Comments on: Frugality and Charity

By: Kristin

Kristin — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 19:37:33 +0000

Great post Kelly! I really enjoyed and appreciated you writing on this topic! It is one that does not get a lot of attention, but definitely should. You gave some excellent tips and ideas. You even inspired me to write my latest post on my class blog about a TOMS shoe event on April 16! The event was an easy way to support/raise awareness for a good cause without spending a dime! Thanks again! Kristin´s last blog post..Supporting a Good Cause without Spending a Dime!

By: Heather@TheGreenestDollar

Heather@TheGreenestDollar — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:50:31 +0000

Thanks for addressing this important issue! I really enjoyed this post. My husband and I cancelled our cable, and we donate that amount monthly to our local food bank through automatic withdrawal. We don't miss television one bit, and we're able to help a worthwhile cause instead. Heather@TheGreenestDollar´s last blog post..Solar Power 101

By: Deb

Deb — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:51:23 +0000

Give blood if you’re able to! And if you can spare a little more time — give platelets, which are so important to cancer patients undergoing chemo and radiation, trauma and burn victims, and others who desperately need them. You can donate platelets 24 times a year, about four times as often as you can donate whole blood.

By: Kristy @ Master Your Card

Kristy @ Master Your Card — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 18:52:01 +0000

I could be better about my giving, that's for sure. The credit union I work for has a host of things that they do for charities throughout the year and I try to participate in those. Currently, we're working to save money for the children's hospital. But, when I do donate my time and money, it's usually related to children or animals. I'd like to be able to give more of both my time and money, but I haven't been in a position to do that recently. So, I do what I can. These are great tips, though! Kristy @ Master Your Card´s last blog post..10 Ways to Honeymoon For Less

By: Cynthia in France

Cynthia in France — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 17:45:37 +0000

Having spent my entire life in the nonprofit world and running shelters for homeless women and children, I have strong commitment to charitable giving. I still considerable amounts every year to my favorite nonprofits. However, I know that in another year the income won’t be there to be able to do this so it is good to read Kelly’s suggestions on how to give without having to donate large amounts of money. I have been surprised to see the big difference in charitable traditions between France and the US. Cynthia in France

Cynthia in France´s last blog post..Sainte Christophe Grottos (Caverns)

By: Target-Addict

Target-Addict — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 17:31:03 +0000

I happen to be lucky enough to work for a large company that matches any charitable donation (up to a certain amount – I think it’s $1,000) as long as the charity is in their database. And getting them to add charities is fairly easy; all you need to do is to fill out a form. I’m sure that other large companies do this, so it’s definitely worth it to take the time to see if your company has this policy, because if they do, then you automatically can double your donation.

By: Babaloo

Babaloo — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 17:16:24 +0000

Even though we're on a tight budget we have each chosen one charity that we support regularly, i.e. through a direct debit. This way the money is out of the account at the beginning of each month and that's it. In addition to these two charities we give smaller amounts occasionally to whatever cause seems worthwhile to us. It's important to me to support charities because let's face it, even though we're all feeling the pinch we're still very comfortably off compared to others. Babaloo´s last blog post..Enough of the good stuff

By: Shevy

Shevy — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 08:10:50 +0000

Since giving is a religious requirement for me as an Orthodox Jew and since volunteering time is not an alternative to giving money for us I find it useful to be knowledgeable about what does or doesn’t qualify. Also, it makes more sense to me to give the majority of my tzedakah to a family member or friend or community member who really needs it than to people I don’t know. I say this even though I work for one Jewish non-profit and am on the board of another! Of course I give to both of those as appropriate but I do believe that looking at it as a series of concentric circles and giving more closer to the centre of the “bullseye” is highly appropriate. Really, would you rather help out a friend with cancer who cannot work due to illness or donate to an umbrella agency that splits up the money between a variety of organizations?

I’m sure everyone knows people who are in worse situations than you yourself are. What about helping the family with a premature baby or the one where one parent is in school and the other just got laid off? How about the family where the breadwinner is recovering from an industrial accident or the family whose house went up in flames?

By: AnotherGreatRed

AnotherGreatRed — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 05:40:13 +0000

I’m working on some financial goals like credit debt reduction, accelerating mortgage payments, developing an emergency fund at the moment. However, I believe that my charitable donations (several direct debits that amount to about 5% of my take home per month) can and should be funded by a reduction in my luxuries – ie out of my ‘wants’ money. If I can still afford to spend money on myself, I can still afford my charitable donations. Still working on reducing my spending on silly stuff :] but I’m getting there.

By: Alison@This Wasn't In The Plan

Alison@This Wasn't In The Plan — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 19:33:14 +0000

I remember once when my husband and I wanted to make a large donation following a big natural disaster. We really had no extra room in our budget, so we decided to forgo eating out for a month and donate that money. It wasn't a huge amount, but we found room for it. Alison@This Wasn't In The Plan´s last blog post..I Saved 35% at the Grocery Store!