Thank you for all your responses and willingness to support our military families overseas with your unused coupons! I've received a lot of questions regarding the program in the past 24 hours, so I've created this FAQ for your convenience. If you find that your question is not answered here, feel free to email me.Where do I send the coupons?
For privacy and security reasons, I will not be revealing names or addresses via a blog post. Please email me for the addresses - that is the only way to receive them.
How much does it cost?
It costs the same to mail to APO & FPO addresses as US addresses. You do not have to go to the post office if you have the correct amount of stamps and are sure about your envelope's weight. If you mail something larger than an envelope you will have to fill out a customs form.
Do I need to cut the coupons?
Yes, please do! It also cuts down on the mailing weight.
Do I have to sort or count the coupons?
Nope. Just shove them all in an envelope and mail! Please do NOT mail unexpired and expired coupons in the same envelope though. Unexpired and expired coupons actually go to two different bases.
How long does it take to get there?
You'll have to check with USPS for the exact details, but do not send coupons more than 3 months past their expiration date because of the time it takes to get them distributed to individual families once the coupons get to the base. For unexpired coupons, allow at least a month's leeway.
What's a commissary? What's an Exchange?
The commissary is a military-only grocery store, and carries a huge variety of brands. They accept expired coupons. The Exchange is an
Are there specific requests for certain brands/products coupons?
Coupons are distributed to many different families with different needs at each individual base, so send any and all types of coupons. The commissary & Exchange carries a HUGE variety of products. There's only been a handful of times that I couldn't find the brand that I was looking for.
Please send any and all pet coupons you can spare. Being a military pet is HARD, and the cost to keep a pet is astronomical overseas. Any and all pet care coupons will be greatly appreciated.
Is this a scam? Do you know these people personally? Have you heard back from them?
I do not run the program and am just a messenger, but I am 938% positive that it's not a scam. The Happy Housewife runs the program, and I think she personally knows some of the people you're sending coupons to. You can also send them to her too.
Can I send the coupons to you and have you send them out?
If you prefer a state-side address, you can mail them to The Happy Housewife. However, postage is the same for state-side and FPO/APO addresses. It would save time and money if you were to send them directly overseas, but mailing something state-side is an option if you're more comfortable with it.
BUT...if my husband's next duty station takes us overseas, I will be MORE than happy to personally receive all of your coupons =). Right now (and hopefully for a while) we're just in the good old US of A.
So who exactly gets my coupons?
You are sending your coupons to a coordinator at an overseas base. This person is responsible for distributing coupons to families there. Each base has a different method - some have a grab-box in the commissary "lobby", and others distribute them to their friends and neighbors on the base. So while I don't know the name of the person that will be using your coupon, I do know that they are a deserving military family that is very grateful for your help and support.
If you have any additional questions, please feel free to email me and I will try to answer all of your questions.
Thank you so much for all of your help and support!
1 comment:
Great job on the FAQ's! You can be sure that this is 100% not a scam. I send the coupons to various families overseas. Some of them use the coupons personally and others are organizers of coupon groups on the base. These groups organize, sort and distribute coupons to anyone who would like them. Prices overseas are very, very high, while access to coupons is extremely limited. These families sincerely appreciate these coupons and use them. Many coupons are passed from person to person. Pet food, baby products, and toiletries are all great coupons to send to these families, because these items tend to be priced even higher and are in great demand.
I started this program because I have lived overseas twice. The first time I had no access to coupons and the second time I was part of a coupon group that received coupons from various churches in the US. I was able to cut my grocery costs significantly during that tour.
This program is an easy and fairly inexpensive way to help support our troops overseas and they truly appreciate it!
Thanks!
The Happy Housewife
http://thehappyhousewife.com
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