August No Spend Challenge Day 30: Create A Coupon Swap Box!

  

Hello again, savvy savers! A new day, a new challenge! So for today, I want to discuss a way that you may be able to get food, goods, and toiletries this month for free, and that is with a coupon swap! This seems like an opportune time as Sunday’s are usually my days to organize my coupon binder and create shopping lists fir the week ahead! 

So, you may be thinking, why a coupon swap? Well that’s easy… using free coupons this month, for items you may anticipate needing, and only having to pay applicable tax, can still fall within the No-Spend Month Challenges! So, here are a few suggestions:

1.  Simply put it is a box of coupons that is set up at a central location, that allows people to swap and share coupons.
2. Those who contribute to the swapbox have the privilege of taking coupons from the swapbox.
3. Before you set up a coupon swapbox, you need to find a good location.
4. Think of locations where there are a lot of people.
5. Good examples are daycares, preschools, churches, libraries, schools, community centers, work, local children’s museum, etc.; be sure to ask permission to start a coupon swap box!
6. When starting the box, post a note outside the location telling people you are starting a swap.
7. The beauty of this challenge is that by donating your unused coupons to the swapbox, you can look through the coupons donated by others.

Once you have a location, simply:

•  Cut out all the Sunday coupons.
• File the coupons you wish to keep in your coupon binder. 
• Put the remaining coupons in a Ziploc bag along with an index card, listing the coupon sources, your name, and date.
• Add your bag to the swapbox. 
• As time goes on, check the box for coupons you might need.
• Maintain a list of coupons for freebie grocery items, meaning coupons that you will only pay applicable tax for, at store such as Target, Walmart, and the Dollar Tree, and keep an eye out for them at the swap box.
• You can also post a note asking for specific items, such as a brand of coupon.
• Even if you don’t coupon, add inserts for those you might!

Once you have an established box, you can advertise at your local grocery stores, laundromats, PX’s, library, or other areas where people will see listings. That’s it! Also, be sure to take an half hour a month to clean out expired coupons from your box, too! 

For those with less drive, but still looking to participate in this challenge, you should check out a Facebook site, that I use often, Christine’s Coupon Swap! This awesome group allows users to post messages for coupons you need, as well as postings for coupons you wish to donate or trade. Group members pay for their postage. This is a great way to find the coupons that may not ordinarily be delivered to your region each week, without having to buy an excessive amount of newspapers weekly!

So today I challenge you all to consider physically, or virtually, working on starting coupon swapping practices, to donate the coupons you won’t be using this month while not spending, to help purchase free groceries this year during No-Spend Month challenges! Though this is Sunday, you can still create boxes to go out this week. Go for it! 

As for me, today I went online and posted a few coupons I currently had, and requested a few deals that I knew would make for freebies at my local Dollar Tree! I have had a few hits so far, and was even able to work out a deal today on a handful of freebie coupons, which should be on the way to my home soon! I love making a deal, don’t you! So for an hours worth of work today, I have gained $40.00 in free products, which all tax-only buys! As I’m set for bread, cheese, creamer, and the like this month, these items will be tucked into my deep freeze for April’s next No-Spend Month! Score! 

That’s my kind of an afternoon!

As well today, I was also able to accomplish:

1. I woke up at 6:30, walked my fur babies, showered, & dressed to my shoes. (Thanks, Flylady!)
2. Worked on my daily Motivated Moms Planner.
3. I read part of a new review book.
4. I finished today’s Day 5 No-Spend Challenge!
5. I enjoyed a Free Chik-fil-a- chicken sandwich (holiday 2014 calendar redemption)!
6. I cooked from my pantry, three times.
7. I walked for three miles!
8. I finished all of my daily blog posts on time!
9. Read my daily devotional.
10. I cleaned out my coupon cabinet, paper files for my ETSY business, and recycled numerous bins of random scraps of fabric around my craft room, too! 

So today I saved:

• I was able to subscribe to a new, free magazine subscription, which will have a combined savings of $12.00.
• I completed 2 surveys online via Ipsos-iSay, and earned a $1.00 towards my next Amazon gift code.
• I eat at home three times today, saving our family $8.91. 
• I recycled, upcycled, and composted one bins of deluge, and saved $0.25, the cost of 1 trash bag. 
• I received $17.99 worth of product review items, which can be placed in my home gift closet!
• I used two gift cards from Jolly Awesome Pet Tags, and scored $29.98 worth of pet tags, one for all of my fur-babies for free, with a spare for my kitty who “misplaces his collar!”
• Scored $40.00 in free item coupons to be used at the Dollar Tree
• I also did not watch cable tv, and saved $3.68 by doing so.

So, overall today my family saved: $76.80

This months savings goal remaining: +$101.80

Hopefully today’s challenge will have helped you to start thinking about more in your life that simply surviving in the day-to-day world! Until tomorrow’s challenge! 

Here’s to savings,