Generosity

When you become coupon savvy, you often end up with more of a product that was free or almost-free than your family could ever possibly use. This week, for instance, I bought four bottles of Kraft dressing. Frankly, it's not my favorite brand and we will NEVER use that much Kraft salad dressing. So why do I buy it anyway? So that I can pass it along to someone who might be able to use it. There are innumerable local food banks and shelters that survive based on the donations of the community. We feel like this is a great way for us to contribute to our community, so anytime I end up with an overabundance of products--or find something on a great sale that we won't use--I take it to a food bank or a shelter. Sometimes I'll send a "care package" to my husband's school so that he can give it to someone he either works with or teaches that he knows is having a bit of a hard time. We love being able to help out and it keeps me from EVER wasting these great pantry or toiletry items that we find on sale so often. Every few weeks, I take stock of the pantry and my drugstore stash and gather up all the things we have in abundance and we send them off. I encourage you to do the same...once you become really good at this process, you'll always have more than you need, so help someone else out by sharing your good fortune!