As you know by now, I am an advocate for using our couponing skills as a way to bless others tangibly.  As couponers, we have amazing abilities and resources to give to those in need in our community.  I also know that many of you give out of your stockpiles on a regular basis to local food banks, shelters, friends in need, nursing homes, and more.

My blogging friend Kaley, over at Cha Ching On A Shoestring, came up with a fabulous idea.  What if a bunch of bloggers got together and united in this purpose?  What if all of us took one week to focus on GIVING out of our stockpiles to those in need around us?  And what if all of us encouraged our blog readers to do the same?  What kind of impact would that have?  I think a HUGE one!

So I am inviting you to join us next week, May 2nd – 8th, as we all “coupon for community.”  I will be providing more details on Sunday or Monday, but I wanted to give you a heads up a couple days in advance.

Start examining your stockpiles and considering what you could give away to a local food bank, homeless shelter, or friend in need.  Start thinking about how you could jump on board in this effort to help those in need all around us.  What could you spare to give away in your stockpile?

To check out all of the bloggers participating in this, head on over to the Couponing For Community Facebook page.  While you’re there, you can also indicate that you’re taking part in this effort by clicking on “attending.”  And if you’re a blogger who would like to participate, feel free to blog about it!  More bloggers means more readers, which means even more people involved in this!

Next week you will be able to upload pictures to the Facebook page of what you are giving.  It will be so exciting to see how bloggers and readers in the couponing world are giving!!!

What About You: Will you be joining in?  Whether you’re a blogger or a reader, we’d love to have you involved in this effort!  Leave a comment on this post, and head on over to the Couponing For Community Facebook page to let everybody know that you’re excited to GIVE next week in this united effort!

Go HERE for an explanation of what Freely Giving Friday is all about!

Most of you know that one of the main reasons my husband and I coupon is so that we can give more away to others. Even though we have very little in the eyes of many, we feel that we have been abundantly blessed. Couponing has enabled us to give in a way we never imagined possible.

I wanted to share a reader’s testimony that I received in an e-mail a while back. I thought it would inspire you. It’s so amazing what an impact coupons can have on other people in our lives. I will keep the reader’s name anonymous, since this is pretty personal…

“I just wanted to say thank you, Meagan! Without your blog, my family wouldn’t eat as well as we do…I would never have the time to pick through the ads and coupons in order to find the very best deals…I would constantly worry about our next grocery trip breaking us…I wouldn’t have a stockpile to live off of if needed.

BUT MOST OF ALL…I wouldn’t have been able to help a dear friend today. You see, I heard that her mom hadn’t bought groceries for a few weeks in a row.. I also heard that she didn’t even have $4 to buy a few newspapers this weekend. She works very hard, full time, for minimum wage. She lost her husband a few years ago, which led to financial distress beyond belief.

Yes, times are hard for everyone. But the fact that some of us have a stockpile of food and others of us can’t even afford coupons, is quite saddening. I was able to bring her about $50-$75 worth of food and toiletries and it didn’t even put a dent in my stockpile. I’m so blessed with so many things in this life. It is by God’s grace alone that we could help a friend today. Please, I ask that you post a segment to urge other couponers to try and help just one person that they know in need. Can you imagine the possiblities that will open up? Good Luck, and God Bless!”

That, my friends, shows us all just how beautiful couponing can truly be. I beg you to follow in this reader’s example and use your couponing skills, freebie items, and stockpiles to bless others! It is such a joy!

Thank you so much to the reader who shared her story with me. Very touching.

You can go here to see previous Freely Giving Friday posts.

What About You: Do you have any stories about how couponing has enabled you to give more to others? If so, feel free to comment below! Or e-mail me with your story, and I will use it as a guest post on the next Freely Giving Friday!

Photo Credit: Deeble on Flickr

It’s time for Freely Giving Friday! Go HERE for an explanation of what Freely Giving Friday is all about!

A while back, I gave you many different ideas on how and where to donate the items that you get for free with coupons. Jess (a reader) e-mailed me this week about two fantastic local programs I have never heard of. I thought this would be a great topic for a Freely Giving Friday post.

If you need some ideas on where to donate your personal care and household items locally, these are GREAT!

Angel Kits (Catholic Charities):

This is a ministry that serves a wide variety of people in Jacksonville. They distribute various kits to people who are in need or going through a rough spot in life (i.e. lost their jobs).

How can you help? I’m sure by now you have learned to grab free items, even when you don’t need them, and have begun to fill donation boxes in your homes. Here is your chance to pull some of those freebie items out of your donation boxes to put to good use!

You can go HERE to see the different kinds of possible kits you can put together to donate. Each kit must have at least 6 items from the specific list. They also request that you NOT use trial-sized items. Items can be any brand.

All you have to do is put your items in a container of some sort, and drop the kits off at the following location between the hours of 9 am and 4 pm, Monday through Friday:

Catholic Charities Jacksonville Region Office
134 East Church Street
Jacksonville, FL 32202

You can see in the picture above the 8 kits that Jess put together. She simply used items she already had on hand that she got for free with couponing! She then went to the Dollar Store and picked up a few additional items, as well as the baskets to put the items in.

Sulzbacher Center:

Located in Downtown Jacksonville, the Sulzbacher Center is Northeast Florida’s only provider of comprehensive services for homeless men, women and children. Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year – the Sulzbacher Center offers nutritious meals, safe shelter, outstanding health care and high-quality programs to over 300 people each day. Along with a bed, a case manager is assigned to every resident of the Sulzbacher Center who work one-on-one to develop a plan that meets their particular needs. While the average stay at the center is two months, residents may stay longer if their circumstances require it.

The toiletries that they provide their residents come 100% from donations, so this is a great place to donate your items! And it’s a little less rigid than the Angel Kits, since you don’t have to have a certain number of items to make a kit from.

These are items they are in desperate need of right now:

• Soap
• Deodorant
• Disposable Razors
• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Shaving Cream
• Toothpaste
• Toothbrushes
• Body Lotion
• Bug Repellant
• Lip Balm
• New Underwear, Socks, Gloves & Hats
• New or Used Warm Jackets & Blankets

I’m pretty sure most of us have TONS of these items stored away in our cabinets or donation boxes! My mind is screaming “free at CVS and Walgreens every single week!!!”

The Sulzbacher Center accepts donations any day of the week between the hours of 8 am and 7 pm. They are located at:

611 East Adams Street
Jacksonville, FL 32202

***If you would like any additional information on donating to these organizations, please e-mail me at frugalfunfortune@gmail.com, and I will give you the contact info for both!

Thank you so much for e-mailing me about this, Jess!
You can go here to see previous Freely Giving Friday posts.

What About You: Do you have any stories about how couponing has enabled you to give more to others? If so, feel free to comment below! Or e-mail me with your story, and I will use it as a guest post on the next Freely Giving Friday!