Couponing for the Rest of Us

Gutzy Gear Event : School Supply Donation with the Kiddos! #payingitforwardisgutzy

 

Recently, I had the honor of participating in an event with Gutzy Gear to provide a child with a backpack and school supplies. Gutzy gave each of the participating bloggers $25 to purchase a backpack and school supplies for a child in need.  Gutzy Gear also provided super cool backpack straps and patches. 

 

I ended up getting such a great deal on a backpack, I was also able to purchase a lunch box and pencil bag. 

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Since I wasn’t familiar with Gutzy Gear before this event I snapped a pic of the back of the box of patches to show you some of the different products.  My kids were so excited when the Gutzy Gear arrived in the mail.  I was their hero for all of 15 seconds……until they realized that the patches weren’t theirs.  Once I explained that the Gutzy Gear would be going with a backpack and school supplies that they could help me pack and donate for a needy child, they were very excited. 

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I hit up the Target clearance aisle for the school supplies.  I was excited to find such a great deal on the backpack and lunchbox.  Knowing how much my son loves Star Wars, I wish I could be a fly on the wall when this little boy gets his backpack!

Here’s what I bought:

  • Back Pack
  • Lunch Box
  • Pencil Bag
  • Pk of Pencils
  • Pk of Pens
  • 2 Pks of Glue Sticks
  • Pencil Eraser
  • Scissors
  • Pencil Sharpener
  • Tissues
  • Hand Sanitizer
  • Notebook Paper
  • 2 Notebooks
  • Pk of Erasers

 

I took my kiddos with me to donate the backpack to the Caring Place.  They were proud as little peacocks, and insisted that they hand deliver the backpack:)  Ya’ll know we are all about being purposeful givers here at Time 2 $ave.  Makes my heart happy to see my children so excited to GIVE.  They asked a lot of questions and were very curious as to why a kid would need school supplies. It was difficult for them to understand that some parents just can’t afford it.  It opened the door for us to talk about why, and how important it is to treat all children the same no matter what they have.  Although we talk about giving all the time, donating a backpack with school supplies seemed to really hit home to them. 

Disclosure:  This event was sponsored by Gutzy Gear and powered by Madame Deals Media.  Gutzy provided me with $25 to use toward purchasing school supplies as well as Gutzy Gear Products.  All opinions and experiences are my own.  See my full disclosure policy here.


Filed Under: Time 2 Give Tagged With: , , ,
September 10, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Time 2 Give: Helping a Child in Need

 

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I got an email this week, that broke my heart.  I am so proud to be part of a community devoted to making a difference in people’s lives.  I have included the specific needs from the email below. 

It would be great if you could leave a comment or send us an email to let us know if you are able to help.  Ya’ll are amazing, your testimonies inspire others to learn how to save so they can give.  All information will be kept confidential.  time2save@hotmail.com

 

DCS is needing to assist a local child that has eczema with specific lotions and shampoo.
The Doctor has given the parents specific products and instructions (listed below).  The family needs help, they can’t afford to purchase these items.
 

  • Cetaphil or Eucerin Cream (covering his whole body after each daily bath)
  • Only Selsun Blue for shampoo.

    I’ve included a list of available coupons for each product below.

Eucerin Coupons

Free Sample
Click HERE to “like” Eucerin on facebook.  Request your free sample of Eucerin Calming Itch Relief Treatment.  Usually the samples are teeny tiny but every bit counts!

 

Cetaphil Coupons

Selsun Blue

  • $1/1 Selsun Blue Product, exp. 3/31/12 (found in Smart Source 01/01/12)

 

They can’t afford these things and are in need of resources that could help. The McMinn County Child Protective Case Manager states "the child’s little body felt like leather, and he had scabs covering his legs".

If you can help in any way, I’ve included the contact info below.  We’d appreciate your leaving a comment or sending us an email if you are able to help this precious little boy.  It will help us as we continue to seek support.  time2save@hotmail.com  Thank you.

 

Lori Jolly-Julian, MSCP, BA, CM3
Department of Children’s Service
TN Valley Child Protective Service Unit &
Resource Linkage Coordinator
Office – 423.338.0949
SE TN Resource Guide www.cab.ebradley.net

Filed Under: Time 2 Give Tagged With:
January 15, 2012 by 2 Comments

Time 2 $ave: Becoming a Purposeful Giver

 

 

time2give_time2save[1]jpeg2

If you’d been around for any amount of time, then you have heard how important it is to us to live a lifestyle of giving.  No matter how many times I have the privilege of giving to others, it still gives me cold chills out of sheer excitement!  God’s word is true, it is better to give than to receive!  It’s contagious, the amazing feeling of having the privilege to help someone else in their time of need never grows old.

Acts 20:35

Good News Translation (GNT)

35 I have shown you in all things that by working hard in this way we must help the weak, remembering the words that the Lord Jesus himself said,
There is more happiness in giving than in receiving.


First, you might be surprised to hear – we don’t LOVE COUPONS. We don’t wake up every morning excited to cut up coupons or jump on every deal that we can find. Simply put – couponing just happened to be the tool that brought hope to our family’s finances. Most importantly it has afforded us the incredible opportunity to give into the lives of others in ways we never imagined.

When I say giving I’m not referring to giving just at Thanksgiving or Christmas.  You see, as we learned how to coupon effectively a light came on one day.  Every week there are items that are free or nearly free at grocery stores and drug stores.  What if we started looking for items each week specifically to give?  We began to look beyond our own family’s needs for opportunities to bless others. 

Now, we have become purposeful givers.  It has become a lifestyle that is just as important to us as shopping for our family’s needs. 

