Why I do this

I don't hide it- I'm a little nutty about coupons and saving money. Believe me, there are people waaaaaaay crazier about coupons (see some of the rad blogs in my sidebar), but I know that in the world of the average, I am high on the insanity list.

Here's the thing though- it's not just for me and my family.

I don't go into it much here, but a whole lot of what I get is for other people. Sure, my mom and sister like to shop in my basement, but that's not quite what I mean.

It's for the food pantry. We don't have oodles of money coming out of our wallets, but we set aside some money every month for the food pantry- then I see how far I can stretch it.

Usually, the kids and I swing by once a month to drop off our donations- lately, we've given 8-10 bags a month. Since I have the kids in the car, I usually just drop and run. I don't really have a chance to chat.

Last month, I left the kids with my mom. As I started pulling bags out of my trunk, a lady came busting through the glass doors. She said, "Excuse me, but who are you with?"

"Who am I with?" I asked, a little confused.

She said, "Yes- what organization? Every month you drop this stuff off, and we have no idea who you are or where you're from."

I kind of shrugged, still a little off guard. "Um, I'm Katy."

She said, "So this is just you donating all of this stuff?!"

I said, "Um, well our family does. We use coupons. We don't have a lot of money, but we like to share what we can."

I guess when I step back and look at our donations, they are pretty abundant. But truthfully, they don't cost us much.

I am not sharing this to be all, "Wow. Check me out... I am SO GENEROUS. Please give me compliments and a medal."

I am sharing it because I think so many of us have giving hearts, but feel stuck by a crappy economy. We are living on the edge every month and have no idea how to find the extra money to give to someone else.

So if you're up for it, here's my challenge. Set aside an amount of money. It doesn't matter if it's $5 or $50. Then, stretch it as far as you possibly can. You'll be surprised how much you can get when you really make a commitment.

Then, find a local food pantry, and start donating on a regular basis.

Here's the thing- I have always found that when we give a little more, our family is more than a little bit taken care of- so it's never become a financial strain for us.

Over the next few days, I'll share some examples of how we have stretched our dollars for our local food pantry- to demonstrate just how doable it really is.