A Giveaway For A Great Cause: Help The People of Tanzania (Plus Get A Chance To Win A Walmart Gift Card!)

Right now, there is a major focus on the disaster in Haiti. (If you haven't commented on my Haiti post yet, please do so! For every comment, my husband and I will donate $1 to World Vision). It's so heartbreaking to see what has happened over there, and it's amazing to see the entire world rush to their rescue.

Sadly, there are many poverty-stricken places all over the world that are desperately in need of us to rush to their rescue. Even when there is no earthquake or huge disaster, there are people dying from disease, lack of water, hunger, and malnutrition. There are people without hope, love, joy, or a vision for their lives.

One of these places is Tanzania, Africa. If any of you know me very well at all, you know that one of my greatest passions is for the people of Africa. I don't know why. I've never even been there. God simply instilled a love and passion for these people in my heart a couple of years ago, and they consume my thoughts from day to day life. I know that Haiti is in need more than ever, but if you would like an opportunity to help the people of Tanzania as well, please read on. Please.

Let me tell you a story...

My husband, Kyle, went out of town last weekend to deliver a piece of artwork to a client and friend of his in South Carolina. While there, this friend told Kyle all about his recent trip to Tanzania. He basically decided that he wanted to go to the "ends of the earth" and photograph the worst of the worst - the most poverty-stricken and horrific conditions in the world. Why? To make people aware.

He ended up in Tanzania, with the Maasai people. He talked to Kyle for hours about what he saw and experienced. Driving back home the next day, Kyle called me to tell me all about it and said he couldn't stop crying. Just one thought of the stories his friend told him caused so much heartbreak that all he could do was weep.

To avoid a super-lengthy post (oops, already blew that one), I won't go into too many details, but I will give you an idea of how the people of Tanzania live. Picture this:

• A man is on his hands and knees, digging like crazy with his bare hands. He is literally dying of thirst, and is trying to dig his way to find WATER.
• A woman takes one spoon full of rice, and gives it to her children as their daily meal...then sends them out for a 15 or 16 hour work day.
• Unemployment Rate = over 75%
• When the Maasai people get to their water hole, there are dead animals lying everywhere. The animals have died from the disease-ridden water that they drank.
• The Massai people sell their mosquito nets, because they figure they'd rather take their chances with disease than go another day without food.
• A father asks the local missionaries, "Where are all of these children coming from?" In all honesty, he does not understand the relationship between sex and reproduction. There is no education on this topic.
• A woman in her 40's looks like she is in her 80's, just because of the difficult life she has lived.

I could go on and on about the terrible stories, but that gives you an idea. These people need our help. And right now, you can help! After photographing Tanzania, None Should Perish made a calendar with photos from the trip. Each calendar is being sold for $20, and ALL PROFITS go directly to Called 2 Serve to help the local missionaries provide tangible love and help to the people of Tanzania.

Kyle and I have our calendar, and it is beautiful. I love it. Each month features a wonderful photograph that captures an aspect of their culture perfectly. The pictures that are used for the calendar are pictures of love and hope. It is also a prayer calendar. Each day has a unique prayer, asking you to pray for something very specific. The missionaries were asked to jot down 365 prayers for this calendar, and they came up with the prayers in no time at all. The need is so great...

So I'm asking if you might be able to spare $20 to purchase a beautiful calendar for yourself that can remind you to pray for these people every day of 2010. None Should Perish has a goal to sell 500 calendars by the end of February, and they are not there yet. So your help would make a huge difference!

If you go to their site and order a calendar online, leave a comment on this post. I will be giving away a $25 Walmart gift card on February 28th. It will be like all my other giveaways, where I choose at random from the comments. The only difference is that in order to be entered into this giveaway, you must purchase a calendar and leave a comment telling me that you did so!

Thank you so much for your help! This is what I'd love for you to do with that extra $20 you saved on your last grocery bill, thanks to couponing...

Freely Giving Friday (one day late): Comment & We'll Donate! Plus, More Ways To Help!

I know I've already written about my conviction to help the people of Haiti, and even gave you a few ideas on how to help. Since then, though, a lot of new information has surfaced! Also, a wave of generosity has overtaken the blogging world. It's incredible!

I haven't done a Freely Giving Friday in some time, so I thought this would be a great topic!

