Save money, but don’t forget to give back

Saving money is a good thing!  After all, it is a big part of what this site is all about.  But don’t forget to give back too.–and there are even ways to give back that won’t directly cost you any money.

Whatever your favorite cause–religious, educational, environmental, health, disaster relief, hunger, poverty, social justice, wildlife, or whatever else is important to you–don’t forget to give your time and money.  It really is true that what you give will give back to you.

There are even some free and easy ways to donate.

You can donate a small amount daily that won’t directly cost you a cent. By clicking on various websites, advertisers on the sites discussed will make a donation to charity.

Go to The Hunger Site (www.thehungersite.com) daily, and be sure to access all of the affiliated sites on Breast Cancer, Child Health, Literacy, Rainforest Preservation, and Animal Rescue.

Also click on the Free Rice site (www.freerice.com), where for each correct answer to a question, sponsors will donate 10 grains of rice through the UN World Food Program to help end hunger.  You may even learn something new.

Another way to give back for free is to volunteer.  Volunteering won’t cost a thing, and you may even be able to take a tax deduction for things like travel and expenses.  You can find opportunities through web sites such as www.idealist.org, www.networkforgood.org, and www.volunteermatch.org.

Finally, there is almost always a need for blood and blood products.  Find a location to donate blood in Northern California at www.helpsavealife.org/NC.  They even sometimes run contests and rewards programs, so you might even win a gift card or something like that for doing something good.

Saving money feels great; giving back feels wonderful.