Coupons are a great way to save money on your grocery bill and contribute to your frugal lifestyle. But one issue is all of those expired coupons that you are left with. Generally, I find that I have to purge expired coupons about every two, sometimes three months. My coupons are organized, so it is just a matter of tossing a file folder full. But, there has got to be a better use for them instead of the garbage or recycling pail, right? Of course!
Probably the best use for expired coupons is to donate them to military families. Military families can generally use expired coupons at their base commissaries for up to six months after the coupons expire. This is a great way to pass these coupons on, since military families can struggle to make ends meet. Check in the forums here on Families.com for more information. You can also check out the Overseas Coupon Program at http://www.ocpnet.org/ That site can hep you locate a base where your expired coupons can be sent directly. Why not get a big box and solicit all of the expired coupons from neighbors and co-workers, too?
If you keep your coupons whole in their fliers instead of clipping them all before use, you can use the pages to gift wrap presents. This is an especially nice idea for any gift recipient who is frugal, but also for wrapping kitchen gifts or books.
I have a friend who uses the colorful coupon pages to make envelopes that she then uses to store her clipped coupons and grocery list for the week.
If your coupons are already cut, why not decoupage them onto empty cereal boxes, oatmeal canisters, etc. They will make some cute containers for kitchen or office supplies, or just to store your coupons, rebates and grocery lists.
Do you have any more ideas that will use up expired coupons?
Mary Ann Romans also writes for the Computing Blog here at Families.com where she shares everything from the latest news on technology to cool downloads and fun websites.
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