Couponing for Community - WOW!

The totals are in on the Couponing for Community Facebook page. You may remember that the original goal, nationwide, was to donate 10,000 items to charity between May 8-14. Any guesses how many items were actually donated?

26,639.

10,000 items were posted by Thursday morning. Friday night the number was over 15,000. They big push from the Stanp Out Hunger drive on Saturday put the totals through the roof. Kaley of Cha-Ching on a Shoestring, the amazing force behind this event, has put together a slide show of donations. I'm not sure if my 113 were in there, but I know they were part of the 26,639, and I am so freaking thrilled! I cannot wait for next year. In fact, there is already talk of making this a semi-annual event, which I think would be brilliant.

I hope some of you were able to put out a bag of things for your mail carrier to pick up yesterday, and I really, really hope that some of them were things that you got for FREE with coupons! Did you participate? Let us know in the comments!

My Couponing for Community haul!

I finally dragged up everything out of the pantry in the basement and assembled it all to get ready for donation! It felt really, really good. My husband's car is packed full and I will be making the trip to the Hockanum Valley Tri-Town Food Pantry tomorrow after work.

I had to take pictures in two separate rounds - my table was too small! Here are the food items:

• 1 box cereal
• 2 bottles salad dressing
• 2 pasta salad mix
• 1 can pineapple
• 5 noodle bowls
• 2 cans soup
• 2 cans chicken broth
• 2 jars pickles
• 2 jars relish
• 3 jars marinara sauce
• 7 cans tomatoes
• 29 food items total

And here are the personal and household items:

• 20 tubes toothpaste
• 3 floss
• 9 toothbrushes
• 1 bottle mouthwash
• 12 packages sanitary pads
• 2 boxes tampons
• 1 jumbo pack diapers
• 5 baby lotions
• 7 body washes
• 10 bottles shampoo
• 6 deodorants
• 5 packages of razors
• 2 packages of Ziploc bags
• 1 roll paper towels
• 84 items total

That's a combined total of 113 items towards the Couponing for Community goal of 10,000! And since my personal goal was 100 items, I am thrilled. I'm estimating that the value of all these items is around $300. I didn't keep exact records, but I think I probably spent less than $10 on all the food, and maybe $15 on all the personal care items. I know that the toothpaste and brushes were all completely free. So were the pads and tampons. The shampoo cost anywhere from $0 to $1 per bottle, so say an average of $0.50 each. Same with the deodorant. The razors and the baby lotions were all free, too. The biggest item was the diapers, which I know I got for $4.

How about you? Have you put together anything to have your mail carrier pick up on Saturday? Don't forget to post your totals on the C4C Facebook page, and please send me pictures and lists to post here!

What are you getting for Couponing for Community?

Are you making a donation for Couponing for Community this week? I can't wait! It will be nice to get my basement back. :-) I am going to try to pick up a few last-minute items tomorrow and then assemble, catalog, and photograph my donations tomorrow night. I have to double check with the food pantry on their hours to see when I can drop off. If your donation will fit into 1 or 2 bags, you can leave it by your mailbox on Saturday and your mail carrier will pick it up as part of Stamp Out Hunger day.

Remember, if you want to participate, make sure you like the C4C Facebook page. They now have a counter up to track donations - click on the "See Our Progress" tab on the left. You can submit your own totals and see what other people have donated. As of this posting, they are currently at 7300 items - almost 3/4 of the way towards the 10,000 item goal!

Want to make that number go up? Check out these free and cheap deals available this week! All of these are $1 or less. This is just a list - click on the links to find out how to get these prices.

CVS:

• FREE Carefree pantiliners
• FREE Similac ready-to-feed formula
• $1.98 for 2 Xtra laundry detergent ($0.99 each)
• $0.99 Mitchum Advanced Control deodorant
• $1.97 for 2 Aussie or Herbal Essences ($0.98 each)

Walgreens

• FREE Colgate toothpaste
• FREE Clean & Clear body wash
• FREE Carefree pantiliners
• $0.99 Mitchum Advanced Control deodorant
• $0.89 Gillette Fusion Proglide razor

Rite Aid

• FREE Carefree pantiliners
• FREE Similac ready-to-feed formula
• $0.99 Stayfree pads or o.b. tampons
• $1.99 for 2 Finesse hair care ($0.99 each)
• $1.00 for Ivory, Zest, or Safeguard bar soap

So what are you getting and giving this week? Be sure to email me at notacrazycouponer@gmail.com with pictures of everything you plan on donating and I will feature you in a post!

