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Change Your World for $50 or less

Buy a box of groceries for one or two families in need.

Buy health & beauty supplies for a battered women’s shelter (shampoo, tampons, Q-tips, deodorant, etc.).

Buy books for 10 kids (or a library in a poor community) who can't afford books.

Buy diapers for your local day care center.

Buy space heaters for those who can't afford them in the winter.

Pay part of someone's electric bill during the cold winter or hot summer.

Adopt a senior that has no family nearby. Take them for rides, shopping and lunch or a special dinner on their birthday.

Buy smoke alarms or carbon monoxide alarms for 2-3 families. You may save a life.

Commit to mentoring 1 student with the goal of making sure that student graduates from high school.

Buy $50 of fresh fruit and vegetables and donate it to a senior or child day care center.

Adopt a family. Be responsible for presents on holidays and birthdays and special dinners on holiday occasions.

Help a senior or single mother with monthly cleaning chores or home repairs.

Pay toward a dental exam for one needy child.

Commit $50 toward college books for a worthy student.

Round up clothing in your neighborhood and give it to a domestic violence shelter along with $50 to augment supplies.

Buy a car seat and donate it to your local hospital or health department for families who cannot afford proper restraints for their children.

Give $50 worth of general school supplies (paper, crayons, pencils, etc.) to your local school.

Buy $50 worth of coats at your local thrift shop and donate them to a local homeless shelter.

Buy $50 worth of yarn or fabric for local sewing or knitting clubs that make quilts and afghans for those in need.

Buy $50 of paint and painting supplies to cover over graffiti and gang insignia in a downtown neighborhood (get permission first).

Buy $50 worth of pet foods and litter to help animal shelters in need, or contribute to a spay/neuter/vaccination fund for low-income families in need.

Ways to Change Your World For $50/Month

Pick any activity from the above list and repeat it twelve times, or pick any twelve activities and only do them once each.

Dedicate $50 a month to sponsor inner city children for summer camp.

Commit $50 a month toward a needy college tuition fund.

Donate $50 a month to your local United Way. Each local United Way is autonomous. Check with your local United Way to find out how your donations can be leveraged to help greater numbers of your neighbors.

Posted by Cute at 9:40 PM

Labels: economy, financial (non-tax)