This is one of my favorite gifts to give.  Who doesn’t like a reason to relax, put your feet up and watch a good movie?

There are many variations on the movie night kit, but some of the essentials include:

-snacks like popcorn or candy

-a Popcorn holder (I found this one at the Dollar Store)

- a movie

A little creative twist might be to create a Redbox Money gift card holder intead (or order a gift card online).  I had fun printing this one out and making it into a cash holder.

Another idea is to order a month of Netflix and add a gift card to your basket.

Other ideas to add to the basket:

-Make it a dinner and a movie kit and give a restaurant gift card (or a Restaurant.com gift card for only $1!)

-Or add some sauce, cheese and pizza crust for a movie night in!

-Some fun or festive drinks

Finally, add some paper and a Christmas-y ribbon and your Movie Night Gift Basket is sure to be a hit!

Looking for more last minute ideas?  You can also check out my Dunkin Donuts gift card holder here.

If you are anything like me, you still have a few random people that you just can’t figure out what to buy.

I want to share a few creative gift ideas with you this week that might help you cross off those last few people on your list.

Last year, my Mom (a.k.a The Dollar Store Diva), shared a few gift card wrapping ideas with you.   I loved the post, and so did many of you, so I recommend heading over to check out her creative gift card holders.

Since I am a huge Dunkin Donuts coffee fan, I wanted to highlight one of her ideas:

A Dunkin Donuts gift card holder:

First, you will need an empty Dunkin Donuts iced coffee  cup.  (I paid $0.20 for mine…or you could use it as an excuse to buy yourself a little treat!)

I got lucky and had some brown and white paper clippings that came in some of the packages that I ordered this year.  But if you don’t have either of those, you can use cotton balls for the ‘whipped topping’ and any of the following for the ‘coffee’:

• Coffee Beans

• Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans

• Dried Pinto Beans

Then slip a gift card inside the cup, tie a Christmas-y ribbon around the top, and voila!–you have a creative Dunkin Donuts gift card holder!

Note: A special thanks goes to my Aunt Sharon, who is one of the most clever present-givers known to man, and inspired this idea.  I’m sure I will be sharing even more of her ideas with you all in the future!

One of my favorite ways to give back each holiday season is through Operation Christmas Child.  I love that I can get my kids involved and teach them the joy of giving (even when it means giving away toys that they’d like to keep.)

I took my boys to the Dollar Store the other evening and we went on a little shopping spree.  Both of them filled the cart with items that a boy their age would like.   And for once, I let them get just about anything their little heart’s desired.

Then today I helped the boys pack their boxes.  We will bring them to our church on Sunday to be sent overseas to someone whose life will be impacted with our simple gift.  (My three year old keeps talking about his baby.  I finally figured out he’s referring to whoever receives his gift.  Love it!)

It’s humbling to me that something so simple to us could mean so much to someone else.  My prayer is that our little gifts will have a much bigger impact than we can imagine.

How about you?  I would still love to hear ways that you are ThanksGIVING this year!

THANK YOU THANK THANK YOU!!

I want to say a deep heartfelt THANK YOU to those of you who have taken the time to bring donations out for our flood relief efforts.  A load of donations will be going up this week to help the victims of the flooding in Binghamton, NY.

THE NEED IS STILL GREAT.

The need is still great and I’ve been informed that there is still a HUGE need for hygiene items, such as shampoo, soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste.  Cleaning supplies such as Clorox, mops, work gloves, and masks are also in high demand.  You can find out more about current needs here.

The office at Grace Bible Church in Souderton, Pa will continue to accept donations throughout this week.  Find out more here.

NOT LOCAL?  STILL WANT TO HELP?

If you are not local, but still would like to use some of your stockpile to help, why not consider filling a Priority Mail box with items that will be of help?  You can ship the box to one of the churches that is heading up Flood Relief in the Binghamton area:

Union Center Christian Church
950 Boswell Hill Road
Endicott, NY 13760

(Just be sure to let me know if you send a box so I can personally THANK YOU!)

Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have!

I am sure many of you are looking for ways to help those who have been impacted by the recent tornadoes.

I have an opportunity for my local readers to help those in the Alabama who have lost homes, schools, and even family members.

Today and tomorrow (5/24-5/25), KidsKan, a community service group of youths from Souderton, PA will be collecting items to take down to Alabama as part of the Adopt a School program.

Here are the details:

Collection site: Indian Valley Middle School, Souderton, PA (on the right side of the school near the girls playing lacrosse)

Dates/Times: 5/24-5/25, 6-7 pm

To find out more about how you can help and to check out a long list of items to donate, you can join the Kids Kan group on Facebook here.

