Today I want to share with you an email that I received from Lisa, a reader from Columbus, Ohio. Lisa has a unique and fun way that she and her family give back. I was inspired by this wonderful idea and I wanted to pass it on. This may be a way that you and your family are able to make a difference too!
Hi Folks at One Way Every Day,
I have been checking in and reading your blog regularly for many months now. Thank you for sharing the work of so many awesome organizations out there who are trying to make the world a better place. I have been teaching my 3 young children about "giving back" and I wanted to share my idea with you and your readers and hopefully inspire others to do the same.
Inspired by some of the new reality shows about "couponing," I decided to give it a try, but with a twist! I am couponing for charity!
Here's how we work it - We do our grocery shopping on Saturday morning, so each Sunday we begin the process of gathering our coupons. The Sunday Newspaper and Internet coupon sites are great sources for coupons. This is one of the parts the kids are really involved in - they now love to find me coupons to use. Our local store doubles coupons so that really makes a difference! We generally save between $18.-$25. weekly so it adds up to a nice monthly donation. Whatever money I save through the use of coupons is banked in a jar in the kitchen. We call it our M.A.D. (Making a Difference) Money jar.
At the end of every month, we meet as a family and we discuss which charities we would like to donate to. Each family member nominates a charity and shares why they think this charity should receive the money. This accomplishes a couple things, the family learns about many great causes and it teaches the kids to articulate an idea or concept in which they believe.
We vote as a family and whichever cause is selected is the recipient of our M.A.D. Money for that month. We have been couponing for 3 months now and it has been a huge success. So far we have been able to donate to a local animal rescue, Ronald McDonald House and Make a Wish Foundation.
I have been able to take this idea and turn it into a meaningful opportunity to teach my children about giving. The children think it is fun and have really taken to finding coupons to use. My family and I are very fortunate. In this tough economy, my husband and I are both working and financially we are doing well. I realize that for many families using coupons helps to stretch the family food dollar and is a necessary part of making ends meet. I would like to encourage those who are able to do something like this to consider trying this with your family. It has been an AWESOME experience for our family!
-Lisa J.
What a great idea Lisa, thanks for sharing it with us ! We love to hear how others are 'making a difference.' We also invite anyone who has an idea to share to send it to us through our contact page. Who knows, your ideas may show up on our site to inspire others!
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