Kroger Trip and Floss Donation

September 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I wanted to take advantage of the cheap Tyson Chicken Nuggets on the mega event sale at Kroger this week.  I have enough coupons to get 16 bags but I quelled the urge to go overboard.  The chill in the evening air at football made me want to have a thermos of hot lemon tea at the game so I had to stock up on my lemon zinger and green tea bags for my hot tea mix.

But there are two things I am most excited about in this pic:  ox tails and yeast!  I have never tried ox tails before and I see them cook with them on Food Network ALL the time.  They finally had a really small pack for $1.86 so it’s time to try them!  I bought a bread machine in March and have yet to use it.  With the amount of sandwiches my 15 year old is going through, making bread will be SO much more affordable than buying even WITH a coupon!

I spent a total of $33.69 and saved $40.30 or 55%.  This isn’t my best percentage but for what I got, I’m pleased!  I’m going to start something new and underline the items that I will be donating.

Here is what I brought home:

4 Simply Juice-FREE (not pictured because they are gone already!)

3 Tyson Nuggets-3.49/each

3 Breakstone Sour Cream-.99/each

4 Fleishman’s Yeast-.69/each

1 Idaho Potato Pouch-FREE

2 Padded Mailers-1.42

1 Nutter Butter-.49

1 Beef Oxtails-1.86

3 Kroger Strawberry Gelatins-.78/each

1 Ferrer Rocher 3pack-FREE

2 Old El Paso Refried Beans-.35/each

6 Reach Floss-.05/each

1 Lemon Tea-2.67

4 Topps Pop Suckers-.25/each

1 Kroger Green Tea Bags-1.69

Green Grapes-2.46 (not shown)

2 Scotch Tape Products-1.28

1 Bakery Onion Rolls-1.39

1 Sunday Newspaper-1.75 (not shown)

How did you do for the first week of the Kroger Mega Event this time?

Filed Under: Coupon Shopping, Donations Tagged With: , , ,

Be Blessed Ministries

September 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago I found out about Be Blessed Ministries on the Long Hollow Baptist Church website.  Micki Johns and Melanie Reininger run this ministry from their homes and their facility space is in Madison, TN.  They accept donations of clothes, shoes, purses, coats, furniture, kitchen items-non food only, bedding, appliances, towels and wash cloths. Families in need receive assistance with items on hand.  If the family needs anything they do not currently have in inventory, they send word out through their network and find a way to meet the needs.

Be Blessed has been in the business of helping those around them for three years.  This ministry is truly a testament of the body of Christ working together to meet the needs of those in troubled situations.  They have chosen to remain an independent charitable organization and not file for a 501(c)3 in order to preserve their freedom to serve in the manner they sit fit without regard to federal limitations.

Their main focus is working with agencies or churches to help those in need. These agencies help Micki and Melanie know who truly is in need and not trying to work the system by taking advantage of people in position to help. The church and agency partnerships help in ways Be Blessed cannot with regards to expertise and money.  Each family is directed to their church or local non profit agency for assistance and Be Blessed comes along side and supplements what the local agency has done.

Everything is funded by Micki and Melanie and the items that are donated to their ministry.  Part of the vision of Be Blessed is for people to see you don’t have to have a lot of money or resources to help someone else.  –LOVE that they have the same mentality as I do with regards to my couponing on a small scale to help in mighty ways!–  They capitalize on being resourceful and crafty when it comes to meeting the needs of the families they help.

One of the ways the ministry has begun to be creatively resourceful is by using coupons to purchase cleaning items, hygiene items and other miscellaneous things that can be purchased for next to nothing, most times-FREE, by using coupons stacked with sales ads at local stores.  If you have any unused coupons or items you have stockpiled from coupon shopping, these donations are gladly accepted as well.

Any items that a family normally needs on a daily basis are appreciated.  Food items must be taken to a local food pantry or given directly to a family who needs them.

Continual needs include:  clothing, furniture, bath towels and wash cloths, cleaning supplies, hygiene items, appliances, and kitchenware.  Follow them on Facebook or their blog to be updated with urgent, immediate ministry needs.

If you are interested in donating, volunteering or know of a family in crisis, contact Be Blessed today to get help mobilized.

Are there any organizations like this in your area

where you donate or volunteer your time and resources?

Filed Under: Donations, Faith, Featured, Giving Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Virtual Pampered Chef Show & Giveaway

September 2, 2011 By 1 Comment

I am hosting a virtual Pampered Chef show from now until September 18th, 2011.  Every person that orders will have their name entered into a drawing for a taupe mini baker!  So hurry now and enter and share with your friends, too.

There will be items earned through this virtual show will be donated to a deserving single mom at my church‘s “The Gift” single mom event the first of December.  I understand financial times are hard for a lot of people right now.  You can still help by passing this link along to your friends and family to help get them involved in blessing someone else this Christmas season.

Thank you for your support!  Pass it along….

Filed Under: Donations, Giveaways, Giving Tagged With: , , ,

Additions to “The Gift” Donation

August 13, 2011 By 1 Comment

For those of you who have been long time readers, you know about the donations we give through our abundantly blessed coupon shopping experiences.  My church puts on an annual event called “The Gift” for single moms the first of every December.  This year, with the help of some amazing friends, I am donating at least one of everything I am able to purchase/collect along with other donations as a present for a lucky lady’s family!  So far we are up to four paper case boxes including what is in the picture above!!!

Here is everything in the box that was added today:

1 family size box of Cheerios
1 box of Pillsbury brownie mix
1 box of Pillsbury cake mix
1 Yardley all natural facial bar
1 box of Tylenol Precise heat patches
1 jar of Classico pasta sauce
2 bottles of salad dressing
1 bottle of Dawn dish liquid
1 bottle of French’s mustard
1 bottle of Dial body wash
2 Dove deodorants
2 boxes of Colgate toothpaste
2 boxes of freezer storage bags
1 Chips Ahoy package
3 packs of Orville Redenbacher popcorn
2 Softsoap hand soaps
1 Skintimate shave gel
1 Hunt’s ketchup
1 Wisk laundry detergent

I have also collected a box of 17 body washes, 5 salad dressings, 5 cans of Texas Pete Chili Sauce, 3 Musketeers Candy Bars, 6 Colgate/Crest toothpaste tubes, 15 travel size Band Aid packs, 1 Johnson & Johnson Baby Wash.  This box is going to be donated to my new friends at Be Blessed Ministries. I am meeting Melanie there this morning to give this box plus some stuff I am getting on the way!  I have to stop at Kroger and get some more Ivory body wash, the Energizer flashlights on sale at Kroger this week, and whatever else I can find along the way :)

If you are in the Hendersonville area and would like to donate or help this single mom gift growby further blessing who God has picked out to receive all of this, here is how you can help:

1.  donate other items in your stockpile and arrange for a time to meet me;

2.  donate gift cards to stores, restaurants, or other useful prizes a single mom might not normally be able to get herself;

3.  make plans to purchase some items between now and the last of November to donate.

Really, any way you can come up with to help would be fantastic, just do it! :)

And don’t forget, you can still enter to win two tickets to see Natalie Grant in concert in Hendersonville on August 24.  Enter for yourself or enter for someone you know who could use that type of blessing.  Spread the word to all your friends so they can enter, too!

How do you help those around you?

Filed Under: Donations, Giving Tagged With: , , , ,