operation christmas child

This week is National Collection Week for Operation Christmas Child which means you have until Friday to get your boxes filled and dropped off (if you haven’t already!) Princess and I spent some time this past week getting our boxes ready to go.  We had such a fun time doing it–she was even more into this year than last year–and we had enough stuff to complete 12 boxes.  (A little short of our goal of 15, but still 2 more than last year!)  It was definitely a multi-day project to fill this many boxes.  We collected items all year, but still also made a few OCC-specific trips to Target to ... read more

One of the very coolest things about using coupons (besides saving crazy amounts of money on groceries) is being able to give back and donate to charity.  I’m sure those of you who have an abundant stockpile built up probably already donate a lot to local food banks and shelters, and hopefully those of you who are just learning to use coupons will continue that trend. One of my favorite organizations is Operation Christmas Child (OCC), which I’m sure lots of you have heard of.  OCC sends shoeboxes filled with toys, candy, & toiletries to kids in need around the world.  Although it may seem like just a small thing, ... read more

Yesterday Princess and I finished up our boxes for Operation Christmas Child.  This week is National Collection Week and from now through the 22nd, drop-off stations around the country are accepting box donations.  It is such an amazing charity, and I feel so lucky to be able to participate this year. It was especially neat to see my baby girl stepping outside of her little 4 year-old self-centered bubble for a few minutes.  This was probably the first time in her short life that she has really stopped to consider the fact that other kids might not have toys play with or food to eat or a warm bed to ... read more

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, which means the holiday season has [practically] arrived! As you have probably already figured out, I am a total sucker for all things holiday related, which means that I am SO excited to announce that beginning November 10th, Living Well, Spending less will be celebrating 30 days of holiday cheer. In addition to all the fabulous coupon advice you have come to know and love, I will be featuring a TON of amazing product giveaways, not to mention plenty of ideas for making the most of the holiday season–everything from decorating to gift-giving to cooking & baking–all while staying well within your budget. Princess ... read more

I’ll admit it, I am a holiday addict.  You give me a holiday, and I’ll give you an excuse to go overboard.  Valentine’s Day, Easter, 4th of July, Halloween….I love them all.  But the winter holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, those are my favorites.  So it should come as no surprise that I’ve got a few things planned for the upcoming holiday season.  The first is Operation Christmas Child. A couple of weeks ago SouthernSavers.com posted an announcement about an amazing non-profit organization that had never heard of before.  Operation Christmas Child sends shoebox-sized gifts to needy children all over the world at Christmastime.  When I read about it on Jenny’s ... read more