The Chronic Consumer

I know that the economy sucks right now and no one has any extra money to spend. But a lot of great, worthwhile organizations are suffering from a drastic lack of donations these days, so I wanted to take the time to remind you not to forget about your favorite charities.

Yes, it’s hard to scrape together extra cash. I’m not saying you should go out and make a bunch of outright donations if you can’t afford it. Instead, why not buy something useful from the charity’s online store? If you need some new clothes, check to see if the organization you want to support has t-shirts, sweatshirts, or jackets for sale. Ditto with new coffee mugs, pens, pencils, calendars, water bottles, or keychains. You’ll be getting items you love, while still giving a charity some much-needed funds.

How can you come up with extra money? I don’t know… Use coupons when you go grocery shopping, vow to save an extra 10% of your budget this month, shop around for a lower car insurance quote, cancel a few subscriptions to magazines that you don’t need. There’s always a way!

Whether you love to support children’s charities or ones that help animals, promote religion, or protect the environment, don’t let those important causes die out in this economic crisis. Do what you can to help them!