child that recieves on of these boxes! http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/index/
My hubby is a Chaplain in the Army, and I’ve been giving all of the free baby food that I’ve been getting at Publix to him. He sets it up outside his office with a “FREE” sign, and the enlisted soldiers snatch it up pretty quickly. One of my favorite things I’ve been able to do was last month when my daughter went to the Wilds Christian Camp. I used to be a counselor there, and I know first hand that you counsel there to be used of God in a unique ministry as well as to have Him work in your own heart – not to earn money! I sent a big box of all sorts of stuff from CVS for her counselor hoping that she won’t have to spend her own $ on these necessities this summer. I’ve also been able to donate a lot to our church as well as put boxes together for army families my husband hears of who are really struggling. It is such a blessing to be able to be a blessing after so many years of God using others to be a blessing to us.
My son turned 5 last month so instead of bringing gifts for his party we asked people to bring diapers to donate to our local homeless shelter. In addition to the diapers I raided my shampoo/conditioner/body wash stockpile to take to them too. It’s such a great feeling being able to bless others and I love that my son is learning at an early age how fun it is to give to others.
I am always on the lookout for bargains for charities, and I think the Lord shops with me! I seem to always find such wonderful deals for others. My biggest problem is storing! A local store reduced all remaining mittens and gloves to 25 and 50 cents, which I bought and gave to my Grandchildren to hang on the “Mitten Tree” that they have at school each year. The mittens are donated to needy kids. During last years floods, semi trucks were at local stores, and I took lots of new cleaning supplies, hygiene, and much needed feminine products. Imagine being flooded out, stores also flooded, and you’re needing pads and tampons! After Katrina, my local Kroger just happened to mark down all their remaining summer sneakers to $1.00 a pair. Assuming that the people were probably all wearing soaking wet shoes, I bought the 40 pairs, and dropped them off at a mission that was sending trucks down. For less than the price of one new pair of Nikes, 40 people had dry shoes. Last January, I bought toys at 75% off at CVS, and will donate them to Toys for Tots and other charities who ask for new toys for this Christmas. A couple of weeks ago, I stopped in a CVS that was not in my area, and they had 90% off clearance. Expecting junk, I was so pleased to find diapers. I’m puzzled about these, but apparently I was meant to find them for someone in need.
I bought about 5 packs of baby diapers, and 25 or so packs of adult diapers. These are usually about $15.99 or so a pkg. Anyone know the best place to find where to donate the adult diapers?
Gail
PS: I love these posts! God bless everyone for their love and kindness!
I donate my CVS and Walgreens items to the local battered women’s shelter. This year alone I have given more than $5,200 in new merchandise to this organization.
The $5,200 is based on the scanned price. I obviously got these items for free after using coupons, ECBs, RRs, rebates, etc. I keep a detailed spreadsheet for tax purposes.
It’s my hobby and my husband and I have never had to buy toiletries!
Last month, we were able to get a lot of free or next to free cereal–right before our local food bank had a food drive. We were able to donate extra cereal, pasta, and canned goods and it was wonderful since normally we couldn’t have afforded to give so much.
I also have been stockpiling the deoderant, toothpaste, etc. that we don’t use and will give it to a local Christian rehabilitation center.
Since I have the time and interest to cut out coupons, I often cut out some that I know I won’t use (great coupons but not a product we like) and leave them by that product when we go to the store next.
When my little one was in the NICU they had some basic items on hand like shampoo, laundry detergent, soap, etc. that you don’t have with you or even think of when you first get their with your baby.
The NICU at your local Children’s Hospital can always use health & beauty items, snacks, books, pens, paper… whatever you might wind-up with a surplus of.
Families who are there with their children are often put in a financial bind due to having to miss some work, the expense of traveling to see their child, etc. Just another great place to give some of these goodies that you might not think of.
I give most of my extra CVS and Walgreens bargains to our local veterans home. The majority of the residents there are on a very, very limited income and they struggle to purchase the necessities such as deoderant, toothpaste, denture cleaners, etc. I figure if these men (and women) fought to keep our country free then I can donate a few toiletries to help them out.
Funny that you mention this. On my blog a couple days ago, I challenged everyone to find something to donate THIS week. We’re keeping a running tally of what’s been donated and it’s really fun. 🙂
For the record-I’ve got a box with a purse, children’s book, 2 bottles of Pert Plus, 6 deodorants, 2 pkgs dole fruit cups, and pantiliners just waiting to be taken to the women’s shelter.