Couponing For Community - What can you get this week?

Couponing For Community week is coming up! I have been saving up items in my stash since February (don't worry, I'm keeping an eye on expiration dates) and I cannot wait to tally it all up. However, I know that many of you don't usually stock up and so don't have a pile of stuff to donate. Don't be left out! You can still participate in the donation drive and contribute towards the goal of 10,000 items, just with free and cheap items you can buy this week.

I've compiled a list of needed goods that are all UNDER $1 this week at drugstores. Please, please consider grabbing these during your shopping trips and donating them to a shelter or food pantry next week. This is just a summary - click on the links to see the breakdown of how to get these deals.

CVS:

• -$1.00 Colgate toothpaste (that's right, get paid to walk out with toothpaste!)
• FREE Ivory soap 3-pk
• $1.00 for 2 Right Guard deodorants ($0.50 each)
• $2.00 for 2 Aussie or Herbal Essences shampoo ($1 each)
• $1.00 Bic Soleil Shimmer razor

Walgreens:

• -$1.00 Noxzema disposable razors (Moneymaker!)
• $1.00 Aussie or Herbal Essences shampoo
• $1.00 Bic razors
• $2.00 for 2 Head & Shoulders shampoo ($1 each)
• $1.00 for 2 Right Guard deodorants ($0.50 each)
• $0.89 for Gillette Fusion ProGlide razor
• And I know these are a little more than $1, but:
• $3.00 for 2 U by Kotex sanitary products ($1.50 each)
• $4.00 for Walgreens jumbo pack diapers

Rite Aid:

• $2.00 for 2 Right Guard body wash ($1 each)
• $2.00 for 2 Right Guard deodorant ($1 each)
• $1.00 Gillette Fusion ProGlide razor
• $1.00 Dove for Men deodorant
• $0.50 Carefree pantiliners

Questions? Not sure how to get these items? Want to share your plan for next week? Post a comment below!

Couponing for Community

Kaley over at ChaChing on a Shoestring is once again organizing the amazing Couponing for Community drive. To coincide with National Stamp Out Hunger Day on May 14, couponers across the country are invited to make donations to their local shelter, food bank, pantry, or other worthy cause during the week of May 8-14, 2011. The goal is to have couponers donate 10,000 items.

I think this is freaking brilliant and I am super excited. Last year I participated on my own, but this year I am signing up the blog on the Couponing for Community Facebook page and inviting my readers to join in as well. Here's the plan:

1. Start setting aside donations now. Non-perishable food, household items like TP, and personal care items like toothpaste and shampoo are all in huge demand. Any and all of these items can be gotten free or very, very cheap from grocery and drug stores! So as you're doing your own weekly shopping, keep your eyes open for good deals.
2. Spread the word! If you have your own blog, please consider linking to ChaChing's post. (or back here!) On Facebook, "like" the Couponing for Community page.
3. During the week of May 8-14, make a list of what you've put together (if you can remember it, maybe include what coupons you used and where you got them, just for curiousity's sake). You can also take a photo of your donation.
4. Post your list and/or photo to the Facebook page, and consider telling them you learned about the event through this blog! (I'm not above drumming up a little blog traffic while I'm at it, I admit.)
5. If you'd like to be featured on this blog, please also email me your list/photo at notacrazycouponer@gmail.com. I will be making a series of posts that week detailing what my readers have donated.
6. Finally, of course, make sure you find somewhere to bring your items. If you only have a bag or two, you can leave them by your mailbox on May 14th for your mail carrier to pick up as part of the Stamp Out Hunger drive. I know a lot of grocery stores in my area have set up drop-off boxes as well, which is super convenient. I'll probably bring mine straight to the Tri-Town Food Pantry - I've been saving up for a while now and I don't want my mail carrier to hate me forever. :-)

Please leave a comment on this post if you think you can participate. Let's do this thing!