…. What do you do with it all?

A guest post by Kristen from Frugality In The Making

If you are reading Karen’s blog, then there is a great chance you know about all of the wonderful items you can get for free. And, if you are a couponer, I am sure you have a stash of items that you will never use!  Hey, we all have them. They were free, or even better they Made you money!  How could you walk away from a deal like that?

So, now you have them. But what do you DO with it all? I have been stockpiling and shopping the money makers for 4 years now and these are some ideas that I have come up with for those less desirable (to you) items:

1. Donations- You can donate so many items to shelters and Food Banks. The need is great right now and these items will be greatly appreciated. You can also request a receipt for the items, at full market value, which can be used as tax deductions. Here are some items that I have been told are always needed:

   * Laundry Detergent (even the sample sized packets)
   * Fabric Softener
   * Heath & Beauty Items
   * Tea bags
   * Hair Accessories

2. Have a Yard Sale – many stockpilers sell their surplus by having a Yard Sale. I have heard of some making hundreds of dollars this way. You know that $4 shampoo you got 20 of for free? At $1 a bottle, people will scramble over them!
3. In the same vein as the above Yard Sale idea, there is the possibility of renting space at a local Flea Market. Usually the space is priced reasonably and with the concentrated traffic, you should be able to recoup that money within the first hour!
4. Gift Baskets– I do this all the time! I have an aunt who begs for a HBA basket every year for her Birthday. If you buy the baskets at Yard Sales for next to nothing, you could design a gorgeous basket for under a dollar, I am sure. Some other ideas for the baskets could be:

   * Young adults moving to college – include single load laundry detergent packs, single serve snacks, HBA items, etc
   * Housewarming – cleaning supplies, those Glade candles that made you a bunch of money at Christmastime, a handwritten sheet with all the areas best restaurants, phone numbers, etc
   * Teacher gifts- Again the candles and perhaps some free cocoa or candy

   Really you could possible make a basket for any occasion!

5. Samples that you have collected online all year also make great Stocking Stuffers!
6. Care Packages – There are so many wonderful organizations that collect Care Packages for our soldiers who are deployed overseas. Here is a great PDF with a listing of what you can and cannot send.

So, go ahead keep stocking up on those random products that make you money! And now you know what you can do with it all. If anyone has other suggestions, I would love to hear them!