COUPON CLIPPERS: I’m a creature of habit. Every time I go to the grocery, I buy the exact same nine things. I love cooking, but I hate washing dishes, so I’ve grown to love two yummy recipes that require virtually no cleanup. This means, among other things, that I get a lot of coupons I don’t use. I get ’em in the mailbox; I get ’em on my receipt; I get ’em here, I get ’em there, etc.

There’s gotta be a use for these coupons. I’ve been throwing them away, but it occurred to me today that I might be able to give them to a food pantry or other charity. I’ll look into this and tell you what I find.

One section of the Rock’n’Roll Conservatism manifesto (coming, slowly but surely, to theaters everywhere) will deal with grassroots activities–things anyone can do to promote markets, marriage, the well-being of the poor, and similar nifty stuff. Coupon-clipping is a tiny act, but there are many, many possibilities that most people overlook. Here are some excellent ideas: ROSCAs; marriage mentoring; Threads of Love; the Heifer Project; bringing Catholic books to public libraries (I’m sure non-Catholics can think of similar projects); Magdalene Home; Deborah Darden’s Right Alternatives Family Service Center (it’s described toward the end of that article); and there’s a lot more out there, which will be explored in the Manifesto.

D.I.Y.