To give you an idea how much of an influence you can be I’ve listed items just from Monday’s posts that would make great donation items.

Target:

·         Alpo Dog Food – $0.52 ea

·         Johnson’s baby Wash or Lotion – $0.09

·         Reach Floss – Free

Meijer:

·         Nabisco Snack Sacks –  $0.17

·         Kool-Aid Jammers 10 pk – $0.33

Wal-Mart:

·         Reach Floss – Free

·         Uno Pictionary Card Game – $0.88

·         Schick Disposable Razors – Free

·         Bic Cristal Pens – Free

Staples:

·         Avery Binders – Free after Rewards

·         Bic Mark-it Permanent Markers 5 Pk – $1 after Rewards

·         HP Everyday 100 Pk Photo Paper – $1.00 after Rewards

Kroger:

·         Soft-soap Liquid Hand soap – $0.08

Babies R Us:

·         Value Box of Diapers 72 count & Wipes 432 Count – $9.99 for both!!

This is a more expensive donation item, however if you are out shopping with a friend you could go in together. 

kaseyimage

What goes where?  Donation suggestions:

·         Grocery/ Personal Care Items / Household Items – Food Banks, Homeless Shelters, Battered Women’s Shelters, local church pantry, Salvation Army, United Way

·         Pet Food – Animal Shelters, Churches

·         School Supplies – Schools, Day Care, Salvation Army, Churches

·         Baby Items – Teen Pregnancy Centers, Food Banks, Homeless Shelters, Battered Women’s Shelters, Churches, Salvation Army, United Way

·         Homeless People – Make baggies of personal care items such as toothbrush, toothpaste, non-perishable food like snack crackers, Chap Stick, shampoo etc. to keep in your car.  As you see the need arise you are prepared.

 

We’ve also collected groceries at home and waited until we heard of a specific need.  I’ve given bags of groceries to complete strangers. 

 

 

Time 2 $ave + Time 2 Give = Time 4 Hope

It’s not just about getting a deal; it’s about making a difference….

 

Filed Under: T2G Testimonials & Tips, Time 2 Give Tagged With: , , , ,
January 11, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Bi-Lo Aids in Disaster Relief

I am amazed at the response from our community in reaching out to victims of the tornadoes that ripped through the south last week.   In our local community Bi-Lo has really jumped in to help, if you are interested in participating I have included information below.

Scan Cards at the Register - This is different than the Boosterplus and Bonus card 

How it works:
All of the Cleveland, Etowah, Chattanooga area,  and N GA stores are raising funds thru scan cards at the registers.

  • At checkout  the cashier may ask if you’d like to add $1.oo to your bill to help tornado victims
  • It is possible for a cashier to forget, as we all understand when our brains get overloaded.  If that happens to you, don’t miss the chance to give, especially since the scan card is not a normal part of their everyday routine.  It’s easy to forget so if the cashier doesn’t ask you can kindly ask the cashier about the program.
  • Don’t have the extra $2 – no problem drop your spare change in the jar at the register.
  • 100% of the donations are allocated to the Red Cross to help in the disaster relief efforts.
  • Bi-Lo Charietes will give 10% boost to each store that collects $1500 towards this effort.

Cleveland Bi-lo (McGrady Drive)

  • Accepting any kind of donations for the community there is a bin in the vestibule of the store.  So far, it’s been emptied 3 times and all donations were given to the Red Cross for distribution.
  • Saturday May 7th, the BI-LO on McGrady Drive in Cleveland, TN will also have the Cornerstone Church of God in the parking lot distributing household items to our tornado victims from noon-3pm. They are collecting items now and will also accept them on location. The same store has a bin in the vestibule accepting any kind of donations for the community.

In addition to their continued efforts listed above stores in all of the affected areas have donated pallets of water and more along with Chattanooga Coke who donated powerade, pallets and volunteers.  Teammates from all stores are actively involved in the relief efforts  by volunteering to help in ways such as collection, distribution, clean up, meals, etc.  They will continue their efforts and are waiting approval for other ways to help from their corporate offices.  Thank you Bi-Lo for supporting surrounding communities.

For a detailed list of other opportunities to help disaster relief click the following links for the most up to date information.  United Way of Greater Chattanooga here.  WRCB – How You Can Help Tennessee here, N. Georgia here, or Northeast Alabama here.

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On another note, I read an article today in the Chattanooga Times Free Press, “For companies, storm aid is part of identifying with public”   Mike Pare that made me proud.  Almost 1 milliion dollars has been donated to help victims of last weeks storms by various company’s. Unum Group said the $100,000 it’s giving to the United Way, Red Cross and Salvation Army.  The company also is matching employee gifts.

Company Donations:

  • The BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation donated $100,000 to the Red Cross.
  • Volkswagen, provided a $100,000 tornado assistance fund administered by the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga.
  •  Belk Inc. committed  $200,000 to the American Red Cross. 
  • Kohl’s donated $200,000 to the American Red Cross.
  • The Atlanta Braves is donating $100,000 to the Salvation Army.
  • Mountain View Motor Group donated $20,000

Non monetary Donatons:

  • TVA - donated and delivered 10,600 meals to disaster agencies in North Alabama.
  • Bi-Lo Charities is donating and distributing pallets of water and food to the hardest-hit areas.  Launched an effort so customers can donate easily at checkout by adding $1 to their bill.  All funds raised will go to the respective Red Cross in each area.
Filed Under: Click 4 Hope, Time 2 Give Tagged With: , , ,
May 5, 2011 by 1 Comment