Happy Friday: Couponing for a Cause – Helping College Students in Need
Sent from reader, Lisa:
My daughter attends a college away from home. We all know that with tuition and fees being at an all time high, college students are on a tight budget. Upon meeting and getting to know some of my daughter’s dorm mates, I began seeing the need these individuals had. I knew we could help these college students on a tight budget. My Mom volunteered to help and we began our Couponing for a Cause-Helping College Students in Need. To date we’ve donated: Olay Body Wash, Schick Razors, Secret & Old Spice Deodorant, Colgate Toothpaste, Colgate Toothbrushes, and Chapstick just to name a few. They are all so appreciative and grateful for the needed supplies.
This photo is of our Easter gift supply bag contribution to the students within my daughter’s dorm. As you can see, we’ve gathered everything from Olay face wash, M&M’s, UP2U Gum, Palmer’s, Revlon & Cover Girl Files/Clippers, Mar’s Snickers & Milky Way, etc… Even the Easter gift sacks are from our Walgreens hauls that we threw in as fillers to use up all our register rewards. 😀 We were sure to include some sweets to help get them through the Easter Holiday, since they will be away from home and family. I wanted to say Thank You again Collin……your hard work is being put to real good use!!!
HAPPY FRIDAY! 
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** Check out all the previous Happy Friday pictures here.
that is so sweet of you …
So touching….I want to cry…
What an inspiring story. It makes me realize I could really make a difference if I took my excess beauty supplies and made gift bags for people who could really use it. Thanks for posting!
So awesome! I’ve been out of college for close to 20 years and a gift like this way back when would’ve been amazing (I paid for my own college and am still paying for some of it). Just to have someone take an interest in an impressionable young woman could make a forever difference in a life.
Lisa your awesome. I’m in-state and my tuition is 4k per semester, which is paid out of pocket by my mother. My best friends are in-state and their are 14k per semester with room and board. My poor friend is living off lean cuisines lmao. It’s so sad but funny at the same time. She is 2 steps up from noodles but not quite a a $2 meal. When I call her I ask so what type of lean cuisine did you have today.
I can’t lie, she has me addicted to lean cuisines. So Yummy.
Back to the topic. Lisa your doing a great thing because sometimes college students have to decide what they really need to have and lotion and other stuff can sometimes be last. Books are expensive and I wish the professors would tell us if he is actually going to use the book the first week because it’s a waste of money if we aren’t going to open it.
I have a son in college with 2 roommates. I send “care” packages with him after he comes home for a visit. We are lucky enough to have him in the same state and only about 40 minutes from home. So with all my hip to save tips I have things always on hand for the boys. I often get coupons for Lean Cuisines, i’d be happy to forward them on to you.
Giggles — Do you do Swagbucks? I use it to earn money for my college freshman — I have been able to earn enough Amazon Gift Cards every month to cover his books so far (and their prices are SOOOOO much better than Barnes and Noble!). If you have friends then sign up under your referral, you can earn points for them, too (up to 1000 Swagbucks, or over $10 if you get the $5 Amazon Gift Cards). Please check this out…. it has made a world of difference to our very tight budget!
My daughter is just 2 months away from graduating and told me another tale about the ridiculousness of college textbooks. She has had professors specify an out of date edition of a text and then the students have had to go to the instructor to let them know that book just is not available, Crazy! Professors who list books as required when they actually are not used as you noted are also completely out of touch with reality.
Awesome Idea. You should also ask them if they want to learn couponing. I am a guy college couponer and I have access to so many computers that it is unreal. I am only 20, but I can already see that couponing at this age is most beneficial because of all my resources. So so so many printables and my college supply’s is with newspapers.
Good job Nick! You are a catch!
This is a great Happy Friday post. Kudos to you Lisa.
As a college student myself, i can tell you that thi is greatly appriciated 🙂
That is really nice of you. I distinctly remember times in college when I literally had nothing to eat because I was so poor. When I did have money, I had to choose between food or toiletries.
