How to Give More by Being a Strategic Shopper

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In our many years of homeschooling, I have noticed that most homeschoolers have big hearts. They are quick to think of others and seem to always be on the look out for ways to be a blessing. The main problem that they have is on the financial side of the coin. (Pun was definitely intended!)

Most people want to be givers. They want to be able to reach out and help those is need, but they just don’t have enough money. Many of these big hearted people are struggling to just keep their own lives running day by day. I know. Believe me, whether you have a mega family or a just one child, the day to day stuff can be down right overwhelming. I believe that most of us wish to train up our children to think beyond themselves and to become life long givers. The question is how. As I began to learn about strategic shopping, I realized that this could be a key to not only providing for the needs of my own family, but also others.

Through strategic shopping, my family has literally been able to open up our home and allow our needy friends, neighbors, and family to come right into our personal pantry and freezer. We have been able to pack up boxes of necessities and deliver them to people whom we knew would never actually ask for help. We have been able to help pack up a carload of food and other necessities for the people affected by Hurricane Sandy. My older children took part in delivering stuff all the way down to New Orleans right after Hurricane Katrina. Our family has been able to send much needed supplies and food to flooding victims across our country. We have even been able to ship supplies as far as India!

So how is this possible?

Shopping is the answer.

How to Give More by being a Strategic Shopper

Many people quickly throw up a wall of defense and say they don’t have time for couponing when I mention strategic shopping. The truth of the matter is that couponing isn’t strategic shopping in itself. It can be apart of it, but it isn’t what it’s all about. To me, strategic shopping is about having a plan. You need to have a strategy. Once you know what you want to do and what you want to buy, then you need to figure out a plan of action.

When I am planning out my strategies, I call for a family meeting and we discuss different ways we would like to be able to bless others throughout the year. With the holidays coming up quickly, it’s easy to come up with ways to be a blessing. One thing that our family truly enjoys doing is packing shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. It brings joy to my children to know that they are giving gifts to someone who otherwise would never receive a gift. Each one of my children works to earn money in order to pitch in towards the shoe box projects.

Once you have a plan you need to know when to buy. Knowing when to buy the things on your list is the biggest part of this plan. My eyes are always seeking great deals that would work well in the shoe boxes. As homeschoolers, we look forward to those amazing back-to-school sales every year. Do you hit the stores and pick up any great deals? I am not sure how many twenty-five cent boxes of crayons I buy every year! (Many school supplies can be picked up at rock-bottom prices and even free during the back-to-school sales.) Crayons are loved world-wide. Children just love crayons! Plus, they fit perfectly in those shoe boxes.

Maybe you missed out on those school sales, but there are plenty of deals still available. The fall is a great time of year to shop. The stores are preparing for the holiday season which spans over the three months leading up to Christmas. They have tons of holiday stuff that they need to get out onto the shelves. But first, they need to clean off some shelf space. They do this by marking things down to crazy prices. I often pick up all kinds of toys, games, and even clothes for as low as three cents!

It is not unusual to see things marked down 90% off in the weeks after Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, as well as at the change of seasons (stock up on winter gloves, scarves, and hats for next year!). Take advantage of these sales to fill up a shoe box, or even a few shoe boxes. You’ll be ahead of the game next year. Do it as a family. Last year, my family filled two shoe boxes as full as we could stuff them for under three dollars each!

You really can afford to be a giver. You can teach your children that it doesn’t have to take a lot of effort to be a blessing to others. You can literally accomplish this with your change purse! I encourage you to start learning how to become a strategic shopper. Through this you will become a greater blessing to your own family, but it won’t stop there. You will be able to fulfill those deep desires in your heart to become a giver.

(This article is a repost of an article written by Candy Foote, a mom of 12 and the ultimate strategic shopper)

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