[AngieP]

okay guys~~i've heard your stories...."saved $40 at Target today"~~~"saved $75 at CVS today"~~~~let's take a minute and be thankful for those savings and pay it forward.

I CHALLENGE YOU TO PAY IT FORWARD WITH A RAOK FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY

Your generosity can be as small as sending a RAOK envie to someone, buying a cup of coffee for a stranger~~~or something bigger like donating some of your stockpile.......making a cash donation........anything~~~just pay it forward~~~~it's a great feeling!!!!

Thanks and I look forward to hearing your stories~~

[NoahsMomma]

paying it forward with the following: Nova Max, One touch, Contour and Breeze 2~listing them on freecycle

[scorpio99]

Paying it forward: I am donationg all my BS meters, 10 bottles of shampoo, 10 deoderants, huge lot of makeup, and baby washes. Just trying to help the world smell better.

[latrice0723]

I am paying it forward buy mailing all of the samples, items purchased to get ECB's, and items I get from my DH's job each month to my sister in Iraq. She distributes these items to other members in her troop who are low on supplies. This is something me and my DH started after sending my sister her first care package. I enclosed a note in her package telling her to use what see can and give the rest to someone who is in need. My sister wrote me an email thanking me for the package and telling me of this one girl in her troop who's family has not sent her anything (not even a letter). This particular girl was serving her 5 month in Iraq at the time (how sad).

[AngieP]

I LOVE hearing your stories~~
latrice~~I'm doing a similar thing with the troops~~my dh has a friend who was deployed last month and I have a gigantic stack ready to send him when we get his mailing address~~He's gone for the entire year so I thought a monthly care package would be so great~~

I'm also going through the wishlist of my local APL and putting together stuff from my stockpile to drop off this weekend~~

It's great to give back and I encourage EVERYONE to do so!!!!

[queenbear]

I donated 80 jars of baby food, and tons of baby clothes to

NAMC | National Association of Mothers' Centers

[NJMom]

Ever since I started saving a ton of money, I've looked for ways to give back. It started with donating every free toy I got to Toys For Tots at the Holidays. Now I donate items to my local armory for troops overseas and donate to my local food pantry. I love putting my coupon skills to such good use!

It's nice to see that so many people donate some of their loot!

[vgleason]

I just donated a bunch of gatorade, juicy juice, razors and hair products to a friend who is wanting to start couponing and her son's girlfriend who is trying to put herself thru college

[genosgirl]

Paying it forward: donated shampoo, conditioner, body wash, loofa, toothpaste, toothbrush, razors, shaving cream, dawn, tide, clorox wipes to a woman I heard about who had lost everything and was starting over.

[lhart24]

I take the free toys and they went to toys for tots at xmas.. but the rest of the year I send care packages to sick kids...

Not sure if I can post the link to the site I get the information from.. so if you want info just pm me. The kids really do appreciate it and every now and then I get a thank you note or drawing..

I also make fleece tie blankets for Project Linus.

[luv2sav]

Paying it forward is so much fun. I think I like giving away some of this stuff better than I like getting it!

You know what else is fun? When I am shopping, I peek in others grocery carts and give them coupons for items they are purchasing. It is a pleasant "shock" for them! Gives me a warm fuzzy feeling!

[lhart24]

Originally Posted by luv2sav

Paying it forward is so much fun. I think I like giving away some of this stuff better than I like getting it!

You know what else is fun? When I am shopping, I peek in others grocery carts and give them coupons for items they are purchasing. It is a pleasant "shock" for them! Gives me a warm fuzzy feeling!

You know.. I always did that especially if someone was waiting behind me... and some lady actually got mad at me for doing it once.. so I havent ventured to try it again.. She actually was MAD!!!! I just asked if she would want some coupons for her items as well... oh man.. bad thing there..

[jbmama]

I too pick up things when they are free or really cheap even if I don't need them and donate them to our local church ministry group in town and they distribute things to locals who need them.
We "adopted" a family at Christmas and I went crazy buying stuff for them. It felt soooo good to help them and think how special they're Christmas would be because someone took the time to help. Of course I never new who they were nor did they know who I was - which is how it should be.
This month I am gonna make an extra effort to pay it forward. Thanks for the great challenge!!!!

[AngieP]

we've got a great bunch here~~~keep the stories coming!!!!!!!

[luv2sav]

Originally Posted by lhart24

You know.. I always did that especially if someone was waiting behind me... and some lady actually got mad at me for doing it once.. so I havent ventured to try it again.. She actually was MAD!!!! I just asked if she would want some coupons for her items as well... oh man.. bad thing there..

Funny you mention that. While I never actutally had someone get mad at me,yet, I did have a woman look at me like I was crazy, snatch the coupon I was offering her out of my hand, and walk away! My boys were with me said, "Momma, she didn't even say THANK YOU!!!" It turned out to be a good lesson for them in manners and thankfulness.

Don't let the few mean people keep you from being a coupon fairy! I love the smile on someones face when they save a few bucks, and I helped put it there!

