A good subtitle for this post might be,"Why Do You Need Six Bottles of Cough Syrup." One of the greatest things about practicing a frugal lifestyle and about extreme couponing is the opportunity to practice radical generosity. Imagine if you had the ability to support crisis pregnancy centers, homeless shelters, pet rescue, low-income clinics, and disaster relief causes for pennies on the dollar. Wouldn't it be great if you always had a little stash of gifts that you could use to encourage friends and neighbors?
We'll use my six bottles of cough syrup as an example. I purchased six bottles of cough syrup on sale B1G1 at Walgreens for a total cost of 11.97. They were running a rebate for $10, plus claiming the rebate in the correct way will net me another dollar. Total cost to me for $24 worth of cough syrup was .97. Siloam clinic in Nashville has a list of OTC medicines on their website that they can use to help patients. Cough syrup is on that list.
You don't need to run all over town or spend a lot of time to do this. Even purposing to donate your Publix penny item to Graceworks each week is an easy way to give. Like everything in life, you do what you can.
In addition to being able to give products away, frugal living frees up money in our budget to give away. We are able to meet our goals in supporting the local church, mission work, and Compassion International.
If you know us, you know that there are no Mother Teresa's living at our house. My heart is selfish and my need for security could easily drive me to stinginess. Practicing generosity allows me the joy of sharing, even when I feel like we don't have much. It helps me to view frugality as a choice and not a necessity. It forces me to confront my selfishness and push past it.