Salvation Army
Help for Haiti: One Comment = One Donation
I must say, I have been absolutely blown away by the selfless outpouring of support for the people of Haiti. This kind of overwhelming crisis really makes you step back, even in the midst of our own economic struggles, and realize how much we truly have when the Haitians have so little.
There are many ways to help, and even if you are struggling financially, you can donate simply by leaving comments on frugal blogs. Below is a list of ten blogs (though many more are doing the same) that are making donations based on the number of comments they receive. I hope you will visit them to show your support.
- Bargain Briana: Leave a comment by end of day today (1/15) and Briana will donate $.25 for every comment (up to $500) to Food for the Poor.
- Common Sense with Money: Leave a comment and Mercedes will donate $1 for every one (up to $500) to the American Red Cross.
- Coupon Geek: Leave a comment or post a link by Thursday (1/21) and Jaycie will donate $.50 for each (up to $500) to the Salvation Army Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund.
- The Happy Housewife: Leave a comment or a blog post link and Toni will donate $1 for each one (up to $500) to the Earthquake Disaster Relief Fund within Sovereign Grace Ministries.
- Mommy Snacks: Leave a comment or a blog post link and Andrea will donate $1 for each one (up to $500) to relief efforts, split betweenSamaritan’s Purse and World Vision.
- Money Saving Mom: Leave a comment sharing what you have done to help those in Haiti by Thursday (1/21) and Crystal will donate $.30 for each one to Numana.
- Mrs. Moneysaver: Leave a comment or a blog post link by end of day on Thursday (1/21) and Dana will give $5 for each one (up to $350) to Compassion International.
- Saving with Shellie: Leave a comment or a blog post link by end of day today (1/15) and Shellie will donate $2 for each one to relief efforts, evenly split between Compassion International and the American Red Cross.
- Surviving the Stores: Leave a comment or a link to a blog post on what you are doing to help the Haitians and Rachel will donate $2 for each one (up to $500) to Compassion International.
- Thrifty NW Mom: Leave a comment by end of day on Monday (1/18) and Jen will donate $.50 for every comment (up to $200) to World Vision.
I’m jumping on this incredibly important bandwagon as well. I will donate $1 for every comment or blog post link left by end of day on Monday (up to $500) sharing how you personally are helping with Haiti relief efforts, whether it’s by sending a donation by text message (text HAITI to 90999 to donate $10), working with your church or going through your stockpile to donate much-needed supplies to those in Haiti. I plan to make my donation to Save the Children.
Thank you so much for taking the time to participate. Please keep the people of Haiti in your thoughts and prayers.
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Weekly Roundup – Moving Edition
We are in the midst of the dreaded packing, sorting, selling, tossing phases of moving. Nothing reminds you of just how much stuff you have like the process of packing and moving. Fortunately, we don’t have far to go, so we have looked upon the move as a positive opportunity to simplify our household by clearing it of clutter.
Just yesterday we rounded up all our old clothes, jackets, etc. that we no longer wear and plan to give them away to shelters, and other charitable organizations in our area that may need them (there is particularly high demand in the winter months). I’d encourage you to go through your closets and find an old jacket, or set of blankets that you no longer use, and find someone who could use them. A good place to start is with churches, missions, shelters, and organizations such as The Red Cross and Salvation Army.
The Frugal Roundup
The Argument Against Frugality. Not on the frugality bandwagon yet? These reasons for not being frugal may change your mind. (@The Sun’s Financial Diary)
100 Goals. I came across this site the other week and thought it was pretty cool. It chronicles a guys attempt to complete 100 goals he has for his life. Check it out! (@Hundred Goals)
“What Works For You” Can Be a Trap. The personal finance theory of “do what works for you” comes into question. (@Consumerism Commentary)
Ditch Productivity For A Day: 12 Great Sites To Kill Time & Have Fun. Sometimes it’s OK to sit down and unwind. (@Dumb Little Man)
Avoid a Financial Holiday Hangover This Year. Great steps for avoiding the dreaded holiday credit card bills in January. (@Generation X Finance)
Best of the Rest
- How Working Overseas Helps Your Career
- How One Homeless Person Lives: Coping With Homelessness
- Adventures in Dallas (How We Saved Money There)
- Why Canadians Don’t Redeem Coupons
- Year End Tax Tips 2009
- Understanding Health Savings Accounts
- Choose Your Words Carefully… You May Have to Eat Them
- Survive a Financial Crisis: 12 Tips For Married Couples
Post by Frugal Dad
Saving Money while Raising Children
I know many people have kids and like to find ideas for saving money, and since I don’t have children I have turned to one person I know who has some history with raising 3 kids…I would like to introduce Linda (my mother) and her ideas and tips she learned raising us kids.
