Cut Your Grocery Bill In Half! with Stephanie Nelson, The Coupon Mom
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More Ways to Donate Food to Charity Easily 

 

As much as we would all like to have unlimited funds to donate to worthy charities, it is not always possible to write large checks every week.  However, it is possible to donate food to charity every week, at no cost, and without much effort when you know how to use grocery coupons.  If you are already an avid grocery coupon shopper, then you will really enjoy helping others with your couponing skills!    And best of all, with the free Coupon Mom system, It will take you only a few minutes a week, not hours of your time.

 

With coupons, it is easy to turn $1 or $2 into $10 or more of food and personal care items shelters and food pantries need desperately. Every week I shop for my own groceries with coupons. As I make my grocery list, it is easy to add a couple of good charity items. I put them in a box in my garage and when it is full I take the box to a local food pantry. My children enjoy helping deliver the food.

 

Last week I paid $1.78 for nearly $10 of food by matching coupons with sales. I donated it to help feed people going through desperate situations. And it made me feel like a million bucks. I saved $62 on my own groceries at the same time.

 

You can do this, too. Find out what your local charity needs and look for coupons for those items. When the item goes on sale, use the coupon and it will cost only pennies.  Sometimes it will be completely free!

 

You don’t have to drive to the food pantry every single week if isn’t around the corner.  Just save your charity deals in a box in your house or garage. When it gets full, deliver them to the food pantry. Food pantries always need soups and stews, canned beans and tomatoes, canned fruits and vegetables, dried beans, cereals, oatmeal, peanut butter and tuna. Coincidentally, all of these items have coupons available on a regular basis.

 

Food pantries are not difficult to locate. Your church or place of worship may have a food pantry if they don't, ask them if they have a food drive and where they take their donations.

 

Many schools have a food drives. Call yours and ask where they donate their food. Your grocery store probably donates their day old bread to a local food pantry. If so, they can tell you more about that organization. Go to www.secondharvest.org to find the closest food bank in your area. They can give you information about food pantries in your area.

 

If you really want to help your food pantry in a big way, you can get something started in your community with very little effort.  Just ask the grocery store manager if their store would be willing to place a year-round food collection bin in their store. Other shoppers are more likely to donate food if there is a collection bin in the store. Enlist friends and take turns delivering the food to the charity.

 

The most time-consuming part of the process is simply figuring out what the best sale and coupon deals for charity are each week.  Fortunately, you can get that information free every single week at www.couponmom.com.  Each week we list the Best Deals in supermarkets across the country for 44 states. You will find a list of what items are on sale, which coupons to use and where to get the coupons. Items that are appropriate for charity will say “charity” right by the item description.

 

Just imagine what might happen if 1,000 people in your community donated just a few items each week to the bin. Your single collection bin would feed thousands of people in your community over the course of a year.

 

You don’t have to wait until you have a lot of money to give.  You can experience the thrill of making a difference today, for only pennies.

 

Stephanie Nelson shares her savings tips as a regular contributor on ABC News’ Good Morning America. You can find more of her savings tips in her book  “Greatest Secrets of the Coupon Mom” and on her website at www.couponmom.com.  Copyright 2006Ó Stephanie Nelson