Share your good Coupon Karma story (it doesn't have to be about coupons!!!)

[hotcouponmama]

I hinted in the newsletter last month that we'd be having a place to share our Coupon Karma stories all month. Coupon Karma doesn't have to be just about coupons - your story could be any kind of good karma kind of deed that you've put out there into the world where you've helped someone else or done something nice, or done something great and no one else noticed because you did it just to do it.

But, we're calling it Coupon Karma because your deed may be rewarded in coupons. Some of the stories you post might just get a little reward in your mail box - hence the karma of if you put good into the world, good comes back to you!

And for our members, if you read a story that hits you the right way, anyone can opt to reward another member just by PMing them and asking for an addy to send a few coupons their way.

Coupon Karma month is all about giving and receiving. And watch for rep points - I imagine this thread will be full of them! So go forth and do good things this month.....you never know when karma is coming back to you in a good way!

[derketchup]

Well, let's see.

I saw that someone was looking for $1/1 revlon tool coupons, and I literally had a ton sitting on my desk. I sent her a PM and said, "send me your addy and I'll send 'em to ya." I did it as a RAOK since I wasn't looking for anything she had on her WL at that moment in time.

I put them in an envie and it was sitting on my desk, because the next day was Sunday. I go out, get my paper, and find 4 identical SS inserts! Talk about near-instant Karma!

[oregoncactus]

Feels weird to share, since I try to never talk about good deeds. I hope to learn from others on this thread about new good deeds to do!

When we lived in Oregon, our school underwent a change from being pretty affluent to mixed - still affluent, but then we changed boundaries and had lower income apartments. I volunteered alot at school and saw many needs develop that were never there before. So I decided to help out the families as I could.

Since a free public education really isn't free anymore, I looked for ways to help make it more free. When requests came for field trip money, I'd ask the teacher how much extra she needed and donate it. When requests came home for party supplies or snacks, I would ask what extra she needed covered and donate it. Same thing for requests for community supplies, purchasing recorders for music, and anything else that needed families to donate. I can't tell you how many happy faces on kids I saw that weren't able to bring in supplies for making gingerbread houses or commerative field trip t-shirts but suddenly they had the same things as everyone else when it came time to make them. The joy they experienced meant more to me than anything.

I also wrote a grant application for a reading program for low income families. It bused them all to school and showed parents how to work with their kids on reading. We gave parents tools to use in helping develop readers. It was based on the SMART reader program. The kids got one-on-one reading time with their parent(s), and the parents learned skills for helping their children. Our school wasn't poor enough to qualify for SMART, so this was a way to help families who would have gotten this program if they lived in another area.

It makes me feel great to help out kids. They are our future.

christi

[Cynthiabutterfly]

I read a story about someone who paid for the person behind them in the drive-thru, and for hours they just kept paying for the person behind them, and I thought that would be an awesome thing to do- So when I went to McD alone for lunch while a work (a rare thing for me) I asked the person how much was the order behind me, and told her I would like to pay for them too. She was so surprised, I don't think she knew what to do. It was only a few dollars, but it made someone's day.

[wendygirl]

Well my "good coupon Karma story" is not about coupons at all, although I love them dearly! (Hold on little babies, momma will be right there!)


My good fortune has come because I have swallowed my pride and started sharing the story of my past, with joy. I was a "2 gallon of vodka a week" alchi. Functional yes, but I was also a selfish, self-centered and very angry person.

Because I can say these things about myself using the word WAS, I can say them with a genuine smile and with joy I have never known before. I am suppose to share my story. We are suppose to share our stories.

I have recently met several wonderful women. I could have had the normal polite conversation when asked about my family. But no, I told the truth & smiled. I saw the transformation on their faces, the shock, the compassion and then the tears ... they saw themselves in me. I was suppose to share with them.

Trust is a very hard thing and healing requires trust. Connecting with people is a gift. I am blessed with good karma because I have made new friends.

Thank you Jesus.

