Extreme Couponing Tip: Help Homeless Kids by Donating Stockpile Items

zaterdag 7 september 2013

Extreme Couponing Tip: Help Homeless Kids by Donating Stockpile Items

Does your stockpile of personal hygiene and/or household cleaning items overflow? Are you running out of space to store these items? I have a solution for you! You may have already considered donating these items to local shelters, but did you know that your local school district has a homeless liaison who might love to receive a donation?

The Federal Mckinney-Vento Act requires that every school district in the United States have a homeless liaison to assist with the enrollment of homeless students. Many times these liaisons also help families with things such as school supplies, personal hygiene items, and household items like laundry and dish soap.

I am a case worker and counselor in our local homeless liaison’s office, and we give out these things on a daily basis. Just yesterday I met a high school student who had been living in her car. Providing her with things like a toothbrush, toothpaste and a bar of soap had her beaming with joy. She hadn’t had these things in quite a while.

A few months ago I had a mom in my office who just obtained housing. While she had the money to pay her first month’s rent and a deposit, she had nothing to clean her new home with. She did not have laundry soap to use in her new washer and dryer. These are things I take for granted. I do not worry day to day about having enough toothpaste for my children to brush their teeth or enough laundry soap so that my children can go to school with clean clothing. But this mom did, and I was honored to be able to help her with these items.

School district staff often donate out of their own pocket books to help families and students such as these—pocket books that weren’t overflowing to begin with. And I realize your pocket book probably isn’t overflowing either. But the next time you grab a great deal on hygiene items, household cleaner or school supplies, why not take a small donation by your local school district homeless liaison’s office? If you do not know who the liaison is, office staff at your school should be able to connect you with them. Couponing is great, but when you can use it to help a family in need, it becomes awesome!

This is a guest post by Stephanie from Amarillo, TX
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Extreme Couponing Tip: How to Stockpile with Limited Storage Space

donderdag 11 juli 2013

Extreme Couponing Tip: How to Stockpile with Limited Storage Space

We’ve all seen them—beautifully organized shelves full of food and toiletries in neat, tidy rows. It would be great to have an entire room dedicated to storing all those coupon deals, wouldn’t it? However, most of us don’t have the luxury of all that extra space to store our cherished stockpiles.

When I first began couponing I was surprised at how quickly my own stockpile accumulated. My family of four lives in a modest home with no basement and very little storage space. With no obvious place to store anything, that great deal on deodorant became a permanent eyesore on the kitchen counter. The top of the dryer was filled with toothpaste and mouthwash bargains. The pantry was overflowing.

I knew if I didn’t get organized I would have to give up on couponing altogether. It took a little creativity, but with a few simple changes I found ways to manage my stash.

It’s very tempting to cash in on that free toothpaste deal every single week. However, you also need to consider where you will store it. Buy just enough to get the best deal and to get you through until the next sale. There will be more coupons when it’s time to replenish.

If you have a hard time passing up a great bargain, find a place in your garage to store a large box. Fill the box with any items you don’t need or use. Once it is full, donate it to a local shelter, and know that it is being put to good use by people who really need it.

When I began to organize my pantry I found that there was a lot of unused space. Because the shelves are deep we tended to only use the front half of the cabinet efficiently. The back of the cabinet was littered with half empty bags of stale chips. I pulled everything out, sorted it, and carefully packed it back in. By grouping everything into similar categories, it fits into the cabinet nicely. Now, my cereal bargains are tightly lined up at the back of one shelf. Canned goods are neatly stacked in the back of another, and plastic containers hold bulk items like rice and pasta. The fronts of each cabinet are reserved only for the individual items we will need for the week or those we use on a regular basis.

I took the organization a step further and mounted a dry erase board on the back of each cabinet door to maintain an inventory of what is stored on each shelf. This system makes it easier to plan our meals and nearly eliminated our issue of wasting food.

Items are often sold in boxes and packaging that take up more space than necessary. A small bin in your pantry can contain loose fruit snacks, oatmeal packets and granola bars more efficiently. Loose razors can be stored together in a Ziplock bag. If necessary, liquid cleaning products can even be combined into larger containers (recycled milk jugs work well) and used as refills, instead.

Our laundry room had a lot of unused wall space. By installing two shelves that ran the length of the room, we gained an additional 12 feet of storage for our cleaning supply and paper product stockpiles. A shoe rack on the back of my closet door cleared shelf space for toiletries. Bed skirts hide crates filled with extra food. I even have stashes hidden in the pretty baskets on my living room shelves.

Some bargains can look beautiful if displayed in a new way. A large glass jar in my bathroom shows off the bars of soap I have accumulated. Other jars in my kitchen show off bulk grains. Extra produce can make a pretty table centerpiece when you need more space in your fridge. You will be surprised what an interesting container can do to transform (or hide) your stash.

If all else fails, consider other locations. Buying or renting a small storage shed may be worth the savings as your stockpiles grow. Your church may offer you storage space in return for bargain cleaning supplies. A friend may let you keep a shelf of items in her basement if you help her find those great diaper deals. Although less convenient, these options will allow you to continue couponing until you find other options.

Using coupons doesn’t have to cause chaos. Stop drowning in your stockpiles and look around your home for storage options.  With a little bit of creativity, your stash will be well organized — even in the smallest spaces.

This is a guest post by Andi from Webb City, MO
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