Do you ever get to where you’re cleaning out your old coupons and trying to figure out what to do with the expired coupons? I always feel so wasteful throwing them away. Kind of sad that I never got to use the coupon, and guilty that it’s just getting wasted. Well, there is a solution – You can send your expired coupons to overseas Military Bases! The Overseas Coupon Program is my go to place for this area of expertise.
Members of Overseas Military Bases can use coupons up to 6 months past their expiration date! I think it’s just great that others, especially our military families, can continue to benefit from that which we can no longer use! Of course, you can send current coupons that haven’t expired, as well. If you have some coupons you know you won’t use, throw those in the mix too!
Let me tell you how to get your coupons to the right place.
1. Place your expired coupons in a baggy, and it’s best to separate them by food and non-food. A separate baggy for each category is best. The reason for this is because these coupons will be placed on tables at the PX (which is more like a department store, for non-food items) and the Commissary (which is for groceries). They are also handed out to military members and families on base, at times.
2. Once you’ve separated the coupons into two groups, total the dollar amount of each batch and write it on the baggy.
3. Once you’ve completed the first two steps, fill out the Donation Form HERE. Someone will contact you and tell you what to do next.
They do ask that you keep the expiration dates within two months since it takes time to get them mailed out and sorted. Be sure to only send Manufacturer’s coupons and no Store coupons.
Keep in mind that this is not a tax deductible charity – it’s a patriotic charity!
The Overseas Coupon Program asks that you donate just once a month, to keep things simpler. You can send your coupons to a main contact, to be sent overseas for you, or you can select a specific base to have your coupons sent to. You can view a list of participating Bases HERE.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer them. You can also visit the OCP – Overseas Coupon Program HERE.
Lesley says
CouponsToTroops is another option for sending coupons overseas. With http://www.CouponsToTroops.com, you adopt a military family that is stationed overseas and then you mail your coupons right to them. It’s a great way to support a military family and make a new friend in the process. By mailing directly to a family, vs adopting a base, your coupons get into the hands of a family so much quicker, and any coupons that you send that your family won’t use will get shared with other families on base.
To adopt a family, you can either sign up via the Adopt an Overses Family tab on our website or Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/CouponsToTroops) or email us at [email protected]
Rachel Hutzley says
Emily,
I’m so glad you posted this again. I need to get better at doing it.