Even in Tough Times – 7 Ways to Give

Giving is powerful, and it’s contagious. One the most rewarding aspects of personal finance, is the ability to give back. However, we’re all in different financial situations and not everyone can give back financially. Maybe this year, times were tough for you and giving back was tough. Maybe, like my self, you were working towards getting out of debt and that was your primary priority. Despite our goals and tough financial times, we should not disregard the people in need. There are alternative ways to give back, most of which don’t involve parting away with your money.

I wanted to take the time and write a post on ways of giving back, even when you’re in a tight financial pickle, you can still give. Below are five simple ways of giving, without opening up your wallet:

Start a Clothing or Food Drive:

Organizing a food or clothing drive is a simple way to give to those in need. The beautiful part of organizing a food or clothing drive is that you are not alone. Reaching out to others within your network is an excellent way to reach you food or clothing drive goal. Others are more than willing to help out, it just takes that one person (your self in this case) to get the ball rolling.

I did a Thanksgiving food-drive earlier this year. It was a great success. I was able to donate well over 200 lbs of food to my local food bank. However, I wouldn’t have been able to attain my goal without the help from others.

This food drive was the first ever for me. The whole experience was rewarding and eye opening. So, I decided to do another Holiday Season food drive. More on that in a future post.

Donate Your Body:

There is always a need for more blood. It’s in us to give. You can also donate your bone marrow stem cells and plasma. This type of giving has infinite value attached to it. You are possibly saving a life or the lives of multiple people.  If you’ve thought about donating blood, click here on Canadian Blood Service website for a more information and the location of the clinics nearest to you.

Become a Life Mentor:

You can do this by becoming a Big Brother or Big Sister . I’ve always had the desire to do this, unfortunately my life just doesn’t allow for it at the present time. By becoming a life mentor, you are helping someone in need grow, tackle life obstacles and see them grow up through time.

Donate Your Old Clothing:

This is something that can be done by everyone. I’m certain that, if we glance into our closets, we have clothing that we haven’t worn in months. So, what good is it sitting there? It’s just collecting dust. Instead of your clothing collecting dust, donate it to someone who will actually wear it.

Clean Out Your Cupboards:

Maybe you don’t want to take on the responsibility of organizing a food drive. And, that’s totally fine, we’re all busy. However, you can still donate food to your local food bank.

Volunteer:

Volunteering does not involve opening up your wallet. The only thing it involves is your time. You can volunteer at your local food bank or soup kitchen. It’s rewarding beyond what words can describe.

If you are passionate about something, such as golfing or if you’re a runner, you can help out locally during Marathon’s in your local city. If you enjoy golfing, visit some of your local golf courses, there are charity golf tournaments always on the go, that require volunteers. It’s a great way to help out with something you’re passionate about and even do some networking.

Donate Your Spare Change:

If you’re walking in the city and you run into a homeless or street person, give the homeless some of your spare change. Giving back in any form is the simplest act of human kindness. It does not matter, what they do with the money, what matters is that you put a smile one someone’s face.

Despite tough economic times, we should always find a way to give something back. Almost all of the above suggestions do not involve opening up your wallet to give back.

Give back unselfishly to those less fortunate. Your generosity will always find its way back to you in some form. After all, giving is pretty contagious.

Are there other ways do you contribute to those in need, without draining your budget?

Eddie