How nice & what a great idea! I am sure the students will love their Easter goodies! 🙂
How nice of you! I haven’t been out of college too long and I would’ve totally LOVED a gift like that. All of the little toiletry expenses really do add up! I’m sure the girls will be thrilled to get these.
I had to giggle with this one… those keg parties don’t pay for themselves, do they??? Back in my day it cost $2 for a red Solo cup but the memories are priceless! 😉
as a very recent college grad, my mom’s couponing was my savior. I paid tuition, books and rent all on my own (with the student loan debt now to prove what I couldn’t pay) and if it hadn’t of been for my mom’s stock pile, I don’t think i would have ever of managed to have toilet paper or dish soap, but thankfully I could steal it from mom :). BUT, I can promise you my money did not pay for solo cups or kegs…
what a horrible, rude statement. don’t devalue the amazing gift this amazing women is giving! not all college students spend all their money partying. the school i went to was 18k a semester and my loans didn’t cover it all and i had to pay the school monthly on top of my books, supplies and personal items. i couldn’t afford a car or insurance and only had about 20 hours a week at work because of time. No one I knew in school qualified for any kind of government assistance and was extremely low on funds. Even when mommy and daddy pay the tuition bill, you usually end up very low on cash for the things you need.
i can’t even imagine how i’d react to such an awesome gift. olay body wash would be a god send compared to the dollar store junk. i’m sure every student will greatly appreciate it. i know lots of them are struggling and will be touched by your kindness! I think you’re an inspiration Lisa! I’m going to dig through my stockpile and donate some supplies to my cousin’s friends in college when they get back from spring break!
Oh Christine, I don’t think that Nicole was making a rude statement. I understood her thought even though I was not a ‘party’ girl in college.
I couldn’t afford to go on a spring break trip like your cousin’s friends who YOU mentioned will be returning from a spring break trip while in college and broke……hmmmmm. Now that’s funny!
She never said spring break TRIP……….for all we know they could be staying with their parent for spring break.
as far as i know, no ones on any trips. I never mentioned cancun or maui or something ridiculous, their spring break fell during Easter this year so most students decided to go home instead of staying on campus like last year when their spring break was weeks before Easter. Apparently you must spend holidays alone to have financial difficulties…
OK Christine– I guess you didn’t say trip– I must have read into that a little….probably like you read into the statement that Nicole wrote…..
I guess I was sticking up for Nicole’s comment because I didn’t see anything wrong with someone posting their “thought’s” on a post. When I read your comment I thought you were…. well, not so nice toward her opinion. That’s all.
Nicole, don’t worry I thought the same thing. I’m a mommy now but the last time I went to college was about 3-4 years ago and I laughed with this one too. It’s a great deed and all and I know she means well, but the first thing that came to my mind were clubs party and designer clothing… not to mention the laptops, cellphones, ipads, ipods, gym memberships, cars, etc that be commodities but are more like must haves in college nowadays.
Keep in mind that thats the lucky few, many college students don’t have time for parties and money for designer clothes, etc. My sister worked 2 jobs and while she went to Virginia Tech full time just to make bills meet. And no, none of those included expensive cell phones, cars, gym memberships. I’ve very proud of her and any students who work as hard as she did (and does), so I take offense to such comments to just assume everyone can live that way in college.
Nicole- Just so you know… i don’t think your comment was rude at all. In all likelihood it was true. Even if not, college student priorities can be on “non priority” fun things so it’s great to help them be able to enjoy their college years as much as possible. 🙂
I just sent my sister at college a big box-6lbs worth of food goodies. she is stuck there for Easter as well.
What a wonderful story! I am sure those students appreciate your generosity and kindness! I love hearing stories like this!! 🙂
Happy Easter to everyone!!
Julie Sutton
As the mother of a college student living far, far away from home, this warms my heart! Thank you for your thoughtfulness and generosity!
That’s great! I will be starting college next year, and couponing will definitely be a huge money saver for me.