First of all, I am joining up with Money Saving Mom and many other bloggers in the "Help For Haiti" drive. For every person who leaves a comment on this post, my husband and I will donate $1 to the World Vision Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund. Please comment!!! More than ever...please comment! Tell us how you will help the people of Haiti, or that your thoughts/prayers are with them. Say whatever you would like to say, but comment so that more money can be given towards the cause! If you're a blogger, feel free to leave a link to your blog where you are also participating in this Drive.

Second of all, a lot more information has become available on ways to give. Here are some more ideas, in addition to what I already listed in the last post:

• Donate Swag Bucks! What a great way to help out, without costing you a dime! If money is tight, but you have been swagging, donate some of your swag bucks! I know I will definitely be doing this!
• Donate Recycle Bank Points. One of the categories for prizes is "Donations," and Haiti is one of the options!
• Text "Haiti" to 90999 to send a $10 donation to American Red Cross.
  
• I wasn't sure when I made my first post on Haiti, but it does look like quite a few places are taking item donations of all kinds: canned goods, toiletry items, linens, etc. This is a great way to donate for free! As a couponer, we are able to get many items for free or next-to-free. Donate some of those items to the cause. Great way to give, if you are struggling financially and can not give money. Jenny has put together a great list of places that are accepting item donations
• Go visit Money Saving Mom's Haiti Drive. Comment on her post, and comment on some of the other bloggers' posts who have linked up there (There are over 350!). Everywhere you leave a comment means more money being given to the cause!
• Money is the number one need, so if you are able to give financially, check out this list of authentic organizations that you can make a donation to.
  

Finally, beware of scams. Sadly, there are many people out there taking advantage of this situation and trying to take your money. Give to the suggested organizations at the above link. And read this article about what to be careful of when donating money. I'd hate for the money to go to the wrong place, and not get sent to Haiti.

If your family is a praying family, remember to keep praying. Right now, I think the main concern is the airport situation. Pray that aid would get there quickly without problems. I think it's so amazing to see how generous and willing the rest of the world is to run to the help of our neighbors in Haiti. I wish it was like this all the time. If only we had this much compassion on Haiti without an earthquake. Miracles would begin to take place...

Thank you for what you are going to do! Comment below!!! It's a way to "freely give" help to Haiti! God bless!

The Devastation In Haiti: What Can We Do???

I'm sure by now most of you have heard of the terrible earthquake catastrophe that occurred in Haiti. It tears me apart to watch it and read about it on the news. Haiti is a Fifth World Country. As if they didn't already have enough struggle, sickness, troubles, and death...now they have to deal with this devastation on top of everything else.

My heart is broken into a million pieces for these people. It's hard for me to not lose hope in these kind of situations. It's such a huge mountain to face. The problem is so massive, how can we even know where to begin in helping out? I think the only answer is for us to each individually do everything we can. I take the "Love your neighbor" command quite seriously. Haiti is just as much our neighbor as the person next door. We are to love all, fight for justice, defend the poor, and bring Jesus to the people who need it most...

Often times, people ask, "Where is God in all of this?"...but honestly, I think one day God will ask us, "Where were you in all of this?" God put us on this earth for a reason, to be used by Him. In this world, we are ambassador's of His love. I might have questions, and it might shake my faith quite a bit when something like this happens...but I also know that I'm not going to just stand by and watch it happen, do nothing about it, and blame God.

Not only can couponing enable us to donate items we get for free and help others in need, but it also allows us to give in the sense that it frees up a little bit of money that we would have spent on groceries to spend in other places. I know some of you are just struggling to pay the bills. Trust me, we're in the same situation. I don't coupon so that I can put money away or save it. I coupon so that we can buy food and eat. But I also think that we should always give as much as we can. Even if we think we don't have anything and we're struggling, people in other countries, specifically Haiti in this case, have it much worse off.

If your heart aches for the people of Haiti, and you'd like to help out, I thought I would offer a few suggestions/ideas:

1. PRAY. If you have nothing to give financially, you can always do this. Prayer is miraculous. It's so important that we pray for their safety, families, healing, emotional stability, health, and so much more.

2. Give to the World Vision Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund. I love World Vision. The money goes where it is supposed to. They have teams stationed all over the world, helping with day-to-day poverty, as well as crises, and emergency response teams when catastrophes like this happen. Right now, World Vision's team is there helping in tangible, real ways. Giving to this Fund will help them accomplish as much as possible.

3. If you wanted to go a step further, you could always sponsor a child from Haiti through World Vision or other similar organizations. It is such a joy to financially help a child in need as they grow up. You can write letters to them, and receive progress reports and pictures throughout the years.