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When we were first married and expecting our first child, I bought a portable sewing machine, which I used to make simple things like cafe’ curtains (with straight lines) and maternity clothes (didn’t need to be perfectly fitted). If a person is good at sewing (I wasn’t), this would be a good way to save money on clothes, curtains, upholstery, gifts, or household decorations, depending on the level of competency; or if you can take sewing, tailoring or upholstering classes. Some expectant mom’s make receiving blankets, quilts, changing pads and burp pads, and even cloth diapers, as well as baby clothes.
Although my grandmother purchased the first crib we had, I acquired most other baby equipment (bedding, strollers, car seat, infant seat, buggy, diapers) from garage sales or classified ads. It was more my style to go to garage sales, not only for bargains, but for an outing. As well as baby and kids’ clothes, I would look for good quality household goods and appliances, toys and furniture. I would clean up and sterilize anything that I felt needed it. I would also shop at Goodwill, Salvation Army and consignment stores for things, including clothes for myself.
One time I bought some exceptionally good quality baby clothes from a woman who had only one son who was about a year older than our son. After making an initial purchase from her, I would contact her whenever I needed a certain size or type of clothing. Because they were both a little “chunky”, I was able to have a good resource for clothing for my son, until we moved away from that town. So, if you find a garage sale or someone selling clothing that has kids a little older than yours, it’s a possible resource for ongoing purchases.
Except for one car that we bought new in 1970, which we paid off in less than the allotted time, we have bought only good, used, pre-owned cars….usually from individual owners who kept good maintenance records, rather than from dealers. When we bought from a dealer, it was usually one we knew and trusted to give us a fair deal.
For a few years, we didn’t have a TV in the house (and have never had cable). Besides allowing us to use our imaginations for entertainment, it cut down on many of the things we thought we “had to have”, from constant exposure to commercials.
For entertainment, the kids and I would make frequent trips to the library & participate in reading programs and bring home books and videos. I watched the newspaper and listened to the radio for announcements of free activities for kids to participate in at the mall or elsewhere. The kids took part in the local Parks & Recreation Dept. sports, Red Cross swimming lessons and drama programs, rather than participating in more expensive leagues or belonging to country clubs. My husband doesn’t golf, so we haven’t had THAT expense, either.
Vacations were usually to the grandparents’ or aunts’ & uncles’ homes. Sometimes we took our tent on a camping trip, but that wasn’t a big favorite of ours. Some families love to go camping and fishing, though, which can provide some less expensive quality time together. A nearby Sears store would sometimes have refrigerator or washer boxes that we could take home for the kids to play with. We would pick up “grownup clothes” or “fancy” clothes, from garage sales, which the kids used for putting on plays or playing “pretend”.
We didn’t have pets very often, as they can be expensive to maintain, with medical concerns as well as food and grooming supplies, and any damage the pet might do to a neighbor’s property. However, they can serve a good purpose in teaching responsibility to kids, as well as providing companionship.
I exchanged babysitting with a friend, so each of us could get out to do some volunteer work, shopping, going to appointments or working a few part-time hours. This gave the kids some social time together, and we moms would sometimes combine our leftovers for impromptu lunches or make lunches for each other that we both enjoyed but the husbands didn’t care for. It kept us from always taking the kids to McDonald’s.
I clipped coupons for food, health & beauty products, cleaning products, restaurants or 2 for 1 admission to entertainment places. I would stock up on things that we used frequently, when there was a good sale; especially if I also had a coupon for it! We had hair cuts done at the local school of cosmetology, although hubby preferred the barber.
We only bought a small amount of soda pop, which we saved to have when we fixed homemade pizza on Friday or Saturday nights, instead of ordering delivery pizza. We would eat out once every couple weeks, but usually only at places where I had coupons.
Because we lived in a college town, many people would move out of apartments, Greek houses and dormitories at the end of semesters, discarding assorted items at the curbside. Sometimes we would find decent-looking furniture or a mattress that we would take home for a tumbling mat. Departing international students would also advertise household furnishings and cars for sale, so some good “deals” could often be found that way.
I don’t do gardening, but some people like to grow their own food to freeze or can. I’ve read that it’s sometimes a wash, as far as saving any money by having a garden, and sometimes commercially frozen vegetables are fresher than home-grown, if the home-grown ones aren’t tended to immediately after picking, but if you’ve made an initial outlay for canning equipment or already have a freezer, you can try it and see what you think.
Flowers planted in the yard can be used as gifts for friends’ birthdays or for people in the hospital. Since I don’t have a flower garden, I take my own vases, that I’ve received flowers in or have bought inexpensively at garage sales or Salvation Army stores, and have flowers arranged in them by the florist. I don’t know if all florists will do that, but it’s a lot less expensive, since you aren’t purchasing a vase at retail price, too.
I still look for programs at libraries, community colleges and medical centers that have free talks and discussions on finances, investing, travel or health topics of interest to me.
