Happy Friday: Donating on a Budget

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Sent from reader, Blossom:

I just want to share how easy it is to make a difference no matter what your budget is! I was introduced to Hip2Save about a year ago and ever since then me, my best friend and my mom are HOOKED! In just a year I have collected soooo many freebies and deals, it’s insane!

When Hurricane Sandy hit, I really wanted to help the people who are without power, food and toiletries. They lost everything in the hurricane, but I felt so powerless. I’m a senior in college with no job. Then it hit me, I may be broke but I have TONS of stuff that people really need! So me, my best friend and my mom decided to donate all of our stock pile to Hurricane Sandy victims.

I also had won a $10 Amazon gift card from the Panel App Sweepstakes (it’s an app on the phone and you redeem points you get for entries in drawings). So with this I decided to use Amazon to ship directly to shelters in the New York and New Jersey area. It’s so easy to donate with Amazon! You simply put the address of a shelter and send them things they need like toilet paper, Chapstick, ANYTHING!

HAPPY FRIDAY! 😀


Do you have a funny, “Hip”, or unique photo to share?! Email us at happyfriday@hip2save(dot)com. Every Friday, I will post one photo, submitted by you and/or another Hip2Save reader, that gives us a glimpse into your frugal lifestyle or simply makes us smile. If your photo is published on Hip2Save, we’ll email you a $10 Amazon e-card!

** Check out all of the previous Happy Friday pictures here.

Join The Discussion

Comments 51

  1. Tiffany

    This is so wonderful of you!!!!

  2. D

    That is great, and so inspiring!

  3. stacy g

    Wow! That’s great! I also love to give away lots of my freebies!

  4. The Savings Chick

    That is all kinds of awesome! My favorite thing about couponing and being frugal is the giving back.

  5. LYNN

    thats is great! i had and kind of also have a little stockpile,i wouldnt be able to afford sending anything but i give mine to my bfs sister,who is 20 with a 3rd kid on the way,so i do what i can and give what i can to help her and the family out

  6. lynn

    I love to hear and see stories like that! Thanks for sharing!

  7. rosebudds

    That is how you do it ma’am!

  8. Barb

    Wow, that is so beautiful. Brought tears to my eyes.

  9. Debbie Auen

    For this story I am Thankful!!!!!! Happy Holiday’s

  10. shanna s

    I think that was a beautiful thing to do. It was very selfless of you and I am sure the people who received your gifts were overcome with emotion and beyond thankful.

  11. Abigail

    love this!!

  12. theresa

    I live in Staten Island…and it’s still a mess here. Most of the things people need are just basic things. Toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, deodorant, garbage bags, socks, etc Things that a stock piler would have. I have donated all my stock pile to all those that have lost their homes. My friends and I personally loaded up our bag packs and walked around and handed out the things each family needed. And they were/are so grateful. Thank you Blossom…from all of us in Staten Island!

    • sammy

      so nice to see a fellow staten islander on h2s!

      • Blossom

        🙂

      • theresa

        🙂

    • statenislandmomk

      I am another Staten Islander, in Grasmere, no damage for us, but I did the same thing, gave my samples and things and gift cards for Pathmark.

  13. Trish

    Way to go! Sometimes ‘stockpilers’ get the bad stereotype as being greedy – so thanks for proving those folks wrong and being a GIVER!!! I’ve donated my stockpile many times and I love that when an emergency happens, we can just hand over a box of goodies to help!

    • Ubett

      We’re collecting items to give to the homeless families in Sacramento, California for the Christmas Holiday. We’ve been stocking up on toilietries such as toilet paper, soap, doderant, toothbrushes,etc. There are so many families that are in need, we still have a place called tent city with husbands and wives and small children. And now the homeless teens that are two old to stay in the foster homes reside in tent city. Anything that you can give will Make Someones Holiday Special and restore their confidence in humanity and the Christmas spirit. Items can be sent to “Make This Holiday Special” 5960 S. Land Park Dr. #128, Sacramento, Ca. 95822. The dates that we will be giving is Thanksgiving morning, the day after and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
      Help us make this holiday special for someone who feels forgotten

      • Lindsay

        Hi, I’m a couponer in Stockton Ca. Do I have to mail the items or can I go to this location and drop them off?

