Giving. It’s important. We feel fortunate and we want to give to those we love, of course, but also to those less fortunate than us.
We especially think about it in November and December, right?
Food Drives. Salvation Army Kettles around every corner. Toys for Tots. Giving trees at your local library and church. Double the tip for the wait-staff. End of the year charity events. Cookies for the mailman.
What about now? January. February. And the next 8 months of year.
I’ve been looking to be more giving with what I have to give. I’m trying to give what I don’t NEED to hoard for myself, to other people who could USE and ENJOY what I have - in terms of physical stuff, encouragement, time, energy and more. Sometimes this means giving my energy to send mail to a friend to add some cheer to their day. Other times, it may mean buying a coffee for a stranger, donating clothes I no longer wear, or books I’m not going to read again.
Here are a few other small ideas you can add to your life to get with the giving 12 months a year.
4 Ideas to help get in the habit of giving all year long:
1. Hotel Freebies. Hotel stays have been pretty common in my life the past few years. Work trips, Blogging Trips, and long vacations to various cities all over the country. How often have you stayed at a hotel and added the toiletries left in the bathroom for your use to your suitcase to return home with you?
Here’s an idea I got from an old boss I had in Texas. He traveled A LOT for work, and always came back with a bag full of shampoo, conditioner, soap and the like. Occasionally, he even asked the front desk for extras. When returning home, he would add all the supplies to a box, and every few months donate the supplies to a local battered woman’s shelter. Toiletries are almost always on the top of shelter’s need lists!
2. Buy One Give One: Tolietries. After learning how much of a need there was for such simple luxuries as shampoo and soap, I made a pledge. Every time I pick up a bottle of shampoo or body wash for myself, I add an extra bottle to the cart to donate to the shelter as well.
tip: I’m not necessarily particular about which brands I use for certain products. If I see a decent buy-one-get-one coupon or sale, I almost always choose that item to purchase.
3. Replace your own WANT, with someone else’s NEED. This year, I really want to try to do something similar with non-perishable grocery items. When I take a trip to the grocery market, I exchange one “impulse buy” item from my cart with groceries for the local food pantry for the same cost as the impulse buy.
For example – when walking down the aisle, I add two tubs of hummus to my cart because they are on sale for 2/$5. Do I really need two tubs of premade hummus? No. So I return one, and spend $2.50 on some food pantry items instead.
4. TIME. Don’t forget to look PAST money and, well, stuff, when it comes to giving. You have other valuable resources you can give to those in need. One major one? YOUR TIME. The best thing about giving your time is that there are SO MANY organizations and activities that need help, you are sure to find something you really enjoy doing if you just take a moment to look.
Just a few examples?
My dear friend Julie recently signed up to volunteer in a cooking class after school program.
When I lived in Texas, I joined a volunteer program at a nearby retirement community in which I visited residents who didn’t have family local on their birthdays and special holidays. [I always made a card, and usually brought a cupcake or two
]

If you love furry friends , spend an hour or two helping out at your local animal shelter. [highly suggested if your job/apartment/lifestyle doesn't support committing to a pet of your own!]
That is just the very tip of the ice burg, my friends. A great place to start when wanting to volunteer your time is Volunteer Match! It’s a great website where you can search for volunteer opportunities by location and keyword. [that’s how I got hooked up at the retirement community, by the by!]














