Sometimes winter can seem really long when the skies are gray and its really cold. I know I can’t wait to enjoy some of that summer warmth again…I miss it! To show someone you are thinking of them or to brighten up their day consider giving them a Box of Sunshine! Basically you can take anything in the color yellow and add it to this box. Cut out a few paper sunbeams, print out a little note and you have a Box of Sunshine!
The above picture is a box that my sister sent to me using items that she found at a specialty candy store, but I was thinking that it would be great to use items that I coupon shop for to make these boxes a little more thrifty priced! I am the Happy Money Saver you know… 🙂 So each week when I am out couponing and saving money at the stores I remember to get items in yellow whenever possible. Here is a picture of a few thrifty priced items I have been collecting that would work well for a box of sunshine:
- Carmex – got for free coupon shopping
- Zone Bar – got for free coupon shopping
- Lemon Drops and Yellow Gummy Bears- inexpensive at Winco in the bulk section
- Crunch n Munch
- Bath & Body Works Kitchen Lemon hand soap, got on sale for $2.50
- Yellow package seeds for the gardener
- Cascade Ice drink – $1.00
- Betty Crocker Lemon Cake mix or lemon frosting
- Melt Em’s- got for free at Real Deals (local freebie)
- you could also go to the dollar store and find some great fun yellow things!
- Got any other ideas? Feel free to leave a comment below 🙂
A Box of Sunshine would make a great neighbor gift, a birthday gift, or a gift for someone feeling a little blue. Want to thank a special cashier who patiently takes your coupons? This would be an excellent way. I mean really, who wouldn’t love to get a box of sunshine??
I have created a few FREE printables for you my dear readers. Just save them to your computer and print them out! Enjoy!
You Are My Sunshine printable download
Sending you a little box of Sunshine printable download
You Brighten my Life with your Friendship printable download
If you are new to Happy Money Saver, come join the fun by following me on Facebook. Plus here are a few of my most popular articles and series:
- So I Married A Couponer – a fun story series about an average man trying to deal with being married to an extreme coupon shopper. His story must be told.
- How to Find the Best Deals on Toilet Paper – I worked my tail off to research that question…what is the BEST VALUE on toilet paper? I think you will like this!
- The Coupon Box Method – How I Organize my Coupons – Yep, I am a coupon shopper and this is how I organize!.
- Cold Lunches in a Day – I created a simple way for me to make sure my kids get a healthy cold lunch everyday – check it out.
- How to Make Brown Sugar from Scratch – yep, I do it and you can too! Plus I also have quite a few other frugal recipes you might like to see..
- Fashion Boards on a Budget – I refuse to pay $90 for a pair of shoes – so I am putting together complete cute, trendy outfits that won’t break the budget!
Hope you enjoy!
About Karrie
Food is my love language. But so is saving money. So I like to combine the two a lot and make thrifty make ahead and freeze meals to save time. Because life is busy, and freezer meals can come to the rescue for all of us. And yes, they actually CAN taste good. Read more...
Comments & Reviews
Lizzy says
Thanks for the great idea. I delivered a “bucket of sunshine” to a frined in need of some positive energy last week. I featured it on my blog and linked back to you. Here is the post:
http://lizspinspiration.blogspot.com/2012/10/pin-146.html
Karrie says
Thanks Lizzy! It’s so nice of you to do something so sweet for a friend.
Clarissa Hooper says
I am definitely doing this! I love the tip of picking something up each time I shop too because sometimes you need a box of sunshine when you least expect it!
Kate says
I just read Linda’s comment about doing a smaller version for people in need of some sunshine, like a nursing home. I love that idea. I am going to start planning something like this! Thank you both!! 🙂
Janet says
Can you and your sister please create one of these for every color of the rainbow??? 🙂 Thank you for sharing!!!
Karrie says
Ha ha – I know, right? I have been thinking about all the other colors too..its so much fun. 🙂
Laura says
This is the cutest idea! I want to make these for a few of my co-workers. Do you have a pattern you could post for the adorable sunbeam cut outs? I am not very crafty by nature and I searched clip art online and couldn’t find anything as cute as what you did!!! Thank you for sharing your idea! Love love love!!!
Melissa in NJ says
I just dropped off my box yesterday at a friend’s who has been down. She loved it. Laura is right, the $ store is a treasure trove. I tucked yellow (fake) roses into it, and poked holes in the top and poked yellow roses into the holes, also a yellow pinwheel, and tied a yellow balloon to it. She was so touched. Thank you for such a wonderful, original, perk-anyone-up idea!!!!