If you are unable to make it to the donation drive, but still would like to donate, you can contact Carol at 6smurfs @ verizon.net. (Remove spaces.)

Welcome to Cha-Ching on a Shoestring!   To stay in the loop on the best deals, freebies, coupons and more, subscribe to our FREE newsletter or subscribe to our RSS feed. You can even Like Cha-Ching on a Shoestring on Facebook to get up to the minute deals!

I get some crazy ideas.

So last year when I asked a few of my fellow bloggers to join me in using our couponing skills to make a united effort to give, I wondered if they might think my idea was…well…crazy.

But they didn’t.  In fact, they actually wanted to do it again!

So this year, we decided to ask our readers to give again.  But this time…I wondered if we could  reach for a goal of 10,000 items in one week’s time?

I was pretty sure that this time they might officially call me loopy.

But no.  I was wrong.  Again.

Instead, 127 bloggers and hundreds upon hundreds of couponers dug deep, gathered the fruits of their savvy money-stretching fingers, set out donation bins in their neighborhoods, contacted their news stations, gathered their coupon clubs, held donation drives, and GAVE.

And when I thought you couldn’t give anymore, you just kept right on GIVING.

-And our 10,000 item goal?  You blew right by that number like it was a mere handful.

-So we set a new goal.  15,000 came and went like it was a Dr. Oz freebie (I’m guessing most of you understand what I mean.)

-So we thought, could we actually reach 20,000? Double our goal?!

The numbers keep coming, but as I write this post, the numbers have been tallied and during the week of May 8-14:

26,639 items

were given to those who are struggling.

26,639 NEEDS were met.

And now, my tears are flowing.  I’m humbled, blessed, and speechless at the way people (complete strangers!) across the country joined forces to give to those in need.  I am convinced that couponers are some of the most generous people I will ever meet.

This slideshow made up of pictures shared on our Couponing for Community Facebook page demonstrates this truth far better than my words ever could.  (And this isn’t even the half of what was given!)

After you watch it, would you please just leave a comment or a link to your blog if you were a part of this effort?   I want to honor YOU.

A free slideshow by Smilebox

Welcome to Cha-Ching on a Shoestring!   To stay in the loop on the best deals, freebies, coupons and more, subscribe to our FREE newsletter or subscribe to our RSS feed. You can even Like Cha-Ching on a Shoestring on Facebook to get up to the minute deals!

If you found us by watching our feature on 6abc Action News, welcome to Cha-Ching on a Shoestring!

We hope you’ll stop by the Couponing for Community Facebook page to learn more about the thousands of couponers nationwide who have already donated over 11,000 items this week to tornado victims, local homeless shelters, food pantries and more.

We also want to invite you to to stop by Dunkin Donuts in Limerick on Saturday (5/14) any time between 1-3 pm at to take part in our local donation drive!  (Click here for directions.)

Dunkin Donuts will be offering a FREE $2 DD gift card for the first 50 people to come out and donate on Saturday.  Plus they will be giving FREE iced coffee samples to everyone who stops by to donate between 1-3 pm.  Who doesn’t love FREE iced coffee?!

We will also be holding a raffle for those who donate.  If you like Target or Amazon, you might just want to stop by!

Shannon from For the Mommas and I are excited to meet those who come by.  Even if you aren’t a couponer, check your pantry to see if you have any non-perishable food or health and beauty items that might benefit someone else.  Ideas include: pasta, peanut butter, jelly, canned fruits or vegetables, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant…and the list goes on.

Your donations will help benefit Keystone Opportunity Center and the Community Nutrition Coalition.

Be sure to stop by Mama Cheaps and North Penn Under Ten to find out about giving in the Lansdale and North Wales area.

Not local?  Not a problem!  This Saturday is also the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.  Giving is as simple as leaving a bag of non-perishable food items by your mailbox!

Thanks for stopping by Cha-Ching on a Shoestring!  Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about how couponing can help you stretch your dollars further than you ever thought possible!

Welcome to Cha-Ching on a Shoestring!   To stay in the loop on the best deals, freebies, coupons and more, subscribe to our FREE newsletter or subscribe to our RSS feed. You can even Like Cha-Ching on a Shoestring on Facebook to get up to the minute deals!

We are now halfway through our Couponing for Community week and I wanted to share a simple, but meaningful way that I found to give this week.

For those of you who have been around for a while, you may remember my friend ‘Rose’ that I shared a Thanksgiving meal with several months ago.   ‘Rose’ now has a special place in my heart since I met her and learned a bit of her story.

