TWELVE

Photo: who needs the expense of a Christmas tree? Go get your ladder from the garage and get creative! Photo/article can be found here but I first saw it from Little Suitcase's blog here

I got the idea for this blog while humming to the song: 12 Days Of Christmas as I cleaned out my closet (this time was a major overhaul as last times swoop only filled a grocery bag), and filled two trash bags of clothes for good will. It's been a rough year for a lot of people due to the shaky economy, but when the purse strings are tight, there are still many ways to make it a wonderful holiday this year. Here are my 12 ways to better everyone's Christmas for under 12 dollars:


1. PAY IT FORWARD: pay someone's expired parking meter or if you are standing behind someone who is a couple dollars short at the cashier line, sport them a buck or two.

2. RECYCLE/LOVE MOTHER EARTH: You haven't jumped on the recycling band wagon by now? Really? Are you are that lazy? If you don't have a local pick up service for recycling, go to http://earth911.com/ and find out where you can drop your recycling off.

3. BE NICE: it's free! Smile. Be polite. Give a compliment.

4. TIME: donate it. Call your local Habitat for Humanity and sign up for a day of helping out, offer to fix your neighbor's leaky facet, or babysit a friend's child so they can run a couple errands.

5. RAISE AWARENESS: American Behcet's Disease, stop child trafficking, stop blood diamonds ......pick a cause and spread the word! Bob Bowers aka One Tough Pirate is an AIDS activist, youth HIV/AIDS educator and long-term AIDS survivor. Visit his website to learn more about how you can help - http://www.onetoughpirate.com/

6. DONATE: go through your closet once a year and donate the items to good will including shoes, accessories, handbags, and clothes. Round up all your old DVDS that you no longer enjoy watching and donate them to a nursing home or veteran's hospital. Disinfect gently used toys that no longer interest your child and donate to a toy drive. Or go through your pantry and donate dry/canned goods to a local food cupboard.

7. SNAP A PHOTO: it costs a mere 19 cents to develop and you can find oodles of photo frames at thrift stores & consignment shops.

8. SEND LOVE: write a letter to a friend or loved one. Remember when getting something in the mail was exciting?

9. BE YOUR OWN DESIGNER: don't spend 50.00+ on a pair of weathered/distressed jeans for yourself or your teenager. Grab a pair out of your closet and make your own with the use of a pair of scissors and rough sandpaper or a dremel.

10. GET TOGETHER AND SPREAD SOME JOY: Instead of participating in a office gift exchange for the holidays, organize a charity fund raiser such as underroos for the homeless. Purchase a package of undies at your local discount retailer and donate all the packages to a homeless shelter in your area.

11. LOVE YOUR FAMILY'S HEALTH: replace your toxic cleaning products with ones that you make yourself. - http://www.eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_solutions.htm

12. BUY HOMEMADE: Have you seen those adorable wrist warmers (knitted fingerless gloves) at the mall? Go to etsy.com and get ones that were made with love.

I challenge you to make a list of things you can do for your loved ones, strangers, and the earth without breaking the bank this holiday.