Laura says
Thank you for this sweet idea. My daughters and I had a blast putting together our box of sunshine for a friend who just had a mastectomy. We bought almost everything at the dollar store (hand soap, nail polish, lotion, leis, Chicken Soup for the Soul mini book, chapstick, Lemonade, Lemon Drops, popcorn). She loved the gift and it really brought a big smile to her beautiful face. Thank you!
Shelly says
What a great gift idea. I have an intern this summer and I wanted to give her something for her last day and this is perfect. Another yellow item is Burt’s Bees lip balm. Thanks for the idea!
Kristen says
HI! Thank you for this wonderful idea! I found your idea on pinterest and sent my own “box of sunshine” to my mom this week! I will be putting my “box of sunshine” on my blog but will post your link to give credit for your great idea! Thanks for sharing 🙂
-Kristen@ fewofmyfavoritethingsblog.blogspot.com
Candahope says
I got this from my friend after back surgery. It was the greatest gift I received & it did brighten my day & stay! I am now making it for an older friend of mine that just had a bad fall. It’s perfect for her since she has COPD & can’t have flowers. Thank you so much for sharing this great idea. It’s being paid forward by many! Such a great idea!!
Leanna says
Hey Jenn! I loved this idea so much that I decided to blog about it to my friends! Happy Money Saver made its debut on my blog tonight! This is such a cute idea and I can’t wait to make one for my love! Keep the ideas coming and thanks!
xoxo, Leanna
Leanna says
I totally meant to say Karrie! So sorry about that!
Linda says
I did not have time to read all the comments so sorry if this is not new idea. Smaller version (just a note and 2-3 irems) would be nice for nursing homes, even service men/women in the hospital. For nursing homes maybe use sugar free candy in case of health issues. I remeber when I was 15 our girls scout group took candy bars at Christmas time to the service men at Walter Reed Hosp in D.C. recovering from injuries from Korean confict/war. We sang carols and the experience has stayed with me all these years. I think our returning injured meed more than a candy bar and this box of sunshine would be great.
Karrie says
Love that idea Linda!
Donna Peterson says
I saw your, “Box of Sunshine” idea on Pinterest and used it to create two boxes for some far-away friends. Well, they loved them and it made me feel all, “sunny” inside just putting them together with assorted items from my local Dollar Tree. I just wanted to say, “Thank You” for sharing such a neat idea AND the printables just make the project PERFECT!
Helen Victoria says
I thought this was just the cutest idea and put it to great use when a friend of mine was having a particularly trying time. I’m on to my second box almost as I type this for another friend. It’s so simple and easy to do too. Here’s my blog post about the box I made: http://lomosio.wordpress.com/2012/06/20/little-box-of-sunshine-13/
Thanks for a great idea xx
Karen Smith says
This was the PERFECT idea for my friend’s “recovery” after surgery. I went to the Dollar Tree (never been there before) and found the CUTEST “Yellow” things (smiley balloon on a stick, glass with lemons on it – for the Crystal Light Lemonade I included, Sugar Cookie candle, bubbes, soap, Hawaiian Ginger lotion etc. Michael’s had a cute yellow and white gingham box. It was such FUN searching for “yellow” items that she would love. Thanks for the FUN idea 🙂 We ALL need a little SUNSHINE from time to time!
Lauren says
Copied this idea for my daughters’ birthday! Featured my version and you/yours on my blog today.
Lesley says
This is so great! Why do you think it prints the back ground pink when I print it? I want to make it a gift for my best friend’s birthday. Thanks for this lovely art!
Lesley
Dorothy says
It printed fine for me, maybe your printer is running out of ink.
Tara says
This seems like such a fun idea 🙂 I can’t wait to try it, or maybe a blue/pink little box as a mummy-to-be gift 🙂 Thanks for sharing !! 🙂 x
Lauren says
What an awesome idea!!! My best friends husband is in Iraq and I am going to send this over to him!! I hope it brightens his day and reminds him how thankful we are for him!! Thank you for this idea!!
Chris says
This is such a cute idea. I’ll be doing this for my friends birthdays. One idea is you could buy the shower sponges in yellow. Some yellow soap with it. You can get those at the dollar store also.