How to Use Your Holiday Budget to Make the Biggest Impact
The average American will spend approximately $650 on gifts this year.
Which, according to the National Retail Federation, will total more than $465 billion during this holiday season.
That’s a lot of money, and it’s a lot of opportunities to impact lives.
Regardless of whether we spend $700 or $70, what if we could make our holiday budget even more impactful this year? What if we used our money to change lives? Now is the time to consider this before the rush of holiday shopping.
Here are 5 ways to spend with purpose this coming holiday season:..
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1. Use AmazonSmile
If you choose to do your Christmas shopping on Amazon this year, remember that AmazonSmile donates .5% (or more!) of your eligible purchases to the charity of your choice. And it doesn’t cost you anything. All you do is start by going to smile.amazon.com and choosing your charity, and Amazon will donate the money.
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2. Buy directly from an artisan.
Social conscious organizations like Noonday (and others!) create dignified jobs that ultimate support family preservation. So you can buy beautiful gifts and support a family here or around the world who is working hard to stay together. If not directly from an artisan, you can purchase with purpose on sites like simpleswitch.org which contributes a portion of every sale to global development projects. (And they sell Gobena Coffee!).
3. Adopt a family.
Why not use some (or all) of your budget to bless another family? Julie Brown James recently shared on our Facebook page—
“After we became adults and had families of our own, my brothers and sisters-in-law stopped giving each other gifts, and instead we adopt a family in need and spend the money on providing for them. We get our kids involved and look for ways beyond the gifts to minister to the family also. Some are just having a particularly hard year and some are grandparents raising their grandchildren on the smallest of budgets. Whatever the situation, it’s always a blessing to be able to help fill the gap.“.
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4. Open your home.
Nobody is lonelier during the holiday season than people who can’t be with family. One of the greatest gifts you can give at Christmas is being present with people who are alone. Invite an adult in your community to spend the holidays with your family, or check with your local foster care agency to see if anything is being done to celebrate with kids in care. Sometimes foster care agencies work with people to host a holiday party.
Welcoming others will be memorable for them and for you.
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5. Sponsor a child.
Many children around the world live without having their most basic needs met on daily basis. While it’s great to send these kids a gift at Christmas, it’s even better to give them the gift of a brighter future. For many children, sponsorship is a path out of poverty and a personal introduction to the Gospel. What could be better? Consider choosing a child that your whole family can sponsor and pray for this coming year!
Let’s work to make this Christmas season impactful, even after the gifts have been unwrapped!
HELP ORPHANS BECOME SONS & DAUGHTERS.