4. There is a great list HERE of other organizations helping out with Disaster Relief in Haiti right now. I'm sure any donation to one or many of these would help tremendously.

5. I went to Publix tonight, and there was a little sign about donating for Haiti. You can simply add a couple dollars to your bill. To me, this fits right in with couponing and budgeting. Simply put one or two items back that you don't need at your next grocery trip, and donate that money for Haiti. What a great idea, and really easy way to help.

It's hard when we're so far away. It almost doesn't seem real. Most of us can't just drop our lives and head down there to help, as much as we wish we could. Hopefully some of these ideas will inspire you if you've been burdened by this and wish to help in some way. And remember, no gift is too small when it comes from the heart and is the best you have to give...

Freely Giving Friday: 30 Day Giving Challenge Update And Reflection...

So, I know I said that I would update on this 30 day giving challenge every week, but...I failed at that. Sorry! Haha!

It is now November 20th, so for those of you following along with the 30 Day Giving Challenge that Kingdom First Mom is hosting, we have about 10 days left in November! For those of you who haven't been following along, be sure to check out my post HERE from when I first accepted this challenge along with many other bloggers and readers!

The challenge was simple: Give every day some how, some way, to somebody...for the entire 30 days of November. If you are just now learning about this, it's not too late to jump on board! Grab a journal, and start giving every day and keeping a log of it. It's very rewarding, and brings so much joy!

I just wanted to do a quick update, encourage you to continue giving, and ask you to share your experiences if you have been participating!

Giving can be a very personal thing. Honestly, I don't feel comfortable just sitting here and telling you what or how we've been giving every day in detail. It's just not my style. God knows our hearts, and He knows what we give and our intentions for giving...and to me, that's all that matters...

I do want to give you some ideas for giving. So here is a brief list of some ways you can give - some we have done, some we have not but hope to. Just some inspiration, though!

• Smile or say hello to a stranger who needs it.
• Give pocket change to somebody who asks you for it on the streets.
• Leave your change in the coke or snack machine.
• Be a "coupon fairy" and leave coupons in front of corresponding items at the store.
• Pay for a friend's meal.
• Hug somebody who needs it.
• Pick up trash outside that you see.
  
• Donate money online to various organizations that stand for causes you are passionate about. (For us, some of those organizations include World Vision, Save Darfur, Children International, Compassion International, World Relief, Blood Water Mission, Living Water International, Stop Child Trafficking Now, Invisible Children, etc.)
• Send money anonymously to a friend, acquaintance, or coworker who you know needs financial help of some sort.
• Provide a Thanksgiving meal for somebody.
• Invite people into your home.
• Visit people in children's homes, nursing homes, and homeless shelters.
• Go downtown and talk to the homeless. Take them blankets and jackets.
• Drop off food at the food bank (thanks to coupons!)
• Take toiletries and cleaning supplies to places that accept donations.
• Pay for somebody's meal or coffee behind you in line.
  
• Donate clothing to thrift stores where money goes to good (such as helping battered women)
• Put together a Christmas Shoe Box for a child overseas (time is about up on this one).
  
• Donate by simply clicking or doing free online actions: Free Rice (Play Trivia), The Animal Rescue Site, The Breast Cancer Site, The Hunger Site, Welch's Harvest Of Help, Land O Lakes (fights hunger), Leapfish and Make A Wish (Tweet a message, and Leapfish will donate to Make A Wish), Kraft Foods (send an e-card, and Kraft will donate 10 meals to Feeding America), Good Search (use Good Search when searching the internet, and 50% of revenue from advertisters goes to a nonprofit organization of your choice), Seed The Future (If you do SwagBucks, you can plant a tree through this organization for only 15 swaggers!),
  
• Adopt a pet. =)
• Adopt a child. Maybe you've been trying to decide, and that life decision is upon you.
• Adopt a child internationally to support with a small amount of money each month (World Vision, Compassional International, or Children International listed above with links).
• Talk to somebody you normally wouldn't talk to.
• E-mail or write a letter to somebody just to say hello.
• Bake treats and goodies for somebody just to make their day.
• Call somebody to tell them you're thinking about them.
• Babysit for a couple who needs a date night out.
• Offer free tutoring to a student who needs it.
• Open the door for a stranger.
  
• Clean the house for your spouse or do something special for him/her.
• Spend quality time with your family.
• Give up something for one day that normally takes up all your time...and use the time for something more valuable. (For me, it would be giving up blogging to spend time with my husband).
• Give to your church.
• Collect Box Tops for your school.
• Volunteer anywhere, everywhere. There are so many places to choose from!
• Visit prisoners.
  