[cskrizan]

Hi,
My kids had a pantry drive this week for school. I had to drive them in because their bags were too full and heavy for them to carry!! I have always let them go "shopping" from my stockpile for things like this. They get a kick out of it. The neat thing about the pantry drive this year was they asked for daily items too(shampoo, soap, toothbrushes/paste, ect.). My son asked if they could bring in more stuff today, and I said as long as you can ride the bus w/your bag. So, down they went again, more toothbrushes, razors, shampoo, soaps, and food.
That's my(kids) Pay It Forward story,
Steph

[lhart24]

Originally Posted by luv2sav

Funny you mention that. While I never actutally had someone get mad at me,yet, I did have a woman look at me like I was crazy, snatch the coupon I was offering her out of my hand, and walk away! My boys were with me said, "Momma, she didn't even say THANK YOU!!!" It turned out to be a good lesson for them in manners and thankfulness.

Don't let the few mean people keep you from being a coupon fairy! I love the smile on someones face when they save a few bucks, and I helped put it there!

Ya I usually tape them to items now.. Unless someone is kind of encouraging me on or something at the register. If they do that.. I figure they wont get mad at the offer...

[AngieP]

it's great that you're getting your families involved too~~especially the young ones~~it's important to implement that mindset early on!!!

[luv2sav]

Originally Posted by lhart24

Ya I usually tape them to items now.. Unless someone is kind of encouraging me on or something at the register. If they do that.. I figure they wont get mad at the offer...

Taping it to the item is a great idea! I have found a few of those in my travels; makes me so happy!

[stinkbag]

My nephew is in the service and has spent most of the time in Hawaii..yes, he has been very lucky! He just left a few months ago for Taji, Iraq. They are in need of health and beauty stuff, wipes, toothpaste, deodorant, etc etc. I have a GIANT box of all of it to ship on Monday! The best part is the majority of it was free.

[lilgsmommy]

I will be donating some of the wipes I stockpiled, along with some shampoo, and bars of soap to the Ronald McDonald House at the Childrens Hospital on Tuesday, since we have to go there for a diabetes appointment for my oldest.

We try to donate as much as we can when we make a trip up there......we always sort through the cupboards before we go. I also collect travel samples from everyone I know and end up taking a decent sized box there to drop off when we go too. They are always hurting for stuff to give the families staying there whos kids are in the hospital....they have helped us out in the past so we do as much as we can to help them out too

If you have one close by.....they can always use donations of toiletries (even samples, toothbrushes, toothpaste, razors, lotions), and cleaning supplies (specially laundry soap), food (specially snack type stuff that is easy for the family members to grab when they are running back and forth to the hospital) and misc stuff (including toys for the kids, books, mags, and such).

[Kmchamplin]

I have a break at work and am loving hearing all the stories.

Pay it forward...We tend to donate to a battered women's shelter. These women leave with nothing at times and by donating make-up and other beauty products these women start to feel better about themselves.

I also bring my children's outgrown boots or winter items to one of my schools that I teach at. There are MANY times that these children don't have these items and even getting them from goodwill is too much money. Plus many of the kids may also just arrive from another country and the parents are still clueless about our cold winters.

PS...I really wish I could leave thanks for all of you that have written in here! You are all AWESOME!

[CarolynC]

I have adopted a "Pay it Forward" as a Lifestyle Change for DH and I. It's not just with stuff but in so other many ways. In the Parking Lot letting that Mommy with what looks and sounds like 14 children have that closer parking spot! Helped others in Parking lots at grocery by putting their buggies away. Nothing that "hopefully" would make them think I was gonna mug them. There are just so many ways to "Pay it Forward" and my heart is thrilled to see all that everyone is doing. The more you do, the more opportunities there will be. Makes you smile when you lay your head down at night and not in a "Look what I did" way, but just a warm fuzzy. I truly try to live by the "Do Unto Others........!"

[calstate_brit]

Since I started couponing about a year ago, I have been amazed at the great deals/freebies for everyday foods/toiletries and have AFC to thank for so many of the Hot Tips that we get here on the boards.

It has made me feel so good to be able to donate a bunch of toys and food that I got for free or practically free to my children's school's food and toy drives last year. It truly does feel so much better to give than to receive!! And now on a regular basis, every 3-4 months I have been putting a few boxes of my stockpile together and taking them to our nearest homeless shelter, with my 2 kids in tow, so that they can learn that we should share our good fortune and be more charitable to those in our community.

Also, last Christmas, I was able to put together a huge box of toiletries for a neighbor's daughter who had just started her 1st year of college and whose father had just passed away in July. She was so happy and grateful because her mother had not thought of putting together a "college care" package for her (she was busy with funeral matters) and it was more than she could have hoped for. It just made me feel so good to know that my couponing skills were helping someone else out too.

It's wonderful to hear all these heartwarming stories of giving and paying it forward, and I am so grateful to be part of the AFC community

[NJMom]

Originally Posted by c1cooper1

I truly try to live by the "Do Unto Others........!"

Me too, Carolyn! It just makes sense.