Southern Illinois Money Savers

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Cheryl: married 32 years to high school sweetheart; homemaker; retired home-school teacher (2 daughters); transplanted Buckeye whose heart is still in Ohio though in body am in the southeast. She blogs at Simply CVS.

While growing up, my family didn’t have even a dollar to spare, so sharing with others financially was out of the question; but that didn’t stop my parents from reaching out. My father was the neighborhood fix-it man, not by trade, just by hobby (his name was even Emmett like in Mayberry). If something was broken, they’d call on him. Another “outreach” he had was to the paperboys. On rainy days when their papers got soaked on the corner waiting for time of delivery he’d help them bring them in our house, lay several out, turn on fans and the furnace and dry them out, put them back together and while they delivered those he would get another batch ready. So as you can see, even without financial ability, he found ways to give and instilled that desire in me.

While my husband and I were raising our daughters we passed this legacy on to them thru teaching them to give of their time and resources (he received the same desire to serve others from his parents). We have many found memories from serving others including volunteering regularly at an adult day care center when they were small, giving of their own toys to drives put on after natural disasters, filling shoeboxes each Christmas for Operation Christmas Child and taking flowers and baked goods to seniors at church.

Today, I physically can’t help others like my father did because of physical limitations, but with couponing I am able to help others with their basic needs. I often get food at the grocery store for free or for pennies, but my main haul is from CVS. I bring home on average at least 5 different items each week from CVS for donations. And that is why I started Simply CVS—to show others how they can meet many of their family’s needs by bringing home hundreds of dollars worth of stuff each month for just pennies on the dollar and then have extra to share.

I am sharing a list of several of the different places we have donated to. Often I will get a free item at CVS and think, “now where can I donate this?” I know it is hard to think of who accepts donations, so I thought by sharing where we have donated to, it may help readers be able to think of local agencies that they can donate to.

Operation Christmas Child

Local Food Pantries

Local School Supply Drives

Childrens Homes (local and out of state)

Orphanages (in other countries)

Overseas medical trips

Church preschool, children’s & youth programs

Shelters for Abused Women

Pregnancy Resource Centers

Adult Day Care Center

Shelter for Men (program helps them break addictions to drugs and alcohol and teaches them a trade)

Couponing allows my family to share “financial” benefits to others, but like Amber said in a recent post, “There are so many things that we can do that have no monetary value whatsoever but their actual value is very great!… Cook a meal for someone you know and surprise them, help someone with yard/house work, volunteer anywhere (homeless shelter, soup kitchen, school, church, etc.), visit the nursing home etc. Take a hard look at your family, neighborhood, community and see where you could be of help. I know that giving of my time is harder even though it doesn’t cost me any money, but trust me when I say, it can make a serious impact.” I like to think of giving as bringing sunshine into others’ lives. Life can be rough, caring and sharing (whether of time or things) can make it momentarily smoother for others and can give the giver a sense of satisfaction and joy. I am very thankful to be on the giving side of the equation—we never know when that can change.