Ok, I'm going to get this out in open right up front: I'm an extreme couponer. Not like the kind you see on television that makes you physically ill or that makes you want to hit your tv with a hammer.
I'm the nice kind. I don't clear shelves or dump whole wire baskets full of toothbrushes into my cart. I don't make other customers wait in line while I let the cashier scan 300 coupons. And I don't walk a caravan of carts through the store like some sort of twisted, lost safari expedition.
It's true may basement rivals the finest 7/11 store, minus the cash register and minimum wage attendant. I admit that. And it's also true that my full freezers are a thing of beauty and a sight to behold. But, don't hate me because I'm beautiful.
A lot of good has come out of that stash. Military care boxes, Teen Challenge stock-ups, families needing some relief and great Christmas baskets have all been generated from the abundance.
Which gets me to the topic at hand. Namely, the 10 good reasons churches should be couponing.
1) Peanut brittle is so yesterday. Peanut brittle should only be made with the intention of using the money to buy coupons.
2) Have you seen the price of shampoo and razors? It's no wonder our poor and indigent smell and don't shave.
3) Bulk. Last year my best score was over $2000 worth of groceries for $61 and it was all the edible type. Try that with peanut brittle sales.
4) A $12 Gillette razor that doesn't have to be bought is worth a loaf of bread and gallon of milk and a box of cereal and a bag of apples.
5) Quality. Ever shave with a generic razor? You'll spend more money on bandaids then you did for the razor. I'll take name brand items any day over most generics. I know, beggars can't be choosers, but, at least OUR beggars will be name brand beggars!
6) The amount you can purchase with coupons far out weighs anything you can have given to you. See point #3 above.
7) No more need for cardboard boxes sitting half empty in foyers waiting for parishioners to feel guilt enough to cough up a dented can of generic creamed corn.
8) We can finally get our elderly off of cat food.
9) Think of the crowds you could draw. And that's the point isn't it? Ministry to the poor. Right now I have over 100 razors (I have my reasons!) and that's just one person doing the shopping.
What kind of pantry could a church have with several couponers stocking up on detergent, deodorant, toothbrushes, combs, paper towels, etc.
10) It's darn good stewardship. Leveraging $61 into $2000 in groceries sure beats getting one can at time at full retail.
I'm sure there are many more reasons to look into something like a coupon ministry (i.e., neighborhood pr, the time spent fellowshipping, etc.) and maybe I'll make another list someday, but, for now I'm pretty sure there's plenty to consider right there.
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