30 Day Giving Challenge

While we ought to be giving all year long, this is the time of year where opportunities arise on a regular basis. If you are looking for something to get you in the mind set, I have just the thing for you.

Kingdom First Mom has presented this challenge (via her pastor):

Spend 30 days with a journal in your hand. Try it for the next 30 days and see if I’m not lying. Take a journal and just jot down everything you give. Every time you find yourself being generous, write it down. Every time you feel prompted by God to give something you never would, or why would I buy THAT many cookies… from the Girl Scouts. I don’t know why, God just gave you the prompting to do something special for somebody! Write it down. And then write down on the other side every time something comes back to you. Every time the cycle gets completed. Do it for 30 days, and you’ll never be the same again. You’ll never look at giving the same way again. Jesus invites you in on the “Kingdom Dynamic”. You don’t have to be afraid to give in the Kingdom! I would imagine the anxiety about money- trying to keep it- is a real anxiety. You’ll start to be just utterly amazed at the freedom that comes to you from money… when you start being generous.

So keep in mind -

A: This is a challenge. That means it might be difficult at times and that's ok!!!

B: This is a time to grow and practice doing things that Jesus has called us to do.

I will attempt to give updates on how I have faired in this challenge. These things will include ways that I can reach out to my neighborhood, give to those I work with, and find ways to show my husband he is appreciated. However, it's not limited to just these things! I will attempt to continue to look out for ways I can give big or small.

Will you try this too?? I want to hear about it! You are welcome to comment or send me an email about how God works through you during this month.

What To Do With All That Money You're Saving....

So....now that we are getting GREAT deals and saving so much money.....what's next???

Here are a couple of ways that you can give your time and/or money to others:

#1 My husband wrote a post on his blog of 50 things that you can do to serve others and your community. In addition to that, you will find two more links each with 50 MORE things that you can do. Find these practical and sometimes challenging lists here.

#2 On Sunday we heard a great sermon from Barrett. He talked about how we can reach out to the fatherless. There are quite a few things that you can do, but I am going to highlight Compassion International

You can adopt a child for $32 monthly, $96 quarterly, or $384 yearly. Where does this money go? Here are some direct quotes from the Compassion International pamphlet: *Opportunities for improved health and education, *training to become a productive citizen, *a way out of poverty, *help in connecting with a local church based program where he or she will feel loved, valued, and protected.

This organization has been operating for over 50 years and conduct independent finanical audits each year. This is your chance to help out a child in over 24 countries for a price for tank or two of gas!

Remember to Give

Kelly G. sent me this article from The Thrifty Mama. It's a great reminder on giving, so I encourage you to check it out!

And in the same spirit, Coupon Club mentioned Community Action Partnership which helps people who are having difficulty with paying their utilities. If you know someone who is struggling in this area, this organization can help based on income.

Gifts in January

Yes, I am already talking about gifts again, even though we just had Christmas. But if you like getting organized, you might want to hold on to these ideas for birthdays, anniversaries, or even Valentine's Day, which is coming up verrry soon.

So...below check out some clearanced items you may find in January as well as a few gifts that are only $10 and under (for those picky types :)...

January Sales:

• wrapping paper (check for plain colors so that you can use it all year long)
• ornaments and other Christmas decor
• lights (white lights are great for decorating for any party or just around the house)
• cookie tins
• candy
• some dish towels and placemats
• pajamas
• slippers
• robes
• coats
• winter boots

Gifts Under $10
These ideas are not meant to be CHEAP but CREATIVE. Consider your receiver when choosing a $10 gift.