• Mow somebody's yard, help them with yard work, or help them with a repair they need done on their house.
• Donate your hair to Locks of Love.
• Give those free samples away that you collect over time.
• Donate blood.
• Put together a gift basket for somebody in need, maybe somebody who lost a job.
• Visit and talk with an elderly person who is lonely.
• Cheer up that cashier at the store who is "not so friendly."
• Donate to an animal shelter.
• Drop off some toys at a donation box.
• Give somebody a ride who doesn't have a car.
• Spend quality time with your children.
• Join Free Cycle.
  

The list could go on and on and on. But the main point is that you can give in small ways or big ways, depending on your life circumstances. All I can say is that giving brings so much joy and purpose to life. You will be transformed when you start making giving an every-day priority. You don't have to break the bank to give.

For some more info on how couponing can enable donation of items for practically free, go HERE. For more info on what and where to donate items, go HERE.

If you'd like more inspiring stories on how people are giving during this 30 day challenge, you can go visit some of the links over at Kingdom First Mom, or you can visit the Facebook page where people are posting daily how they are giving! It's very encouraging and amazing!

This is a season of giving...it shouldn't be a season of stress, over-spending, and strife. Be set free by the power of giving!! =) As for me and my husband, we have decided on a way to challenge ourselves to give more this Christmas. I will be sharing about it very soon on here in a series called "Simplifying Christmas." So look forward to that!

Please feel free to share below how you have been giving during this challenge, and how it has changed you. Comment away! We want to hear!!!

30 Day Giving Challenge!

Alyssa, over at Kingdom First Mom, is doing a 30 day giving challenge for the month of November. Many bloggers and blog-readers are going to be taking this challenge together, and the challenge is simple: GIVE...as much as you can, as often as you can...in small, big, extravagant, simple, every day, out of the ordinary ways.

Over the past year, God has really burdened my heart to live as simply as I can, love others unconditionally as much as I can, and give away more than I can (God is big enough). He is always faithful, He always provides, and there is so much blessing that comes from giving. Couponing to give has become a very strong passion of mine, and I try to always incorporate that in my every day blogging...

I am accepting this 30 day challenge, and I hope you will too, right along with me. You can go here to read about other bloggers who are getting involved in this challenge. Also, even if you're not a blogger, you can RSVP and get involved on Facebook here!

Will you take up the giving challenge with me? Grab a journal. Give every day, in some way. Write it down. Watch how it transforms your heart and your life. If you have any ideas, experiences, or comments throughout the 30 day challenge, e-mail them to me! I will be doing a short summary post at the end of each week reflecting on this challenge (this will be my Freely Giving Friday topic for the next month). In that post I will share about some ways I was able to give, and I hope to be able to share about some of my readers' experiences, too!

It doesn't have to be something HUGE every day. Tonight, while I was giving a huge hug to a sweet and beautiful child in need...I realized in my heart of hearts that that hug meant more to her than any material thing of this world could ever mean. It can be a hug, a kind word, baked goods for that neighbor you never talk to, walking somebody's dog, doing something for your spouse, giving of your time, volunteering, writing a check, making an extra run to the foodbank, feeding the homeless, making blankets for those who are cold on the streets, babysitting for a friend who needs some time to herself, putting together a Christmas shoe box for a child in need, visiting people who need love, smiling at a stranger who needs it..small or big, let's just GIVE this month!

So, let's all join together across the world of social media. Together, we can start a movement of generosity, spur one another on in love and giving, and ultimately change the world!

Freely Giving Friday: What and Where to Donate

It's time for Freely Giving Friday! Go here for an explanation of what Freely Giving Friday is all about! Please note I do not believe in "bragging" about how much you give. I do these giving posts every so often to help inspire you with ideas on ways you can give, express the importance of giving, and help encourage you in giving even when you feel as if you have very little to give. No matter how much we are struggling financially, we should always be reminded of how truly blessed we are. There are always ways to be thankful and give out of what God has poured into our lives so graciously.

If you have been following along closely with this blog, you have probably noticed by now that couponing to give and buying to donate are very strong convictions of mine. When you use coupons and shop the sales, you can get so many items for free or nearly free! Any time I can get an item almost free, I buy it to donate. I include this in my regular weekly grocery budget. This allows us to be able to give to others during a time of our life when we usually don't even know how we'll pay the bills!

