Gearing Up For The Next Orphanage Visit!

100 colored pencils at about 4 cents a piece.

Ok, I can't help it. I was at Target today to get household basics like trash bags, sponges, and the like. Someone on blogspot had mentioned big sales currently at Target for toys and things, so I thought I'd just take a look while I was there. In the end, the toys were actually not on sale at my area store, but what they did have was awesome! I scrounged the clearance aisle and found bulk pencils for sale, colorful erasers, heart-shaped notepads, ultra mini soccer balls and baseballs,sports theme notebooks, and such.

Soooooo cheap!

 I was able to buy something for every single child at the orphanage for UNDER TEN DOLLARS! Yes, that is $10 spent for 100 children! Can't beat that!

Heart-shaped erasers, at about  3 cents a piece!

So, I think I'm going to become an obsessive bargain hunter. If I can find savings like every week before I go back, I'll be so happy! I can see how serial shoppers get addicted to bargain hunting. I've never been much of a shopper, but that has changed since my last trip to Siberia. If I can find inexpensive items I can afford to buy for the kids, I  get a feeling of utter elation.

Little notebooks for the boys at less than 5 cents a piece!!!!

So my new weekend hobby will be ultra-bargain hunting for the kids. I know, I know, my financial priority right nowmust be Daniel's adoption. But I vowed years ago to always give at least 10% of my earnings to charity. (Last year I managed over 25%! ) But, c'mon folks, who could find fault in my spending just $20-30 a week on these types of little gifts for the children? It's almost a waste of money NOT to buy them! I know how happy they will be at receiving these little gifts. It is a very small price to pay to witness their joy.

And did I mention that my gently-used 'American Girl Doll' Drive is coming along? These dolls are so well made, they will withstand years of wear and tear at the orphanage. Several people tried to caution me that I wouldn't get any donations as the dolls are so expensive, but here are the ones I've received so far! I can fit a dozen in my suitcase. And there are exactly twelve girls between the ages of 7 and 10. I hope to hand deliver each of these into their arms next month:)

Finally, I am cooking up a plan that you could be a part of! When I hosted Dasha through NHFC, they had this amazing project where families could fill a gallon sized ziploc freezer bag with goodies for a particular child, and they would hand deliver it and take a photo. Of course they did this as a fundraiser & charged a hefty fee, but I'm not a non-profit (yet!) and I would simply do this as a way to both help the kids feel special and give anyone out there reading this a chance to connect with a child and do something special just for them!

I plan to leave between February 26th and 28th, if all goes well. If you'd like to fill a bag for a particular child, let me know and I will send you my address. You can fill it, label it, and send it to me through the mail, and I'll see that it gets to your child. I'll post details in a week or two. I'm guessing I can fit 20-25 gallon bags in a large suitcase.

Nite everyone. I've got piles of adoption work in front of me! This blog break is over!