  14. Jackie

    What a great idea! If I were to send a care package from my stock pile, where exactly should I send it??

  15. Denise from DE

    Blossom, your kind and unselfish act made me cry. That was truly a sweet thing to do and I’m sure that it was appreciated!

  16. liz8k

    There was an apartment fire in our town and our church was collecting things the next morning to give to 24 families who lost everything (or close to it). I was able to scoop up a whole box of toiletries and a large box of toilet paper I’d just gotten from and Amazon deal to donate. It felt so good to be able to help so quickly! Now to restart my stockpile for my family (or another emergency)! 🙂

  17. SK

    Way to go!! For a change it is not about shelf clearing 40 items and feeling good about your stockpile which will probably rot and expire before you are able to use it. God bless you.

  18. Megan

    So awesome!

    I don’t know about other cities, but ours has something called “The Other Bank” run by the YWCA. They collect toiletries, menstrual supplies, diapers, and pretty much anything the food bank doesn’t collect, but that people need. I typically take a huge box in once or twice a year. I think the small sample packets or travel sizes of shampoo, toothpaste, and the like, are really useful for homeless folks as they usually cannot haul around large quantities. Just a thought for those who cannot afford to ship stuff…

    • Tori

      How do we find out if our town has something like that?

    • Rae

      I was trying to find something like this in my area a couple weeks ago when I couldn’t figure out what to do with the box I wanted to donate to the folks over on the east coast. All I could find was places that only wanted food. Even the donation box at our wal-mart is only for food, cleaning supplies, and toilet paper not H&B items.

      • Ubett

        We’re collecting items to give to the homeless families in Sacramento, California for the Christmas Holiday. We’ve been stocking up on toilietries such as toilet paper, soap, doderant, toothbrushes,etc. There are so many families that are in need, we still have a place called tent city with husbands and wives and small children. And now the homeless teens that are two old to stay in the foster homes reside in tent city. Anything that you can give will Make Someones Holiday Special and restore their confidence in humanity and the Christmas spirit. Items can be sent to “Make This Holiday Special” 5960 S. Land Park Dr. #128, Sacramento, Ca. 95822. The dates that we will be giving is Thanksgiving morning, the day after and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
        Help us make this holiday special for someone who feels forgotten

  19. Patti

    Thank you for being so inspiring! And thanks to all the others who posted ideas on how to help, makes me smile that people can be so great!

  20. Emily

    This is awesome! Your family should be very proud of you! As you move ahead in life, I hope you never find yourself at the receiving end of needing donations, but if you do, I hope someone steps up for you as well.

  21. Ubett

    We’re collecting items to give to the homeless families in Sacramento, California for the Christmas Holiday. We’ve been stocking up on toilietries such as toilet paper, soap, doderant, toothbrushes,etc. There are so many families that are in need, we still have a place called tent city with husbands and wives and small children. And now the homeless teens that are two old to stay in the foster homes reside in tent city. Anything that you can give will Make Someones Holiday Special and restore their confidence in humanity and the Christmas spirit. Items can be sent to “Make This Holiday Special” 5960 S. Land Park Dr. #128, Sacramento, Ca. 95822. The dates that we will be giving is Thanksgiving morning, the day after and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
    Help us make this holiday special for someone who feels forgotten.

    • Tarri

      Thanks for posting, I live in Fairfield and am trying to slim down my overage of HBA items.

      • Ubett

        Thank you so much for responding. We are accepting all items. I pray that more people in Northern California will have the heart as you do.

