Devon from Mama Cheaps sent in this great tip for putting your expired coupons to use:
Just when I think that I cannot possibly cram another coupon insert into my large file box, a new round of those precious coupons expire and must be harvested from the collection. What do you do with your expired coupons? Throw them out? Recycle them? Make pretty mosaic collages with them?
Well, did you know that you can send your expired coupons to U.S. military bases around the world? The coupons are placed in various common areas throughout each base and families can use them for up to 6 months after they expire! We have family friends currently stationed in England who have confirmed to us that the coupons really do make it into the hands of the military families and are valued and appreciated.
For over 17 years, the Overseas Coupon Program has facilitated the transfer of coupons to U.S. military bases. To sign up to send coupons, just visit the website, and click on Base Adoptions to browse the list of bases that you can mail your coupons to. After you choose a base, send an email to [email protected] to let them know you will be participating. You can find more details and information here.
It only takes me about 20 minutes once a month to go through my coupons and get them packaged to send to my adopted base in Sicily. And since the packages ship to APO/AFO addresses, the cost to mail the coupons is the same as sending a card to Grandma in Texas. You can drop your coupons in the mail for the cost of a stamp or two and you will help our wonderful service men and women (and their families) at the same time!
photo credit: MissMessie