[druidessemily]

My "good coupon Karma" took place at Toys R Us. We had printed out a stack of the free Hot Wheels/Littlest Pet Shop coupons, and my husband and I each grabbed a hot wheel. We still had a lot of the coupons left over, so we went around the store giving a coupon to each child! I could tell we really made their day, one of the kids it was his birthday and he was trying to decide on what to buy. The parents were SO happy!

Back when Target had their insanely awesome $1 off any 2 Gerber products, I printed out a few hundred coupons and just handed large stacks of coupons to every woman I saw in the infant food aisle. So many women burst into tears when I gave them the coupons and explained what they were for, they couldn't believe that a random stranger would help them like that!

My husband and I don't have a lot of money, but we can pay our bills, and have a little bit left over. It makes us feel good spiritually to be able to help out others. I will definitely have to keep the drive through idea in mind.

[Songstress2]

My Karma story is nothing major. I grew up living with my grandmother, dad never really helped...neither did my mom. But in watching my grandmother just give and give, no matter whether she had it to give...I figured that I would take on the same mindset. I had 10.xx left in the bank account. There was a man at KFC and he was just standing out there. He asked if I had any extra money. i asked him if he wanted some food. Not really thinking about it, I ordered a 10 piece bucket (they had an "end of the month" special for 6.99) and I ordered some food for my family. When I got my total, it was 12.xx. I was worried that it wouldn't go through...but it did anyway! I was in shock. I got my food and gave him what I got for him. He then tells me that in giving him more than just a 2 piece, he was now able to feed himself, his wife and 2 kids. He had been in an accident and he lost his job because of an inability to work and unemployment ran out. He got denied for assistance from the goverments. They said that he could do some type of job to mke ends meet pretty much. His wife lost her job 2 years prior, they had depleted their savings in months of his accident. They lost thier house, cars, everything and were staying at a shelter. He gave me a hug and told me that God would bless me for what i had done. I went home and checked my bank account, bacause there was no way that the transaction could have gone through. SOMEHOW...the transaction didn't appear in my account. It didn't appear for a week...the day after my husband got paid! I guess God figured that i could help someone else out...so he would help me out too, huh?

[nessatxmom]

My karma story just happened on Monday. I was trolling around the isles at Kroger, when a young woman stopped me. "What all do I need for Thanksgiving dinner? It's my first time cooking it alone and I want it to be great for my fiancee." So, I asked her what all she had already picked up and gave her some suggestions. We ended up walking around the store together as she gathered the rest of her things. Turns out she is a student at the local Baptist university and money of course was tight. I whipped out my binder and gave her coupons for every single item in her basket, as well as a few frees I had on hand. It felt so awesome to help someone out and she was thrilled! I left Kroger smiling from ear to ear.

[tebar]

Well, I'll share one that does involve coupons...

While driving across town last week, I stopped at a not-so-local CVS store to see if they had any of the Nova monitors. When I asked about them at the pharmacy, I noticed that an elderly gentleman was getting a prescription filled. I had one coupon left for a $25GC with new prescription and couldn't use it, so I handed it to the man. The man at first was confused, but the pharmacist told him "yes, take the coupon!".

I saw the man as he walked out of the store - he had a huge smile on his face and some definite pep in his step. He was thrilled to have just been handed a $25GC he didn't expect and told me that he's so happy to know that there are still nice people in the world.

Of course I couldn't stop smiling the rest of the evening either. It just feels so good to do something nice for someone.

[luvmy3boys]

Wow, what awesome stories guys! I have given coupons in the store and people do look really grateful. One time, there was this old couple and she was griping about him wanting to spend so much money on some type of frozen food, can't remember. Anyway, I pulled out a coupon and the guy was so happy! It was hysterical. (Of course let's ignore the times they look at you like you have 6 heads!!)

Anyway, once I was in the parking lot and asked for money. I didn't have any as I usually don't have cash, but he looked hungry, so I gave him a box of granola bars. The guy was so grateful, he just went on and on. It made my day. Now dh always wants us to have snacks and drinks in the car that we can give away!!