We have a family just up the street that the husband has been out of work for several months now. I was so excited to send a bulging bag up there for the family of 5!
I had been trying to think up somthing for the less fortunate as soon as i had understood the ECB loop holes
(about december 07ish)
ive finally figured that the local homeless shelter and the men and women in Iraq need these things more than i
im now trying to teach a homeschool class on “couping” and starting up a group in the church to get together and send stuff to Iraq and local shelters en-mas
ive always thought we should wait to help those on the other side of the globe until we get our own home turf fixed
(“our home and turf” would include our guys in Iraq)
all in the name of Christ and the USA
God Bless America!
cadetjustin
I took all of those GM cereals and granola bars to the the church’s food pantry…that Jewel sale was amazing! I must have donated about 60 things. And now I have all the disposable razors, samples from the mail and hotels, and deodorant for the shelter in the next town over. Items they desperately need! It always gives me a big kick to fill my own closet with needed toiletries (and a few to stockpile) Plus give away a lot and not have spent much cash!
I will be sending out a pack of toothbrushes tomorrow. It is amazing the impact you can make by just sending someone a toothbrush. It is often the small acts of kindness and generosity that give many people hope from day-to-day.
I picked up 20 boxes of free Meijer pasta last week and donated them to our church’s food pantry.
I recently sent two boxes to soldiers through http://www.anysoldier.com.
I also mentor a little girl and give her family items.
A family at my church had an accident a few weeks ago. They were jet skiing and their 12 year old son was on the back boogie boarding. Somehow he hit a dock and has been in a coma since. He is making progress everyday but is still not totally conscious. He is being moved to a place that will require his mom and dad to travel a good ways back and forth. I am giving them a $25 gas card that my hubby won. I also do the CVS deals and aquired many many toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc… I took a large stash to my bible study and let everyone dig in.
Just this week a local fire dept. advertised in the paper that they were looking for donations to take to the people whose homes flooded in Iowa. I had been looking for a place for my stockpile, so next week I’ll take it over there. In the fall my daughter’s preschool collects items for a women’s shelter, so my next box of goodies will go to them. Share the love, pay it forward!
I went to Office Depot and Staples and stocked up as much as I could on all of the items for 1 penny. I have 2 neighbors that are elementary school teachers and I gave them each all of the items I had. I know they buy school supplies with their own money for their students (which isn’t always financially easy). This was just a small jesture, but I wanted to use this opportunity to help them out in any way that I could. Praise God for this opportunity to love on my neighbors.
I’ve passed on fun things to our ladies at church (toe separaters with a verse attached about how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace; made wedding baskets and baby shower baskets full of practical things; have restocked our church mission closet (and was overjoyed to get to take a missionary wife through the closet, and see her excitement at getting kid-friendly toiletries for her six children); gifting family and friends for no reason at all; and even amassing a care package of cleaning supplies for a college-bound freshman from church.
This is my new hobby, and I love it!
We are pastors of a church and I am often blessing the women in our congregation with free goodies from CVS and Walgreens.
I give to some friends of ours who have very, very little income. I hope to do this regularly.
Being blessed with frugal shopping skills has helped me to donate non perishable food to the post office food drive a month ago; food and toiletry items to a local food pantry, and school supplies to Metropolitan Ministries Backpacks of Hope drive!!
Not only have I been able to be a blessing to others with our freebies, but I have been blessed over and over in return. It seems like everyday I talk to someone who shares something with me and I am able to say, “Oh! I have that! Let me just go to our linen closet and get some for you.” I LOVE THAT!
Every year at VBS our church has a mission project and all money given by the children during VBS goes to the beneficiary of that mission project. This year a local home for abused, abandoned & medically fragile children and teenagers was chosen. In addition to the money they asked families to donate items that could be used by the home. I was able to walk into my pantry and fill bags with soaps, shampoos, body washes, cotton swabs, cotton balls, deoderants, toothbrushes, toothpastes, etc. I also am able to drop a bag of food items in the local food bank collection bin at my grocery store almost every week. What a blessing to be able to give like that.
I have already started rebuilding the giveaway stockpile and plan to donate to a local women’s shelter this Christmas as well as increasing the number of Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes we donate this year.
With our work, we lived in a motel for 5 months last year and collected all the toiletries. When we got home, we donated them to the ‘Family Abuse’ shelter where women and their kids go to hide from violently abusive spouses sometimes leaving with just is on their backs.
My mom’s dance club is collecting school items for the flood victims in the midwest and she buys from the 1 cent sales to donate.