So I decided to make up a little bag of goodies and take them to Rose as a Mother’s Day gift:

It was a simple little bag, but it sure was fun to see it bring a smile to her face.

If you are still looking for ways to give as a part of Couponing for Community this week, remember that it’s not about giving BIG.  Sometimes it’s the simple things that count.

Don’t forget that Saturday is also National Stamp Out Hunger day, so giving is as easy as leaving a bag of non-perishable items by your mailbox.  And if you are local, be sure to come out to Dunkin Donuts on Saturday, May 14 from 1-3 pm.   Shannon and I want to meet you (and score you some FREE coffee)!

Be sure to share your story on our Couponing for Community Facebook page.  We want to celebrate Saving and Giving together!

Welcome to Cha-Ching on a Shoestring!   To stay in the loop on the best deals, freebies, coupons and more, subscribe to our FREE newsletter or subscribe to our RSS feed. You can even Like Cha-Ching on a Shoestring on Facebook to get up to the minute deals!

Day 3 of Couponing for Community is coming to an end and already over 7300 donations have been added to our totals.  How cool is that?!   I’m pretty sure we are going to blow our 10,000 item goal out of the water!

And by the way, we hope you are planning to stop by on Saturday any time between 1-3 pm at Dunkin Donuts in Limerick to take part in our local donation drive!

I have some exciting updates on the local donation drive that Shannon from For the Mommas and I are holding on Saturday at Dunkin Donuts on Kugler Rd. in Limerick, PA.  (Click here for directions.)

Dunkin Donuts will be offering a FREE $2 DD gift card for the first 50 people to come out and donate on Saturday.  (Hurray for FREE coffee! Or bagels!  Or donuts!)  Plus they will be giving FREE iced coffee samples to everyone who stops by to donate between 1-3 pm.  Who doesn’t love FREE iced coffee?!

But wait–that’s not all.  Shannon and I will be holding a raffle for those who donate.  Like Target?  Or Amazon?  Well then, I’m just sayin’–you might want to stop by.

Remember, it’s not about how MUCH you have to give.  We want you there if you have 1 or 100 items.  We want this to be an opportunity to meet some of our awesome readers and celebrate the power of couponing together!  (Oh…and get some free coffee while we’re at it!)

Welcome to Cha-Ching on a Shoestring!   To stay in the loop on the best deals, freebies, coupons and more, subscribe to our FREE newsletter or subscribe to our RSS feed. You can even Like Cha-Ching on a Shoestring on Facebook to get up to the minute deals!

Couponing for Community begins TODAY!

This is our chance to ‘flex our couponing muscles’ together for good.  Here’s what will be happening this week:

Nationally:

Over 100 bloggers have rallied together to invite our readers to GIVE this week.  We invite you to use the knowledge and tools that you have gained through couponing to give to a food pantry, rescue shelter, or friend in need this week, May 8-14.   Some of you have been couponing for a while and can simply gather a box of items from your stockpile to give away.  Others may only be able to give one or two items.  But we invite each of you to consider how you can join this effort!

Our goal this year is 10,000 items and we are already well on our way.

IMPORTANT: You can check out our ‘See our Progress’ tab on the Couponing for Community Facebook page to track our totals throughout the week.  Then be sure to count the items that you donate and add them to the total.  Every donation counts!

Don’t forget that this Saturday is also National Stamp Out Hunger Day.  Giving can be as simple as leaving a bag of non-perishable food items by your mailbox on Saturday morning!

We’d love to see pictures of your donations on the Facebook page as well.  We are all about celebrating GIVING through couponing this week!

Locally (Greater Philly Area):

I am very excited to share an opportunity for my local readers (in the Greater Philly area) to come out and give.  Shannon from For the Mommas and I have teamed up to invite our readers to meet us at the Dunkin Donuts on Kugler Road in Limerick, PA (click here for directions) on Saturday, May 14 from 1-3 pm.   It will be an opportunity to make a united effort to give locally as well as a chance to meet face to face!

All of our donations will benefit the Community Nutrition Coalition.    Suggested donations include non-perishable food items or health and beauty/cleaning products.

(Oh…and stay tuned for FUN more details on raffles we will be offering to those who come out to give!)

We recognize that you may not have a lot to give.  But whether you have 1 or 100 items, just come out for a good time.  (Shannon and I promise we are fun!)

Thanks to Dunkin Donuts Philly for partnering with us this week.  You can follow them on Facebook or Twitter to stay up to date on the latest deals and promotions!

Whether you are local or far away, I promise you.  You are NOT going to want to miss this event.  It’s going to be a place where SAVING and GIVING unite like never before!