The Penny Experiement

Jeffrey Strain was inspired by a penny he found on the sidewalk on November 24th, 2009. He pondered the questions “What is a penny really worth? What can one achieve when starting with only a penny?” He decided to see if he could turn that one penny into $1,000,000 worth of food for local food banks and  The Penny Experiment was born. Jeffrey can’t do it alone but his own inspiration is inspiring others, like me, to help him achieve his goal. There are lots of ways to help– many take only seconds and none of them cost a penny with the exclusion of one. Jeffery has asked artists to donate one of a kind works of art that include found money (like the penny from the sidewalk). 100% of the proceeds from the sale of these pieces are used to purchase food with coupons to donate to local food banks.

I am committing to setting aside some time each weekend to scout out the deals, coupon match and shop for food bank donations. I will be blogging about each trip as well.

Here’s what I got this week:

8 cans of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup – retail value $8.32
On Sale at Target 5 for $3 ($.60 each)
Used 2 $1/4 coupons

Total retail value: $8.32
Total after coupons: $2.80

To date: $101.67 worth of food for the food bank for only $19.73!

My printer ran out of ink the beginning of last week so I wasn’t able to do the deals I wanted to because I wasn’t able to print the coupons. I ordered some more so I’ll be ready next week. I’m also feeling a little intimidated by the other participants couponing skills! (excuses, excuses- I know.)  I had these soup coupons on hand and had to make a trip to Target for diapers so this was all I squeezed in this week.

My local food bank is right around the corner from my house but it’s only open on Thursdays. I will be making a delivery once per month.  I’m hoping to make my first delivery this week!  I will also find out if I am able to donate perishable items.

I am honored to be a part of the Penny Experiment Project. If you are a coupon blogger and would like to take part, please check out this post for more information. Again, it won’t cost you a penny- just your valuable time and your couponing experience to get the most food as possible for as little as possible (which you will be reimbursed for).I encourage each and every one of you to take a few seconds to spread the word about this project. Let’s help feed those less fortunate than ourselves.

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