Hey Crystal and Fellow Comment Posters,
Sorry that my comment posted three times! I was having difficulty getting it to post and didn’t think it went through the first two times!
Leslie
I was excited to learn about a new shelter for homeless teens in our newspaper the other day. I think I’ll call and see if they’d like some CVS health and beauty aid donations. Also, I’ve been able to help out my younger brother (age 20) who lives alone on a tight budget. I donate toiletries occasionally to my church’s food pantry too.
CVSing is a fun hobby for me, it helps my family’s budget, and it’s rewarding to help out others too!
One of my favorite things about couponing and doing the CVS “game” is that I’ve been able to stock a charity box…VERY quickly…and with GREAT things that I know are needed! Before I had my kids I worked in social services running group homes for teens that were pregnant…I know how needed lots of these items are…so I’m so excited to be passing along the good fortune!
I also read the post about sharing the coupon love :)… and walked around WalMart with my kids last week…handing out coupons to people around me… giving out the $30 worth of formula checks was especially pleasing… and taping coupons to itmes in the grocery isles!! Its like being a coupon Santa! LOL
I have been able to donate deodorant and a battery powered razor to our church’s military drive thanks to the great deals I have found at CVS and Target from this website. It is great being able to help our troops!
A couple of months ago I saw a box in church requesting personal items (razors, shaving cream, soap, etc.) for the seminary so I brought in some of my “stash” and dropped it in the box.
Also, I just started as an Ambassador for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The LLS did a lot for us when my child was being treated for Leukemia, so I’m giving back!
I save up whatever I can to send overseas to soldiers from my husband’s previous post. They have a hard time finding the things they need and want, so I send as much as I can to them through http://www.anysoldier.com and I also donate food to our Christian Food Bank at least every other week to help keep up their cereal and condiments.
Every time my hubby gets paid, we keep out a certain amount of money to buy food for our local church’s food and clothing pantry. Even If you think you don’t have enough, 2 dollars will buy 4 cans of food at the dollar store that can be donated.
When Target had Gerber coupons, it made jars of baby food 2 cents per jar. So I grabbed all of my co-workers and took them to Target so we could max out the coupon limit. So then we took 100 jars of baby food to the local Infant Crisis Service, then we went to lunch. We all had a great time, and spent around 20 cents each to help hungry babies in our community. This was the beginning of my love for coupons. I just posted on http://www.maternalmaddness.com about my favorite organization and why I decided to “go frugal.”
My neighbors recently had a drive at their business for the firefighters here in northern california. They were collecting toiletries, snacks, and magazines. I was able to supply soap, toothpaste, deodorant, eye drops, cereal, etc from all the freebies/extras I had around.
In addition to donating food items I also purchase pet food when there are free coupons. I take bags of these items to our town animal shelter.
A lot of the ladies in our church have recently gotten hooked on couponing. We have placed a cardboard box in the lobby at church labeled Give One Take One box. We donate items we don’t need, take what we do need, and donate the rest to charity at the end of each month.
Me and my Aunt are working on saving up tioletries for the military in Iraq. After reading a local article in the paper we decided to start. So many woman and men go to the small px there to get what they need only to find that everything is gone. This will be our little way of paying them back for what they do for us every day.
when the USPS had a recent food drive, i was able to put together a great bag of food and personal care things. and i always give a few things to my neighbor who gives me her coupons.
I sent three boxes of toiletries to the battered women’s shelter. The majority came from my CVS sprees and I ran out of room to store it all! So, I kept a bottle of everything, and donated the rest. I enjoy the bargain hunt and the warm fuzzies.
I pack goodie boxes for lonely soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, whose names I find through the Web site http://www.booksforsoldiers.com. I send toothbrushes, toothpaste, feminine products, and other stuff as well.
I’m working on a post about this, but I made a “Giving Box” for our homeschool and each week, we all contribute things to the box…gently used clothing, toys, some of our free CVS goodies, etc. Then, once a week, the girls and I take the used clothing and toys to the local mission and the toiletries to the Family Shelter. We also take our recycling to the recycling center and sort it that day as well. We want to raise “givers” and this seemed like a good way to get them thinking baout sharing the abundance God has blessed us with in a tangible way. They get really excited about it now!
Funny that you should mention this. Just last night I took a box to my church to give the our Food Pantry. I had just been adding to it and since the box was overflowing, I finally got it up there! It had lots of toothbrushes, toothpaste, deoderant, razors, barbecue sauce, relish and so much more! I pray that it will bless many people in need!
