Holiday Gift Giving Guide: Part IV

Charitable Giving

This is the time of year where charitable organizations seem to be going into overdrive trying to meet the needs of the people they serve. I urge everyone to step up this holiday season to give back to their communities. There are many ways to give back this holiday season. Don't have a lot of spare cash? You can give back without breaking the bank.

1)Remember that charitable donations can be used as tax deductions.

2)You can give the gift of your time rather than a monetary donation.

3)No time to shop and to lazy to write a check? Give a few dollars at the grocery store checkout. Many organizations team up with grocery stores or other chain retailers so customers can donate at the checkout.

4)Ask for people to give gifts or donations to your favorite charity.

5)When you find great deals in the stores, buy extra and give to local shelters or put bargain toys in the Toys for Tots boxes. If you are a freebie junkie and like to sign up for freebies online, donate your freebies to families in need. If you earn free gift cards or checks from online survey sites or sites that reward you for shopping online, pass on your good fortune to those in need.

6)Clean out your pantry and give to a local food bank. I always buy extra of everything around the holidays (since everything is on sale). Donate extra cans to local shelters. You can always get together with some friends or neighbors and do a food drive amongst yourselves and then have a volunteer deliver the food to a local shelter. If you are having a holiday party, have everyone bring a can of food to donate. A list of local food banks in your area can be found at feedingamerica.org.

7)Clean out toy clutter. Have your children choose several toys that they no longer play with and donate them to a local program that serves children (ie. churches, day cares, or after-school programs). NOTE: Before giving away toys, make sure they have not been recalled by checking the U.S. Consumer Product and Safety Commission's website.

8)No extra cash to spare? Consider donating your unused computer cycles to worthy scientific research such as fighting cancer or climate prediction. All you have to do is install a computer program on your PC. Urge others to do the same. Check out PCWorld or DistributedComputing.com for more information. I was first introduced to this idea in the fictional book Storm Cycle by Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen.

9)Give your extra change to the Salvation Army. The familiar holiday bell ringers with the red kettle are a familiar holiday sight. Now instead of just taking spare change, some also take credit cards. No more excuses at the door, folks.

10)"Gifts That Give" are gaining in popularity such as Kohl's Cares For Kids merchandise. I bought three of the books (from the If You Give a Cat a Cupcake series) and the stuffed moose that they are selling this holiday season for Christmas presents. They were only $5 each and 100% of the net profits go towards children's health and education programs across the country. Since 2000, they have raised over $126 million dollars, a staggering amount. Note: Kohl's coupons can not be used on this merchandise.

11)If you are interested in giving to your local community but don't know where to begin you can start by finding local organizations close to you by visiting JustGive.org and entering your zip code. You can also check out your local newspaper during the holiday season. Our local newspaper published a booklet of local nonprofit organizations and what donations they could use for the holidays, a wish list of sorts.

My husband and I plan on starting a fund next year where we put away about $75 a month. After Thanksgiving, we plan to decide as a family where the money will go. This way our daughters learn about saving and about giving back. It is our way of giving back, especially since we know what is like to be on the receiving end of the compassion and generosity of strangers. Back in 2008 our then 4-month old had to have heart surgery. The day we found out about her heart defect, we were on our way to the nearest children's hospital. Our liaison at the hospital put us in touch with the Ronald McDonald House. The Ronald McDonald House has had a special place in our hearts ever since.

Our favorite charities:
Ronald McDonald House
Toys for Tots
Children's Miracle Network (our nearest children's hospital benefits from their generosity)

Have a giving and blessed holiday!

Guide to Holiday Gift Giving: Part II

-->DIY Inspired Gift Giving
Keep in mind that it is about the quality rather than the quantity of gift giving. It's the thought and the love that is put in to a gift and not about the money spent. Some of my most treasured gifts have been those that have been handmade because those gifts are the ones that come with a story attached. It is these gifts that have evoked emotions in me and therefore when I think of them, see them, or use them, they make me feel something. Usually they make me feel cherished because someone cared enough about me to take the time to craft something just for me.

1) If your a savvy sewer, knitter, or crocheter you can create quilts, pillows, dolls, needlepoint,
scarves, and hats.
2) You don't have to be skilled in the kitchen to create cookie mixes, soup mixes, jarred jams,
butters, breads, and oils. Put them in pretty tins or jars that can be picked up cheaply at
dollar stores.
3) Create your own homemade soaps or lotions.
4) Research your family tree or compile an oral history of your grandparents or great-grandparents lives. I compiled my grandparents' stories about their lives and had them bound at Staples. In the back I added PA Dutch recipes since my grandparents are Dutch.

5) Write something for someone (write and illustrate a book or frame a poem for your loved
ones).
6) Write a song and record it or burn it onto a CD or burn a CD with a friend or relative's
favorite music.
7) Offer to be someone's personal servant for a day (especially if your handy around the house
or an organizer junky).
8) IOUs or coupon books can be personalized by you.
9) Use a photo album with magnetic pages to organize clipped recipes or recipe cards and
present it as a gift.
10) Create a scrapbook with premade pages (made by you) to which the recipient only needs to
add pics.

11) Do something fun (a family outing or vacation).

Guide to Holiday Gift Giving: Part I

Holiday Gift Giving Tips for the Recession Conscious

1) Stick with a budget. It is not worth having to pay off your debt from the holidays for the next six months.

2) Only buy presents for the kids in your extended family.

3) Play Secret Santa (choose names and only buy for one family member).

4) Only do an ornament exchange (we do this with my husband's family along with the Secret Santa).

5) Give to charity instead.

6) Buy gift wrap after the holidays for the next year, save gift bags to reuse, or use a gift as a gift bag. Last year I bought my sister a backpack and filled it with school supplies and put it in a cellophane gift basket bag (that I had recycled) with a big bow on it instead of wrapping everything individually.

7) Use coupons and shop sales or shop online (to save gas). Use Upromise or Ebates when shopping online retailers. Upromise will give you a percentage back when purchasing from participating online retailers and the money can go into your child's 529 college account. Ebates will give you a percentage back (up to 25%) in the form of a quarterly check. Both of these programs are free.

8) If your relatives live far away and you are shopping online, have the gift sent directly to them.

9) Give the gift of time. Many organizations are always in need of volunteers.

10) Start a savings plan at the beginning of the new year, even if it is only a few bucks a week that you can spare. Some banks offer Christmas Club accounts. This way you don't get swept away with holiday stress over how to pay for "the merriest time of the year".

11) I know this is taboo but regifting is always an option (but you didn't hear it from me).

12) I found a good deal on one item this year and bought several for various people on my Christmas list. It's okay to buy the same thing for several people.

13) If you do have a long list of people to buy for, keep a list throughout the year of things these people mention wanting. As the holidays, approach keep an eye out for a good deal on those particular items.