Christmas couponing: Alliance woman uses bargain-hunting skills to make big toy donation
ALLIANCE – Sierra Cottle knows how to find a bargain.
The 36-year-old Alliance native runs a couponing blog that helps readers find discounted products at popular retailers and online stores.
She recently used her talent for spotting good deals to donate roughly 125 new toys and books to the Alliance YWCA as part of the agency's Christmas outreach program, which helps families in need give presents to their children during the holidays.
"To be in a position to be able to give back, it just felt great," Cottle said. "I know we have so many kids who could really use it."
More: Domestic violence agencies share resources at Alliance YWCA event
More: Commentary: Join the YWCA Alliance in campaign against hate
The Alliance YWCA assists needy families during the Christmas season every year through its outreach program.
"It has grown exponentially over the years," Executive Director Stacie Weimer said. "In 2020, we were able to find 33 sponsors to formally adopt families, and we're on pace to pass that mark even. We're up to 50 families that are formally adopted."
Who is Sierra Cottle?
When Cottle was growing up, her mother depended on programs like the YWCA's Christmas initiative. Hearing the agency was collecting toy donations for the upcoming holiday season, she saw it as an opportunity to support Alliance families in need.
Cottle is passionate about helping people learn to budget shop. She launched The Couponing Unicorn in 2018. The website features money-saving ideas and discounts on a variety of products, ranging from kitchen gadgets to gaming equipment.
She also shares tips for finding cheap toys.
"Each year, I highlight clearance items and try to encourage people to donate and also try to teach people how to responsibly shop and get toys at a reasonable price," Cottle said.
Using apps for stores like Walmart, Target and Walgreens, Cottle searches for the best deals she can find. Most stores, she said, put toys on clearance in the weeks after major holidays, such as Christmas and Easter, with some offering markdowns of up to 90%.
Over the last year or so, Cottle began purchasing discounted toys to stockpile for the donation. When she dropped off the items at the YWCA this month, Weimer said the agency's staff was brought to tears.
"That was over two carloads' worth of toys. It was absolutely mind-blowing how generous and amazing (Cottle's) story was. She told us how she was able to get those toys as well," Weimer said.
More than 300 individuals received Christmas help through the YWCA last year
She said Cottle's contribution to the YWCA will enable the agency to provide gifts to more children in the community and show them that people want to see them have an enjoyable holiday.
"Looking at it last year, we were able to serve over 300 individuals with Christmas outreach," Weimer said. "This year, it's just going to help that outreach even more. It's going to make a bigger impact to help those kids living in poverty have something and people care about them enough to contribute like what Sierra did."
Cottle said it felt awesome knowing that her donations will have an impact on people in the community. She said the holiday season can be a stressful time for families that cannot afford to buy presents for their children.
"Everyone wants to be able to give their kids a nice Christmas, and sometimes we just have hard times and we can't do it," she said. "So to be able to be in a position where I can give nice toys to the kids and know there's going to be kids that are going to wake up happy and excited to have those toys, it felt great to be able to do that."
The YWCA will also be offering walk-in services for families who missed the deadline to sign up for Christmas outreach. Families can receive up to two toys per child in their household up until Christmas or until the agency runs out of gifts.
Cottle hopes others with the means to donate will do so. She plans to do the same again next year.
"I've actually already started collecting," she said.
Reach Paige at 330-580-8577 or pmbennett@gannett.com, or on Twitter at @paigembenn.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Sierra Cottle donates 125 new toys and books to Alliance YWCA
