While cruising my local Rite Aid yesterday in search of free toothbrushes, I met an interesting woman in the dental care aisle. She had 3 little girls with her and was pretty frazzled. The oldest girl has a toothache of some sort and they couldn’t get a dentist appointment for 3 more days.

Because I’m a chatty person, even with strangers, I spent about 15 minutes talking. I didn’t have any earth shattering advice, but she seemed to feel a strong need to talk, and I shared a little bit about how I coupon, look for deals, try generics, etc.

Her bill ended up being half of what she thought it would cost and she was so surprised! It made me feel really great that I could help, too. We all walked out together and coincidentally, she was parked right next to me.

Her car is a brand-new luxury sedan and was overflowing with toys, food wrappers, and other stuff. I, on the other hand, am still driving my 15-year-old Pathfinder. I had been out couponing most of the day and my cargo area was full of bags—most of which was free or pennies.

I detailed more of my deals with her and she just shook her head, amazed, and proceeded to tell me she and her husband had gone through bankruptcy a while back, but she still never watches prices and buys anything the kids want, which obviously causes a lot of marital problems. (This is a very, very common reaction that I get from many people when I tell them I’m an extreme couponer.)

“Well, if you like free stuff, I’m bringing some boxes to Goodwill. You want it?” She offered, pointing to barely used little girls clothes, size 9-12 months. (You bet!) Do I currently have a child in that age/size? No, but it didn’t deter me one bit. These beautiful clothes may be a blessing to me in the future and if not, I can pass them along to another lady.

Freebies are all around us; we just have to look. I didn’t go to Rite Aid expecting to find clothes, but I sure left with a bunch. Talk about a super surprise!