5 Reasons to Get Off Your A$$ and Do Something Good this Holiday Season November 13

Filed under Frugal Habits, Twenty-Something Finances by Elizabeth | 0 comments

This time of year we’re bombarded by: “Buy, Buy, Buy” along with “Give, Give, Give”. There is much talk about Black Friday, and many links to Amazon gifts we recommend. Even in the non profit world end of the year appeal letters are being sent by every nonprofit in the universe. And I wholeheartedly encourage you to donate money to these organizations. But, don’t stop there. This year, Take Action.

Here are five reasons why getting off your ass and doing something good this holiday season will help your pocketbook:

  1. When You Feel Better You’ll Spend Less. By volunteering at an organization you’ll feel better about yourself. When you feel better about yourself you’ll spend less money.
  2. Time Spent Helping Others = Time Not Shopping. When you’re volunteering somewhere it means that you can’t be shopping at that point in time.
  3. Seeing Others’ Circumstances Will Help You Remember What’s Important. I’m not telling you that volunteering will make you renounce shopping, but it will help you to remember that the holidays aren’t all about gifting. This time of year is about spending time with friends and family and those you love.
  4. It’s Tax Deductible (sort of). Ok, this one is a little bit of a stretch, but when you volunteer somewhere, various expenses are tax deductible (like transportation to and from the site.) This site details some valuable information about what is tax deductible when volunteering.
  5. When You Volunteer You Don’t Have to Give Money. I like to give money to organizations that I care about, but frankly, there are just too many to go around. So, volunteering is a great way to ease the strain on my pocketbook, and give time instead of dollars.

Giving money is a great thing to do this time of year. But, it’s just as important to give time as it is to shell out those dollars. When you donate your time to an organization those you are helping will benefit, and it will help your wallet.

So, just get off your ass and do something this season. It’s easier than you might think. And far more rewarding.