Smart shopping can help a charity

Normally, I employ my savvy shopping ways to maximize my own savings.

But one of the happy side-effects of being a smart shopper is that you can use your savvy shopping superpowers to help others.

I routinely collect items that I get free and donate them to area shelters, nonprofits and food banks.

Items that frequently make it into my shopping cart for others include toothpaste, toothbrushes, feminine products and food items.

I keep a box for each charity I support and simply take the box to its destination when it is full.

You can do it, too.

And in times like these, when the requests for help come early and often, it's easy to give back without putting a huge dent in your own budget.

If you start now, you should have plenty of time to gather up items to donate to the local charities that need them the most.

All it takes is a little planning.

First, I'd encourage you to find out what the biggest needs are for area charities.

Most have lists posted on their Web sites about what they can and cannot take. For various reasons, some of the items on their lists are pretty specific, so this research is an important step.

For instance, most food banks and food-related charities cannot take glass containers for safety reasons, so things like pasta sauce have to be in cans.

Then print out the list and keep it in your purse, wallet, coupon organizer or car so that you have it when you go to the store.

Just this simple act can help you keep the needs of others on the top of your mind while you shop this holiday season.

Then start looking for deals.

Even if you aren't prepared to go on a coupon clipping rampage, just looking for the best price on the items on that list can save you a fair amount.

For this story, I took the Catholic Parish Outreach's list of 21 items that are needed to feed one family to Walmart. The items include everything from canned vegetables to pinto beans to toiletries.

At Walmart, simply trying to find the lowest prices on the items, my total was $48.58. That's not bad considering the list includes a can of baby formula and a pack of diapers.

And $50 may be an amount that's feasible for you, especially if you plan to make your purchases over the next month or so.

But, of course, there are other ways to save.

I also took the list to Harris Teeter and Lowes Foods. There, the list of 21 items would have cost me $72.80 and $73.04, respectively, just choosing the cheapest option for each product.

That's obviously more than the $48.58 at Walmart.

However, Harris Teeter and Lowes Foods both double coupons that are up to 99 cents in face value every day of the week.

And if I was lucky enough to catch one of Harris Teeter's triple coupon promotions where coupons up to 99 cents are tripled, some of the items on the list like rice, toothpaste and tuna would be free.

One of the keys to being a good shopper is to shop at multiple stores so that you get the best price on each item.

If I shopped for the list of 21 items at Walmart, Lowes and Harris Teeter, and I was lucky enough to catch a triple coupon sale, I calculate that I could buy the whole list for $40.96.

And, if I widened my search even further, I could probably score a couple of better deals at area pharmacies and other grocery stores.

Many weeks, there are items that are free after you use a coupon and/or the store's rebate program.

Look in the weekly sales fliers to see what's on sale, and read my weekly Wednesday Deals post on my blog to find out where the good deals are each week.

It is possible that you might score an even better deal by simply paying attention. For instance, this week, Harris Teeter has canned vegetables on a buy two get three free sale.

At 89 cents a can, that means you'd get five cans for $1.88, which is a super deal.

And, if there's an item like diapers or baby formula that you can't seem to find a good coupon or discount for, remember that many stores, including Lowes Foods, Walgreens and CVS, have deals weekly where you get a coupon good for a certain amount off your next purchase when you buy certain qualifying products.

If you committed to putting all of those "on your next order" coupons toward charitable donations, that would be a great way to take care of a lot of the purchases on your list.

It's easy to help

Once you see how easy it is to get things like toothpaste, rice and toiletries free, I hope you'll be encouraged to be a more active contributor to our area's nonprofits.

It's an easy thing to do that helps so many.

And remember that it's something you can do year-round to help, even if you don't have a lot of money to spare.

There's no reason that a tight budget should get in the way of spreading some holiday cheer around.