For this Freely Giving Friday, I thought I would give some practical tips on what items can be donated and where items can be donated. There are so many ways to donate, and almost anything can be donated somewhere! And with the Holidays right around the corner, many opportunities for giving arise!

The picture above shows how we organize our donations. Basically, we have two boxes. One is for food items, and one is for household (toiletry, beauty, cleaning, etc.) supplies. Any time we come home from a shopping trip, I just throw the donation items into one of these boxes!

Throughout the month, opportunities might come up that allow us to give some of these items away to people in need. Some examples in the past have been: friends or family losing jobs and needing food, our church requesting specific supplies for mission trips, people having refrigerators going out and losing food, college brothers and sisters unable to pay for groceries, etc.

The list goes on and on. When somebody is in need around us, we simply go to the boxes and pull out items to donate. It's very convenient. At the end of the month, whatever has not been given away, we take to various places to donate: food banks, nursing homes, shelters, etc. Right now, the boxes are pretty low. Our church adopted a refugee family who we helped out with some items, and a friend of mine had a feminine product drive for homeless women.

If you want to get started on donating and giving more away to others, here are some ideas to get you started:

Food: food banks, food drives, homeless shelters

Clothing/Shoes: thrift stores that are for good causes (examples: Goodwill, Salvation Army, and many other local stores), clothing collection boxes, Dress For Success, Big Brothers Big Sisters (some take donations, some don't, contact local agency), Soles 4 Souls (shoes), Glass Slipper Project and The Princess Project (for formal/prom dresses), Purple Heart Pickup Service and Clothing Donations.org (both pick-up services - donations for veterans)

Toiletry Items (shampoo, soap, toothbrush, feminine products, the list goes on, etc.): Women's shelters, Homeless shelters, Children's Homes

Cleaning/Household Supplies: Same as toiletry items. You would be surprised how many shelters ask for cleaning supplies!

Medical Supplies, Diabetes Monitors, Blood Pressure Monitors, etc,: Nursing Homes, free clinics, senior citizen centers, schools, Health Care Ministries, Med Wish International, other health organizations

Toys: Operation Christmas Child, Angel Tree Program, Children's Homes, Shelters, Drop off locations and drives, Toys for Tots, Thrift stores, etc.

Furniture/Household Items: Many of the same organizations listed above.

***You can join The Freecycle Network or Free Sharing to find local needs for just about anything you have to donate!

These are just some ideas to help you out. The point, though, is that almost anything can be donated. So, if you can get something within your budget each week, go ahead and get it so that you can give more away to others! =)

Try searching the internet for local organizations to give to. I know here in Jacksonville, we have so many different shelters, thrift stores, and food banks.

Also, the more money we save, the more we open up funds to be able to give monetarily to organizations worldwide. There is so much need out there, and so many ways to give. Find an organization whose mission statement you are passionate about, and go for it! =)

May you be filled with joy as you begin to discover what a blessing giving can be...

Do you have any stories about how couponing has enabled you to give more to others? If so, feel free to comment below! Or, e-mail me with your story, and I will use it as a guest post on the next Freely Giving Friday!

Freely Giving Friday: Helping Out A Family In Need

It's time for Freely Giving Friday!!! Go here for an explanation of what Freely Giving Friday is all about!

Just recently our church decided to sponsor a refugee family from Ethiopia. They arrived here about a month or so ago. We basically help give them what they need, drive them around, teach them English and life skills, build relationships and friendships with them, and help them become self-sufficient! World Relief is the organization that we are partnering with. They are wonderful!

Our Ethiopian friends are so sweet and beautiful. We went to see them this week, and we're already very attached to them. There is one mom, 3 girls (19, 14, and 11), and 2 boys (5 and 9 months). We had so much fun visiting them! I just wanted to share with you in a picture what we were able to take to them.

Everything that you see pictured above probably cost us a total of maybe $10. This is hundreds of dollars worth of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, soap, feminine care products, diapers, baby wipes, baby soap, toothbrushes, toothpastes, lotion, body spray, toilet paper, paper towels, deodorant, and all types of pantry foods.

See what couponing can enable you to give? These are just items we have collected along the way each week as we coupon within our weekly $50 grocery budget! What a blessing couponing truly can be!!!

Do you have any stories about how couponing has enabled you to give more to others? If so, feel free to comment below! Or, e-mail me with your story, and I will use it as a guest post on the next Freely Giving Friday!

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...