Awww…how sweet and kind of you Lisa..thank you for sharing your story with us. I remember when i was a college student i paid all these items mentioned in the post..it really adds up..wish i knew couponing back then!
thats awesome lisa thanks for sharing.
So kind and thoughtful of you!
Great idea! I never thought of that and I am a college professor!
Happy Easter Everyone— Don’t forget the real reason that Easter brings!
What a great idea. Lisa you are awesome.
It is “Hip2Help” College Students! Very sweet of you Lisa!
This is the kind of stuff I send my best friend in College. We always send each other goodie boxes, and I usually stock her box full of toothpaste, deodorant, make up, candy.. all kinds of stuff I get for free or close to it from couponing! She absolutely LOVES it because she knows she won’t have a fork out the money and since she catches the bus to Walmart, they don’t give her much time to shop, let alone try to coupon. I also sign her up for all the freebies/giveaways that I can, because I know it helps her out! 🙂
So cool! When I was in college there was a group of moms that would put together bags like that filled with treats and leave them at each dorm door during finals week. It was always a fun and refreshing thing to come back to.
That is really nice.
This is a great story thanks for sharing and caring about people we need more people to think of others. I try to help those i know that have lost there jobs lost everything and live in a motel.THanks to hip 2 save i can do this, I will lose my job june 30, i will soon be a stay at home mom i will coupon even more than i do.
Even better, teach them to coupon! I did it in college and it definitely helped me stretch my dollars. I worked 30 hours a week and went to school full time. I used coupons in the late 90s, long before the current focus on it. If you can teach those students to use coupons and to shop sales to stockpile, that would help them stretch their few dollars even farther.
Wanted to say thanks to Lisa and her mother for being an inspiration to society. And thank-you Collin for reminding us of the kindness that still exists in America.
Agreed! You hear so many awful stories in the news every day it makes you wonder if anybody is kind to their neighbor anymore. This proves that there are still good people out there.
I wish this was like facebook or pinterest where I could like this!! Thanks for sharing this Lisa and Collin! I hope when my kids get to college I can do the same for them and their dorm mates!
This is awesome!
Aww, what a wonderful act of kindness!
My church started the Secret Church Mouse Program last fall. College students sign up for the program in the fall. Members who would like to participate are then assigned to a college student. I send monthly care packages every month to two students. I use Hip2Save and other coupon blogs to help me find great deals, mostly from Walgreens. Sometime this Spring, our identity will be revealed and we get to spend some time with them. I can’t tell you how much fun I have sending my care packages as a secret college mouse. We use the church mailing address so that they don’t know who it’s from. I encourage you to start a Church/College Mouse Program in your church or community!
I’m hitting my head going duh, I should have thought of this, my first grandchild went off to college in 2010 and I sent her care packages all the time. I really wasn’t couponing then thought. I did carry a car load of stuff down to our local battered women’s ctr that I couldn’t have gotten if not for hip2save web sites. It was razors, deodorants, shampoo/condition, toothbrushes, toothpaste, candy, diapers, cereal and few other odds and ends. I love shopping esp with my coupons.
Mom and I say Thanks for the kuddo’s. We’re still at it and are always looking for great freebies that these college students could use. It is a lot of fun and seeing the smiles on all their faces, it makes our hearts happy.
Some girls have actually asked to learn couponing, but there aren’t many stores near them. They have to ride a bus everywhere they go, because they aren’t allowed cars on campus. It’s how the college keeps from vehicle overcrowding and polution.
All and all, we are happy to do this for them and we are glad to have inspired you all to help others. Thanks All and hope everyone has a Happy Easter 🙂
Mom and Lisa 🙂
I’m actually putting together the same thing for my daughters fiance who is in the Navy. Their barracks are a lot like dorms so I’m sending him lots of extras so he can find other guys to give them to. I love that guys usually aren’t brand specific.
It feels awesome to be able to send the brave soldiers a little something so they can save their money and time, which they don’t get much of either. Same for hard working college students.