Thanks for this post! I believe it is so important to give. We are blessed to be a blessing!
I have been able to bless the preachers wife, my niece, my sisters niece and my daughter with almost free diapers from Walgreens. I have preordered diapers for the sale next week so I can bless two other preachers wives and a missionary. We go to family church camp next week and I will bring along the diapers. Its so much fun to do this. It helps them so much and I love it. Debbieo
After cleaning out my closet this week (thanks for the encouragement!), I had two big garbage bags of sell-able items to donate to our local help center store. And along with them, I have a bag full of toothpaste, deodorant, soap, sanitary napkins, etc. for their pantry for needy families (all free at CVS!).
Right now I am hosting a food drive at work. With the rising costs of food and gas charities are in serious need of donations. So far we have collected 10 boxes of food as well as over $100 in donations. For all of you who are considering donating think about this – our food bank (the food bank of central and eastern north carolina) can disperse $8 worth of food for every $1 donated.
Every once in a while, I take part in a deal or giveaway of health and beauty or cosmetic type products. Frequently, it’s a package deal type of thing. I set aside the items that I don’t care to use, and when I have an accumulation built up, I will donate them to women’s rescues or other shelters. I hope I can brighten someone’s day or make them feel a bit better about themselves.
Another idea that I saw once, but can’t take credit for … A woman in our office was a tremendous coupon clipper and routinely got LOTS of products for free. More things than she and her husband could every use. When a second woman was in the process of getting married and setting up her first house, the coupon clipper presented her with a repurposed Staples paper box chock FULL of cleaning supplies. Get it? A box of household “staples”? In a Staples box? Ok, it was funny at the time. Anyway – there must have been $20 to $30 worth of cleaning supplies, and she hadn’t spent a single penny on them. I thought it was a very nice gesture as a housewarming-type of present.
I get all sorts of baby product samples, and pass them along to new moms. Any of the freebie/nearly free/sample Health & Beauty items I get, I box up about once a month and send them home with my mom when she stops by, she manages a senior apartment complex they just love those sorta little things, many of them are on fixed incomes and that helps them stretch their budget too. Whenever I stop at Redbox to rent a free DVD on Mondays, I always offer up the code to anyone who might also be stopping by to rent a movie. It’s all about small things, I know I love it when I’m walking through the store and see that someone has left a coupon laying on the shelf for a product I need, so I try to find little ways like above to pay it forward!
Recently I had a great opportunity to bless employees and others my husband works with. I know that many of them are living tightly just as we are. I made some gift bags up and tried to give items that would apply to their life. For those who had children I gave Johnson Buddies soaps, diaper wipes and baby products + some HBA items. For singles I gave only HBA items. They were received well. On the tag I wrote “to __ from __’s store”. My husband told me one of the employees thought I had an actual store, which made me smile. I guess I kind of do!
I was laid off in April so I started “hounding” just to stretch dollars. I’ve actually been going to a food pantry that is only open once per month just to stock up on odd and ends which also helps me stretch my dollars. When I get in on good deals for things like toothpaste, tampons, pads, cleaners, shampoos/conditioners I stock up and bring a box of them to the food pantry to “donate” to their cause. I feel as if it’s my way to contribute and there is no way I would ever use 6 big bottles of shampoo in a month anyway. I don’t have to stock all those extra bottles and I get a few groceries.. win/win!
My best friend is in Papua New Guinea on the mission field. She and her daughter came to the States this past week so that they could bring the daughter to start college. I collected deoderant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, medicines, body washes, etc and made a box for the daughter and another for the mom to take back to Papua New Guinea. I got a free printer with our daughter’s laptop that I gave the college girl. I plan to continue to send her packages of items during the year.
Our church’s vacation bible school is being held this week and one of our fundraising projects is collecting non-perishable items for the community food pantry based in our church. This morning we took several boxes of Cheerios that I paid less than $1.00 each for along with deoderant and Dawn which were free from CVS. I also provided Gummy Life Savers (6 bags) as treats for the kids that were free from CVS when they had their BOGO about 3 weeks ago (I had BOGO manu q’s). Its great to be able to bless others without breaking our household budget.
I donate to a church in a nearby city that is for the homeless – it’s not a shelter, it’s a church whose members are homeless. How cool is that! I send a package at least once a month full of men, women, and children hygiene stuff! It’s such a blessing to be able to share the FREE or cheap stuff I can get. I also say a prayer over the stuff before I send it so that it may touch the lives of those people who receive it and that they will experience the presence of God in their lives. It’s just a small way to share what I can and also be prayerful about those in need – and, of course, be thankful for the blessings I have.
