Freely Giving Friday: An Introduction

There are many reasons why people coupon and bargain hunt. For me and my husband, our main goal in couponing is for us to be able to live on less so that we can give more away. This is a strong conviction of our hearts. There are so many hurting, suffering, poverty-stricken, lonely, cold, widowed, orphaned, jobless, hopeless, sick, and dying people in this world. We want to love them by giving to them out of what we ourselves have been blessed with from God.

Right now in our lives, we do not have much to give monetarily. We definitely don't have extra money at the end of the month, and most months we are not sure where the money will come from in order to pay the bills. There are ways to help others without giving monetarily, though. We can give of our time, our efforts, our talents and gifts, and of what we already have. The beauty of couponing is that it truly "enables giving of what you already have" in a way most people could never fathom.

When I can get an item for free, I buy it. It doesn't matter what it is. Somebody out there has a need for it. It can be the Diabetes monitors I bought recently, cleaning supplies, toiletries, clothing, medicine, toys, candy, baby items, feminine products, or food. Almost anything can be donated somewhere. Sometimes even our loved ones and those closest to us are in need.

Because couponing to give is such a strong passion of mine, I want to dedicate a Friday or two a month to this subject. This is not a time to brag, but rather to share with you how God enables us to give to others out of what we already have (from couponing). I want to encourage you to try it out, once you get your couponing skills underway. There is no greater blessing or joy in the world than giving to somebody else who needs it.

Why is it called Freely Giving Friday? The "freely giving" is a play on words. We are giving freely, because most of what we give away we got for free (thanks to coupons). We are also giving freely in that we have a joyful and free spirit. We enjoy giving to others. =)

So, "Freely Giving Friday" will happen once or twice a month! If any of you have giving opportunities you would like to share, feel free to contact me about them, and I will share them as a guest post on here! Now on to the first ever Freely Giving Friday post...