It’s another day on our quest to get out of debt, Money Saving Lords and Ladies. Everyday’s an adventure on this journey. You might need to spend some time eliminating trolls and finding suitable traveling companions. You definitely need to map out your journey and choose your weapons. And you’ll need to show kindness intentionally to others, too.
Day 26: Practice Generosity
Probably one of my biggest hesitations of beginning our journey to becoming debt free was the limited amount we would have available to give to others.
But as I began to really think about it, giving when you have credit card debt is like charging that gift. Follow? If you have to use your credit card to pay other bills, groceries, or anything at all, then your gift isn’t really a gift. It’s penalizing your ability to be truly generous, not to mention the fact that the guilt/anxiety that you gain from piling on debt does not really make giving a pleasant experience.
All of that being said, if you’re going to get out of debt, I believe practicing generosity is key to your success?
- Gift Card Giver is an awesome organization that takes that leftover $0.87 you have on a random gift card. 1 in 4 Americans has unused gift card credit in their wallet or purse. 10% of Gift Cards are never used. Donate yours to make a difference.
- Souls4Soles gives humanity to those hurting all over the world through a simple pair of shoes. 350 million pairs of shoes in America go to landfills every year. 300 million children worldwide do not own one pair of shoes. Find places to donate gently used shoes of all varieties, shapes, and sizes here. Or host your own shoe drive! They’ve just started Clothes4Souls, too.
- Blood:Water Mission works with the world water problem and HIV Aids relief. $1 gives an African Clean Drinking water for a year. Scrape together your pennies and change the world.
- Clean out your cabinets and send a care package to a college student! Your odds and ends = a gourmet dinner for a college student.
- Donate gently used lap blankets, coats, gloves, and scarves to a local nursing home. They often need them to take residents to and from doctor’s appointments.
- Give your time to a local school to help those who are struggling.
- Volunteer somewhere that feeds the hungry. My goal is to go here this year and serve at least once.
- Coupon your way to free food pantry donations!
- If your car dies, here’s the absolute best way to donate it.
The more you give, the more you realize you have. The more you give, the happier your heart. You don’t have to Bill Gates to make a difference in the world. In your cabinets, your closet, your heart, you possess many gifts and blessings. Generosity should be a way of life, no matter how much or how little you have.
How have you found ways to be generous with very little or while getting out of debt?