• Homemade breads, cookies, or other dishes with recipe included
• Fill up a small basket of fruits, cookies, or some of that candy on sale after Christmas
• A coffee cup with a bag of coffee inside
• For a personal touch: A child's art work framed
• A makeup tote (fill it up with those great sales/rebates you find on makeup or lotions)
• Jelly with biscuit mix (it's all about the presentation)
• A boardgame or puzzles
• Nail polish with accompanying tools
• Cute slippers
• One pair of expensive socks ($10 socks have to be good)
• Good soap or body wash with a loofah
• A sewing kit
• Small clock or radio
• Baking pans with a bag of cookies and/or handwritten recipes
• Muffin mix with pan
• Movie theater gift certificates
• Pancake mix with some specialty syrup (or some that you made)
• Locally made sauces with basting brush or other kitchen tools
• Magazines, chocolate bars, or cookie mixes tied together with a bow
• A garden tool with seeds
• A journal with a special inscription inside
• Teacup with samples of tea inside
• Deck of cards and book of card game rules
• Cocoa mix in a pretty jar or mug
• Nice pens and stationary

Do you have any additional ideas? Leave a comment and share!

Coupon Club, Part 3

Thanks to Charley, Kelly, Jenny, and Brittany for coming out to the coupon club this afternoon. Lots of coupons and ideas were traded. Thanks Brittany for joining us for the first time, we hope you weren't too overwhelmed (don't worry you will get the hang of it)!

This month the club highlighted The Lighthouse Ministries. Here is their mission statement:

The Lighthouse Ministries, Inc. is a non-profit corporation serving men, women, and children of Kentucky with a three-fold ministry designed to meet the practical and spiritual needs of those in crisis situations, resulting in “changed lives for a lifetime”.

Above you see a picture of some of the items (thanks Kelly G.!) we will be able to donate to this life changing organization. Click on the link to find to find out how you can help with The Lighthouse House Ministries.

Blog Action Day Giveaway

Remember the post from Blog Action Day? Well, now they are giving away 300 copies of the exciting new book, CauseWired: Plugging In, Getting Involved, Changing the World!

Here is the information they sent me on the book and how to get a copy:

In CauseWired, Tom Watson chronicles the exciting and eventful history of online social activism, right up to the election of Barack obama. And thanks to Kiva B4B, 300 of our US-Based Blog Action Day bloggers can receive a free copy of this important book!

Interested? Just send an email to BlogActionDay@KivaB4B.org with your name, blog and shipping address, and the folks at KivaB4B will follow up. CauseWired is a must read for anyone interested in this space, so we hope not only will you enjoy it but it will help inspire many new online social campaigns!

Also, be sure and check out the Kiva website for all the great things they are doing for people and how you can get involved!

Coupon Club - Save the Date!

I wanted to announce the second meeting for the Coupon Club will be Sunday, November 9th @ 2:00 p.m. So please mark your calenders and bring all your friends! And a special thanks to Kelly, Keldy, and Ginger who have had some great ideas to add to our meetings. Keep reading and find out below!

Suggestions on what to bring:

• coupons (Bring your own and ones that you want to give away)
• laptop (They are helpful to quickly look up deals, coupons, or if you are just learning the ropes)
• scissors
• snacks
• donation items
• Education box tops
• Yo Plait pink lids
• Campbell Soup Labels
• friends

What are we going to do??

• Cut and file our coupons together
• Coupon swap
• Share good deals found in the past month and those to come
• If you are new to the coupon game, we will show the ropes on the best websites, coupon tricks, and drugstore deals.
• Hand over your Education box tops, Yo Plait pink lids, and Campbell Soup Labels to Ginger. They are for a good cause!

We have had quite a few requests to come up with places to donate because we have a mighty overflow of products that need a good home. Each month lets choose a different location in which to donate items.

As you probably already know, stores and product companies often target parents. Because of this, it's pretty easy to find really great deals on medicines, shampoos, toothbrushes, lotions, etc. for children. Keldy has suggested we make baskets and/or bags specifically for children. So we are going to work through Samaritan's Purse, Operation Christmas Child! Click here to find out which items to bring for donation.

If you are interested in joining us, just leave me a comment with your contact information and I will fill you in on the location and any other questions you may have!

Blog Action Day

Today 1000's of bloggers are spreading the news of poverty in this world. I want to leave some links that you can check out for education on this topic as well as ways that you can help.

www.blogaction.org
www.dealseekingmom.com
www.freerice.com
www.globalissues.org

If you have any additional resources concerning this topic please post a comment or email me at rmbronson@gmail.com