Friday, January 25, 2013

Frugal Friday - Coupons for overseas military



Have a ton of expired coupons? Hate throwing them away?  If they are American coupons and less than six months after the expiration date, you can send them to US military stationed overseas! Military grocery stores, called a Commissary, will accept expired manufacturer coupons.   There are also retail stores, called Base/Post/Navy Exchanges (BX, PX or NX) that will also accept manufacturer coupons. 

A few notes:

  • You can send any amount of coupons, whether one or one million!
  • Coupons are accepted at the base stores up to six months past the expiration date; however, it does take time for those coupons to arrive at the overseas bases.  Because of this, it is better to send coupons that are not more than two or three months past their expiry dates.
  • You can mail clipped coupons or whole inserts.  Clipped will cost less, as you will have a smaller amount of unnecessary paper, which can add up quickly!
  • Sorting the coupons into two groups is extremely beneficial to the people receiving them.  You don’t have to sort into many small groups.  Just put the coupons in two separate piles: Food Items and Non-Food Items.  It is best to put the sorted coupons into plastic baggies, as paper clips, rubber bands and similar holders can be separated during mailing.
  • Not sure if an item would be considered food?  If it is usually consumed by humans, it is food.  Candy, gum, snacks, etc. would be food.  Pet food, vitamins, etc. would be non-food.


Where can you send those expired coupons?
There are many websites dedicated to this cause.  Here are a few:



Additionally, there are several Facebook groups:


This is a wonderful way to support the military and to keep those coupons from going to waste.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Scent-sational Saturday - Spring Catalog Alert!



Gold Canyon’s Spring catalog started earlier this week.  There are a lot of great new and returning scents and items!  I know a lot of people, including my mom, who will be thrilled to hear about the return of Lilac.  I am excited that Dazzleberry is available again.  Then there is what I think will be my new seasonal favorite, Pitanga Peach.  Yummy!!


Thursday, January 17, 2013

Thankful Thursday


The holidays were busy, as usual, and life is getting back to normal…or what qualifies as normal in my world.  I thought it would be best to return to the blog with a bit of gratitude.

Today I want to share my thankfulness for having a job that I truly enjoy.  There are times when something happens to drive me crazy and stretches when the stress levels skyrocket.  Then there are occurrences such as the one that transpired Tuesday evening. 

It was five-o’clock…time to go home.  I was about to turn off my computer and gather my things when I saw Sam walking towards the Youth Services office.  I’ve helped her a few times over the past several months.  A senior in high school, she leads a busy life between school, work and social events.  She loves to read, though, and tries to find time for books. 

I don’t even think we started the conversation with hellos!  Sam told me that she LOVED Where Things Come Back – one of the books I suggested.  She didn’t like The Chocolate War – another recommendation, but really wanted to read Paper Covers Rock.  So we went over to the branch’s Teen Central and found the title and I recommended a few more.

I left work about 15 minutes late that night, but I left with a smile.  Here is a busy teen that comes to the library and looks for me because she trusts my recommendations. 

So I am thankful for Sam – and others like her – that have me leaving work smiling, not because I’m going home, but because I know I’ve chosen the right career.