Youngstown woman turns saving into giving

October 21, 2016 at 12:07a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Using coupons for a few items to save pennies is always a good choice, but one Youngstown woman wants to save more than money with her coupons.

Lucy Allen is a self-proclaimed “extreme couponer” who finds the greatest deals from coupons to buy a large amount of store items. She has just recently started donating her earnings from her coupon shopping to the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley, 962 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

“Something that I’ve always wanted to do was just share,” she said. “Especially with the Rescue Mission.”

Though she works at a call center in Boardman, her hobby has taken on a life of its own since she first started this summer. Allen first started clipping just coupons she found, but then started getting most of her coupons from Insertinsanity.com, where she purchases prepackaged coupons, and has now saved more than $1,000 with coupons.

Allen said she was with her family when it visited the Rescue Mission nearly a month ago and asked if they needed any specific items. She then started donating what she already had in her home.

Brad Weber, support services manager at the Mission, said he’s grateful that she asked. “If we’re able to narrow down donations we specifically need, we’re able to better serve our clients by asking a potential donor,” he said.

The most important things the mission needs are hygiene products, Weber said, which include toothbrushes, razors, deodorant and toothpaste. He also said that in his five years, he has gotten many donation offers but none like through couponing. Over-the-counter medicines are also needed for the coming flu season.

Allen got inspiration from “Extreme Couponing,” a reality show about shoppers who skillfully use their coupons to save the most amount of money while getting the most amount of goods. It ran for five seasons on TLC.

So far, Allen has donated hygiene products as well as juice, eggs, pasta, rice and canned food. She is planning on donating other items such as cereal, sugar and lotion.

Allen has tried to get her co-workers to use coupons, but she’d really like to put together a group that can make more donations with coupons.

“I can definitely show [people] how to do it; they can do it themselves,” she said. “It will be definitely something that will benefit everyone. Plus, it’s fun and addictive,” she said.

Allen also said if anyone wants to help donate, they can drop off any unwanted coupons at the mission for her to pick up, or contact her to learn more at extremecouponingclass@yahoo.com.