What to do with expired coupons

Believe it or not, expired coupons may have plenty of life left in them! Rather than toss them in the trash can, as you may be wont to do when you come across one (or if you’re like me, several!) expired coupon, you can hold onto them and donate them! According to this eHow article, many pet charities and military bases will be able to accept and use coupons, even if the expiration date goes back a year or more.

On a related note, if you have coupons that aren’t expired but you don’t plan on using them, consider sharing the wealth. Donate pet-related coupons to local pet shelters and humane leagues. Take food coupons to local community action offices, as they can distribute them to needy families who need all the help they can in stretching their income to cover all of their basic needs.

For all the other coupons you may have left but are still good but not of any use to you, consider playing Coupon Fairy with them! Take them with you the next time you go shopping at the grocery store or your favorite major retailer, and leave them in the general aisles where those products might be found. Be sure to take store-specific coupons to the right store, of course. Target coupons won’t help anyone who is shopping at a pet store, for example. And it goes without saying that you shouldn’t leave expired coupons anywhere, since they’ll be of no use to most consumers.