There were several families in the town our church is in whose homes were destroyed by fire recently. Our church collected donations to gift to the families. I was able to give lots of toothbrushes, toothpaste, bodywash, etc. It was such a joy to be able to share my abundance with someone so desperately in need. We had a meal and invited all the fire victims. We gave them everything we had collected for them at that time. They really appreciated what we were able to do for them.
Its so funny you posted this today. I just mailed two boxes of toiletry items to Hope Children’s Home in Tampa, Florida. It was filled with shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, razors (for teens and workers), band-aides, and more. I was so happy to clear out my “over-stock”, but also to be a blessing. That’s money they don’t have to spend, and can put to other things. I try to do this every other month.
Two of my family members have been laid off, and I have a huge box of toiletries I’m taking to give them. As you all know, the $3 here and there (for the stuff you flush down the drain) are what skyrockets the WalMart bill. The value–as you all know–is many times what I paid for it…and I LOVE giving my stockpile away. The next time someone hassles you for getting something for next-to-nothing, you can share that you are giving these things away to those who really need it. By watching sales and couponing, others can also have nice things. It’s not hoarding if you share! I know I’m preaching to the choir, but in these tight times, no one should feel apologetic/embarrassed for buying to put away.
Just yesterday on the radio I heard of a family burned out of their home, and the station was asking for items. I hope to build up a stockpile so that at a moment’s notice, I can gather up a box to give away.
We tend to just give bags of free stuff to our friends. Every week, if there is something we don’t use that I get free (like dog food or chocolate honey nut clusters – my husband doesn’t like them ;)), I take them to church to give them to a specific person I have picked out ahead of time. Last week, I took at bag of deodorant, toothpaste, kids tooth brushes (we don’t have any kids yet), etc to a family of 6 in our church. I am also saving up a bunch of stuff do use in the Samaritan’s Purse Christmas boxes we do every year.
When my co-worker’s youngest daughter graduated from high school, she decided to go into the missions field. She joined an organization called YWAM (Youth With a Mission). In the last 2 years, she has been all over the world ministering to and sharing her testimony with others. A few months ago she came home for a long weekend, so I put together a goody bag of my CVS deals and gave them to her. I told her if there were any items she couldn’t use, she should feel free to give them to other missionaries serving with her. Missionaries face so many obstacles….finances being a big one. I figured I could serve God by blessing Holly!
I’ve been able to donate lots of personal care items, thanks to coupons and CVS (smile), to a local day shelter for the homeless.
When my co-worker’s youngest daughter graduated from high school, she decided to go into the missions field. She joined an organization called YWAM (Youth With a Mission). In the last 2 years, she has been all over the world ministering to and sharing her testimony with others. A few months ago she came home for a long weekend, so I put together a goody bag of my CVS deals and gave them to her. I told her if there were any items she couldn’t use, she should feel free to give them to other missionaries serving with her. Missionaries face so many obstacles….finances being a big one. I figured I could serve God by blessing Holly!
We give the items to our Church food pantry. the inventory for personal and household items seem to go just as quick as the food.
When my co-worker’s youngest daughter graduated from high school, she decided to go into the missions field. She joined an organization called YWAM (Youth With a Mission). In the last 2 years, she has been all over the world ministering to and sharing her testimony with others. A few months ago she came home for a long weekend, so I put together a goody bag of my CVS deals and gave them to her. I told her if there were any items she couldn’t use, she should feel free to give them to other missionaries serving with her. Missionaries face so many obstacles….finances being a big one. I figured I could serve God by blessing Holly!
Recently a young family in my neighborhood lost all of their belongings in a fire. We were able to give them a few household furnishings plus some canned food and cereal from our overstock.
After I gave the lady the bag I asked that their needs were. And she said, “Basic things, like razors, shaving cream, stuff like that.” I asked her to wait and ran home to get more. I stocked up another full bag of HBA items for her.
Also, I have enjoyed donating Johnson’s Buddies soap to the pregnancy center and we recently sent two boxes to a Christian Ministry.
We could not have done these things without coupon and sale shopping. May God be glorified as we seek to become even wiser stewards of our time and our money.
I stocked up on diapers from Walgreens two weeks ago. After tax, they came to 8 cents/package. I use cloth, so I didn’t need any for myself. I donated 10 packages to the local Pregnancy Resource Center, a non-profit that helps young mothers. I gave another 10 packs to a friend that could use a hand.