    • Ubett

      We’re collecting items to give to the homeless families in Sacramento, California for the Christmas Holiday. We’ve been stocking up on toilietries such as toilet paper, soap, doderant, toothbrushes,etc. There are so many families that are in need, we still have a place called tent city with husbands and wives and small children. And now the homeless teens that are two old to stay in the foster homes reside in tent city. Anything that you can give will Make Someones Holiday Special and restore their confidence in humanity and the Christmas spirit. Items can be sent to “Make This Holiday Special” 5960 S. Land Park Dr. #128, Sacramento, Ca. 95822. The dates that we will be giving is Thanksgiving morning, the day after and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
      Help us make this holiday special for someone who feels forgotten

    • cynthia

      ubett i live in nv where we live we r lucky our town doesnt have this i have a whole lot of dispoable razors i will send to u

      • Ubett

        thank you so much.

  22. Candy

    I had also saw on Pinterest the idea for a “blessing bag”. If you see someone on the side of the road asking for change you also give a blessing bag. In it, you put a toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant….all the small hygiene minis we get for free via coupons and samples. I also included the Johnson&Johnson mini first aid kit since I had so many free from a previous deal. Makes it all worth it.

    • LC

      I love doing this Candy….my teenage daughter and I make these up all the time and leave them in our truck….we also add protein/meal replacement bars and some crackers and a bottle of water……

  23. Kellie R

    I did the same thing! I was so grateful to be able to help. Before I started couponing, I never would have been able to afford to help. It feels good to be able to give back.

  24. Jenny, theDIYparent

    Thanks for sharing this info. I didn’t know it was so easy to ship donations through Amazon!

  25. Janel

    Awesome!

  26. bfam

    Way to go, Blossom!

  27. Heather

    I did the same thing! I am a college junior and took my stockpile to a collection center in my town to be sent to the ny/nj area!! Such a great idea!

  28. Emily

    Just this week I took my stockpile to my school, I’m a counselor, and let the teachers, secretary’s and other staff take something from the box. The teachers work really hard and is not always a rewarding job. I also share my stockpile with my family and friends. Everyone is so strapped financially and so stressed that it’s nice just to see their smile.

  29. j k

    Great job!!! I also recently gave away a bag full of samples and other full sized items to a local womens shelter. I didn’t realize I was hoarding all of those products and not using them.

  30. Kimberly

    I also donated a lot of my stockpile to Sandy victims. Two years ago my friend’s new home was hit by a F3 tornado while her husband was deployed! Within minutes I was able to bring her bags and bags of stuff. She lost everything…she didn’t even have a hairbrush. I will never stop stockpiling for my family and others!

  31. Ubett

    To my couponing family Thank you so much for helping with Make this Holiday Special.
    I didn’t know if anybody would even respond, I’m just very hopeful. A lot of the new faces in tent city are teenagers and small children, I feel so bad when we give them food and we don’t have enough toiletries for everyone. Please spread the word to stockpilers about what we are doing for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

    We’re collecting items to give to the homeless families in Sacramento, California for the Christmas Holiday. We’ve been stocking up on toilietries such as toilet paper, soap, doderant, toothbrushes,etc. There are so many families that are in need, we still have a place called tent city with husbands and wives and small children. And now the homeless teens that are two old to stay in the foster homes reside in tent city. Anything that you can give will Make Someones Holiday Special and restore their confidence in humanity and the Christmas spirit. Items can be sent to “Make This Holiday Special” 5960 S. Land Park Dr. #128, Sacramento, Ca. 95822. The dates that we will be giving is Thanksgiving morning, the day after and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
    Help us make this holiday special for someone who feels forgotten

  32. mandy

    dont forget to check with your local school counselors to see if any families need help. we just donated a family of 15 with all the fixings for thanksgiving all on a couponers budget.

  33. Moe

    Awesome, awesome, awesome! I’m donating in my city, too! I do this all the time thanks to couponing and the awesome deals and freebies that I find on hip2save. I love doing this and truly I love hip2save and my hip2save fam! 🙂

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