Three ways to feel good about the gift of giving

With less than a month until Christmas, I thought it would be the perfect time to share my thoughts on 3 ways that you can feel good about giving this time of year.

 As we approach the end of the year it’s all about planning and purchasing Christmas gifts for our family and friends.  It is easy to go overboard showing our appreciation for the loved ones in our lives.  We have mixed things up a bit over the years, one year we did a no present year and all of the family went on a holiday together instead (which was fabulous, saved so much time), another year I did the 4 presents per person, Want, Need, Wear, Read (which I quickly worked out was way too hard to do on my budget so only did that the one year!).   

Though it is good to mix things up, there is one consistent thing that I do every year to keep myself on track – that is to sit down and work out my gift spending plan.  I allocate an amount to each person for each occasion throughout the year and put money aside out of each pay to fund these.  I find that this helps me enjoy the gift of giving, rather than worrying about the financial side of things. 

Whilst Christmas shopping for all those on my gift spending plan, I often find myself thinking of those that aren’t as fortunate - those who can’t afford to give or receive gifts.  Another way we like to give is through donations.  From early on, we made it a ritual in our house that whenever we are spoiled with gifts, it is time to donate some older toys or games that our boys no longer use or will no longer use due to the new toys/games.   Part of this was through the need to minimise things as we lived in a small house, but the other part of this was to teach our boys the joy of giving.  We collate the items, drive to the donation point, and say something along the line of - bye toys, have fun with some other children!  The boys often talk about who will end up with their toys and how much fun they will have living with other children.

Finally, as the year comes to an end, it is also the time we start to consider which charity we will donate to in the new year, and how much we will donate.  For me, I like to donate to a cause that has personal meaning.  I find it more rewarding contributing to an organisation that has touched me in some way, be that big or small.  The bonus to this is that donations to registered charities are tax deductible so you give and get back too. 

Danielle Bowerman