Couponing for Good with Champions for Kids & All You Magazine #AllYouCFK

This month I’ve partnered with Champions for Kids and All You Magazine to complete a “Couponing for Good” SIMPLE service project. This project involves using my couponing and shopping skills to buy items to donate to a local organization in my community that betters the lives of children. I am so excited to be a part of this mission! Being a former elementary school teacher, I have a strong passion for helping children. There is nothing more exciting than seeing children grow and learn and go on to be successful members of society. With so many children living in poverty, it can be a challenge for many of them to meet their full potential, and that is why it is so important for those of us who are more fortunate to reach out and help them in whatever ways we can!

Did You Know?

• Every 34 seconds a baby is born into poverty in America.
• One in seven Americans receives SNAP benefits (food stamps) that help them put food on the table. The overwhelming majority – three quarters – are in families with children.
• Couponing is an easy, fun, and cost-effective way to help these children by providing them with food and items that they otherwise could not afford.

When I found out that I was going to be working with Champions for Kids and All You, I immediately started to brainstorm and look for a local organization that I wanted to donate to. There are so many wonderful organizations in my community, so it was hard to pick just one. I finally decided on The Greeley Transitional House, the only homeless shelter in my town that offers emergency and transitional shelter, case management, and follow-up programs for homeless families. The Transitional House provides a positive, hopeful, and supportive environment in which families in crisis can live temporarily while re-establishing their independence. Given the nature of the organization, they are in need of just about everything. I decided to focus on personal care and household items for my donation.

Before I headed out shopping, I had to plan my shopping trip and find coupons to match the items I was planning on buying. I scoured the coupon inserts from my Sunday newspaper, printed off coupons from the internet, and looked through my coupon file to find coupons that I could use. As most of you know, couponing takes a lot of work and planning, but it is crucial to saving money!

After I had all my coupons ready to go, I headed to my local Walmart. I had my twin girls in tow, so I had my dad come along to help. We stopped first to grab an All You magazine. I’ve never bought the magazine before, but I’ve heard that there’s always so many money-saving coupons in it. I am excited to look through it, learn some new tips, and clip some coupons!

I found a $1 off White Cloud toilet paper coupon in the All You Magazine that I decided to use. I was able to get a pack of 12 double rolls for a little over $4. At $.33 per roll that is a little more than I normally try to spend, but it’s a decent deal and I know my local organization really needs it.

While I LOVE using coupons, I have learned to be very careful about just assuming that whatever I have coupons for is going to be the best deal. Unless the coupon(s) makes the item free or almost free, I oftentimes find that just buying the generic or store brand is cheaper than buying the name brand with a coupon. I had several coupons that I planned on using during this trip that I ended up not using, because I found better deals on other brands. For example, I had coupons for Pantene, Gillette, and Garnier Fructis shampoo, but they still came out to being at least $2 per bottle even with a coupon. The Suave shampoo pictured above was only $.94 per bottle, so I decided to get it instead!

Here is everything I was able to get with my coupons. As you can see, I didn’t buy a ton of stuff, but every little bit counts! Now I just need to get it all ready to donate! Next week I will be posting all about my donation process, so make sure you come back to check it out.

{If you want to learn more about my shopping trip or see more photos, check out my Google+ Album. To read about my donation process check out my CFK Donation post}

Are YOU ready to make a difference?

Here’s how you can help:

• GATHER your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers to participate in an All You Couponing For Good project! Use your couponing expertise to find great deals on clothes, food, hygiene products, school supplies, books, and games for children. Pick up these extra items at a discount or a buy-one-get-one-free.
• LEARN about the needs of children in your community by asking a teacher, social worker, or youth group leader to speak to your group. You can also find advice and organizations that help children by going to allyou.com/couponforgood.
• GIVE the extra items that you purchased to the community advocate or local organization to help children in your community live happier and healthier lives!
• SHARE your story with us at www.championsforkids.org/simple so that we can celebrate your participation! Please let us know that you are ONE of Millions who helped reach our goal to mobilize 20 Million people by 2020 to become Champions for Kids!

Champions for Kids

• Website: http://championsforkids.org/
• Twitter Handle: https://twitter.com/#!/champions4kids
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ChampionsForKids

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias All opinions, ideas, and photos are my own.