The Easy Way to Support Charity and Give Great Presents
The Easy Way to Support Charity and Give Great Presents
At Christmas time, a lot of people think about how fortunate they are to live where clean water, education, and good health can be taken for granted. Not everyone can say the same, and most would agree that those of us who are the lucky ones should be doing our bit to help those in need.
So, in a year when financial crisis means most people simply cant spend as much on Christmas as they would usually how is it possible to have your usual Christmas, and still have enough left over to give to charity? In this article I will show you seven ways you can save money, and still support those who need it most.
The most obvious way is to support your chosen charity by buying their Christmas cards, instead of the ones you usually buy. The cost may be roughly about the same, but the charity ones will have a donation towards their cause included in the price.
What to get the person who has everything? Well, what about a dolphin, or a tiger, or an endangered species? There are many organizations that let you adopt an animal, which lives in one of their shelters, and your donation helps to cover its living costs. You can contribute the annual donation in the name of the person, and they will receive updates on how their animal is progressing.
Not all the items in charity shops are second hand. For example, Ox fam has a range of gifts made by people in countries they support, who get paid a fair days wage to make these gifts for Ox fam to sell. Other charities also buy gifts wholesale and resell them to the public, imputing the profits back into the charity.
Even amongst the items donated to charity shops, there can be a surprising amount of bits and pieces that can be used as gifts for your friends and family. Look for things like unburned candles, collectibles, books, and antiques, which can serve as a gift alone, or can be added together to create a larger gift.
Retro and vintage clothing can cost at least as much as new in those fancy boutiques but those of you with a good eye for fashion, and the patience to go through a lot of rails of clothes can make great, inexpensive finds that will be loved again. The best shops to find these gems are charity shops near affluent areas. More often than not, people in these types of areas will get rid of barely worn clothes that may only be a season or two old, and donate them to the nearest charity shop.
Go online. EBay, for example, has a lot of various items being sold, with a percentage of the money being donated to charity. There are a lot of celebrities who sell items this way with 100% going to charity, perhaps your friends favorites star is selling something that they would love?
One final tip: The best time to go hunting for charity shop gems is in January when unwanted Christmas gifts are simply just given away.
You may be able to save money by buying smartly at your local charity shop, but dont forget that by supporting charities, you are helping someone less fortunate this Christmas.
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