Stretching your Christmas Budget, Volunteering Ideas, and Library Programs

Miss me? I've just returned from a mini vacation in Hawaii with my hubby (our first without the kids since we didn't have kids--8 years!). I went completely unplugged: no cellphone, no emails, no blogging, no Facebook, not even an internet search for local restaurants. It was refreshing, but it's not in my DNA to cut technology out of my life completely. I see great value in sharing ideas and building communities through it.

In that spirit, I'm playing a bit of catch-up from my period of being unplugged, and I'd like to highlight three great posts from local mom bloggers to hopefully help you save time / money / hassle or to simply inspire you this holiday season.

The first is from Julie at Sharing Savings with You. As a librarian, she has two posts about all the FREE events at the library in December, Merry Merry at the Library: one for Knox County and one for Blount County. We'll probably try to catch Santa at the Karns Library on 12/8 at 4pm. Bobby may be catching onto the fact that there are "several Santas" but the one who does the library rounds is really great!

Next is from Coupon Katie: Setting & Stretching Your Christmas Budget. Can I confess that I've never actually set a budget for Christmas before? Shock! Gasp! Moan! I still haven't really sat down with a list and made final decisions about what I'm giving to whom. If you're a procrastinator like me, you should really check out her tips.

Finally, Christy at Coupons are Money posted: Ways to Volunteer this Christmas Season. It's a great list to peruse for inspiration for how to involve your kids. If you don't have plans tomorrow, consider helping with the Coats for the Cold event for KARM 12/4. Even if you find quick, simple ways to teach your children the value in giving back, I encourage you to do so. This Sunday is the annual Stuff a Stocking event at our church. Parishioners have brought specific items (I donated a slew of items I've acquired for free the past few months through Couponing for Charity), they're spread out on a table, and then we all go round and round stuffing each stocking with an assortment of goodies. The kids especially like this because it's easy and dynamic and we're finished before they lose interest.

Thanks to all the great bloggers contributing posts this season: Coupon Katie, Coupon Mommie,Couponing in Critical Times,Coupons Are Money, Frugalissa Finds, Frugally Farming Family,Knoxmoms.com, Knoxville Mamabelle,Knoxville on a Dime, Sharing Savings with You.

FREE Coupon Exchange Update

Five weeks ago I began a free coupon exchange at the Karns Library. I wasn't sure if anyone would take my extra coupons or if they'd even bother to glance at the box. I'm happy to report that according to the librarians, it has become a popular draw. Apparently lots of people are looking through them and taking a few, and a handful of people are contributing their own coupons. How awesome is that!

The three categories I have: "Expire Soon, " "You Have Time," and "Expired--for Military" get jumbled a bit, but I try to sort them out each week. Since I wasn't getting any takers on the expired coupons, I began removing them. Currently I'm trying to decide which military base to send them to; if you personally know of anyone in the military who could use them, please leave a comment.

The next time you're in the Karns Library, take a look, and if you have suggestions or feedback, please leave a comment. Have any of you done the same at other branches?

FREE Coupon Exchange

Ever since reading Coupon Katie's post about sharing coupons, I've been thinking. How could I best share the coupons I don't plan to use? I settled on the Karns Library, and I'm happy to report the box is full and ready for the taking.

I figured small and contained was a good way to start. I reused a popsicle box and added my blog's information on the top. I figured if I was going to go to the effort to do this for my community that a little self promotion wasn't out of line. I also made three index cards: Expires Soon, You Have Time, and Expired. I decided to keep the expired ones in there for awhile to see if we have any military families that could use them. Each week I hope to add more coupons and move the older ones to the appropriate categories.

Here's my plan; we'll see how it works. Sunday is my day to scan the adds, plan menus, make lists, gather coupons I'll likely use, and clear out the coupons that will expire that week. On Tuesday morning, I usually make my Kroger run, and on Tuesday afternoon, I take Devin and Brooke to the library to kill 20 minutes before picking up Bobby. I can add new coupons weekly without making an extra trip.

I'm curious to see the response and how many coupons are taken. The librarians seemed eager to check it out once I left. I can feel good about the fact that coupons are not only allowing me to donate to charities but to my community as well.

What do you do with your extra coupons?