Our Work in the Community: The Budget Queen Outreach

Some of you who have been in our Budget Queen Community for awhile, and those of you who attend our coupon swaps already know about The Budget Queen work in the community, but I haven't really made it public yet.  


I've done regular volunteer work with The Bishop O'Donnell Transitional Housing Program over the last year and a half and will continue to do so. I want to expand my efforts and have the ability to offer these services not only to the residents of the program but to other residents of the community who cannot afford the fee-based services we offer.  Hence, the reason why I have been led to begin the process of creating a non-profit which will be known as:


The Budget Queen Outreach


I have created a blog: The Budget Queen Outreach, to keep everyone updated on the work we do each month in the community and the progress of the pursuit of non-profit status for The Budget Queen Outreach.  I will also offer updates on this blog as well.


Here is my first post for The Budget Queen Outreach Blog:



"I am owner and administrator of The Budget Queen, LLC.  The primary focus of my business is to provide frugal education and money saving tools and advice to the public. While many of my services are free-via The Budget Queen Blog and http://www.thebudgetqueen.com/, some services are fee-based, such as private budget consultations and group classes.  The need for this type of education in the community is vast and through my volunteer work with various community organizations over the past couple of years I have seen that it has made a palpable difference.

I soon realized that there was a need for me to create a non-profit organization with the goal being to extend more services to those who cannot afford the fees, materials and tools to help organize their financial life and reach their goals. My hope is that through the creation of a non-profit, I will realize the ability to create an even more comprehensive experience for these individuals, so as to provide the most solid springboard possible as they move into financial independence.

Though I am just in the very beginning stages of the process of creating the non-profit organization, I am very excited that it will allow me to expand my reach and help many more people with the resources I will have access to with non-profit status.  It has been very rewarding to work one-on-one with people in the community and helping them to see that with the right tools-no matter where you start out, you can end up wherever you want to be!

The bulk of my volunteer services over the last year and a half has been with the Bishop O'Donnell Transitional Housing Program.  This program provides housing for single mothers and their children who are coming out of homeless shelters. While they are participants of the program, the goal in the end is to help them obtain self-sufficiency.  Some of the many milestones the ladies face: to become employed, perhaps gain a new skill through schooling and to get affordable housing.  My part in their journey is to offer them regular education and tools to manage their household budget, achieve their financial goals and to provide them with the knowledge base that will allow them to remain financially independent in the future-especially on a limited income. 

I hold a monthly coupon swap for members of our Budget Queen community and the general public on the first Tuesday of every month at the South Regional Library in Lafayette, LA. Each month, the extra coupons from the swap are delivered to the residents of the Bishop O'Donnell Transitional Housing Program and they use these to save on their household needs during their stay in the program.  The Lafayette Catholic Services Annual Report highlights The Budget Queen services that were offered in the past year and features one of the participants of the program choosing coupons for herself. 

I provide each new resident of the Bishop O'Donnell Transitional Housing Center with an individualized budget consultation and follow-ups as needed. I also conduct a monthly group class for all the residents with a new focus for each class-example topics include proper and effective use of coupons, menu planning and supplying a household frugally.  I volunteer these services to the residents and will continue to do so as I pursue non-profit status.

I have created this blog as an outlet to allow those who are interested in my work in the community to remain informed as to the progress we are making as a whole. I feel that by sharing success stories and sharing what we are accomplishing together on a monthly basis, it will provide awareness and hope to all touched by it."