Clean Up Your Act

Pretty much every establishment you go to that serves food or snacks comes complete with a cleaning crew.  If you ever worked in the food and beverage retail industry, you know that cleanup is one of the least favorite chores of our teenage years.

When you venture out, why not make it a little easier on the kids (as if they don’t have it easy enough, right)?  But seriously, those little Acts of Good Stuff really do add up.  So when you go to the movies, take your popcorn and nacho trash with you and use the receptacle in the lobby of the theatre.  The next Kid’s Meal you treat your youngin’ to… take the time to clean up your mess.

Yeah, there’s an employee who is paid to do that, but why not make his shift just a little bit easier… just cuz.

Eat Some Baba Ganoush

We become so accustomed to what we know. Especially when it comes to the food we eat.

In the wintertime, one of my favorite lunches is a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of tomato soup. I think it’s my most favorite comfort food meal.

However, why not try something new? Open your life to foods that you have never heard of. Chances are, you’ll find something you never realized was so tasty!

Opening yourself to new cultures can be very fun. If you know someone at work or your local place of worship that is from another country, pull them aside and tell them you’d love to experiment with some non-traditional and non-American (or Americanized) food, and was wondering if they would like to come to your home and you could make their traditional dinner together!

Just cuz…

Feed Some More, Chicago & Twin Cities

If you’re in the Twin Cities (Minnesota) or Chicago (Illinois) area, please check out Feed My Starving Children (www.fmsc.org). A couple of friends and I are getting together to put together food packets for kids.

The site states:

Feed My Starving Children’s volunteer program offers groups of all kinds the opportunity to work together in a positive, team-focused environment. Some of the groups who make FMSC an integral part of their service programs include schools, churches & synagogues, and corporations.

If you’re not in the Twin Cities or Chicago area, check your local listings and do something for the hungry kids… just cuz.

Please Do Feed The Animals

Thousands of cats, dogs, and other companion animals are abandoned every day. The Humane Society and other shelters are overcrowded and underfunded, and unfortunately, many of these animals die every day because of overpopulation.

The next time you’re doing your grocery shopping, and you’re picking up some kibble for your dog, or some crunchy cat food for your feline, consider purchasing an extra bag (or two) and make a stop at the nearest humane society or shelter (preferably a no-kill shelter) and give a cat or dog a chance.

Check your local listings for the shelters or Humane Society nearest you. If you’re capable, make a donation, just cuz.

Bring Some Extra Grub

Gotta love those big dinners.

It’s also nice to have all those leftovers in order to bring your own lunch to work the following day.

Why not show your coworkers how good a cook you are by bringing enough to feed someone else? You never know when you will be the one that is going without a meal.

So offer up some of your grub… just cuz.

Start A Shopping “Club”

This one blurrs the “Do Good Stuff” with “Do Green Stuff.”

I may be one of the few people who actually enjoy grocery shopping. Well, maybe it’s not so surprising, seeing as I need to lose some major weight.

In any case, I have started to share my bi-weekly grocery shopping with a friend of mine. It turns out, this is quite a money saver, not to mention cutting down the amount of gasoline consumed by making two separate shopping trips.

My friend and I both clip coupons, whether it is for a product we use, or not. She will almost always have a couple that I can use, and vice versa.

In addition, we sometimes purchase bulk items and then split them. Not only does this save us a nice chunk of change, but we end up with less wasteful packaging!

So ask a neighbor, or even two, if they want to share the ride during your shopping excursions. It’s a great way to catch up on each other’s lives, save money, and save energy… just cuz.

Play With Strangers

If you work in an office environment, there may be many people who work in your office that you know little or nothing about. I know that where I work, there are four floors housing more than fifteen departments, most of which are alien to me – both the departments and the people.

In our bubbles (be it our office or cubicle), we tend to shelter ourselves from others – I mean, face it… we have our jobs to do! But how about, if during one of our morning or afternoon breaks, or even at lunch, we make it a point – perhaps just once a month – to reach out to someone we don’t know.

Next time, instead of eating your lunch at your desk while you Google your high school sweetheart you haven’t seen in twenty years, make your way to your office’s cafeteria or break room and strike up a conversation with someone you may have seen, but don’t know.

Better yet, pencil into your calendar one day a month that you leave the office for that lunch period, and invite a co-worker to go somewhere for lunch.

You may be making a new best friend, and you’re doing it just cuz.

Write A Letter (Part 1)

When a person feels they’ve been slighted or treated poorly, most of the time they will say something, either to the person who slighted them, or the owner of the establishment, or the president of the company.

When things go right, or near-perfectly, we tend to let it go and chalk it up to “that’s the way it’s supposed to be” and leave it at that.

How about this? Next time your waiter gives you good service, or the food at your favorite restaurant is done to your satisfaction, or someone at your local department store takes the time to walk with you to show you where that gadget is, ask them their name. Then look them in the eye and with meaning, thank them and tell them that you appreciate what they did.

But wait, there’s more!

When you get home, grab a sheet of stationary that has been collecting dust in your desk drawer, and take the time to write a letter to the company, thank them for having an employee such as the one that helped you out, or who cooked an exceptional meal.

It’s one of those things that is so easy to do, and most of the time, we just don’t. So just do… just cuz.

Bring Dessert Home

Every once in a while, we afford ourselves the luxury of going out to eat, whether it be by ourselves, with our spouse/partner/significant other, or with friends. If there is someone left at home, how about bringing them a treat from your indulgent night out. It could be a piece of pie for the kids, a decadent double fudge dark chocolate covered brownie dessert for the roommate, or the last two bites of that prime rib for the dog or cat.

Let your housemate(s) know that you think about them even when you’re doing something else, just cuz.

Get An Extra Can

Grocery shopping is one of those things that you either love to do, or simply loathe, but it’s something we do all the time.

Here’s a way to make it a little less about our own cupboards, and more about those with empty cupboards. Each time you do your grocery shopping, whether it’s weekly, biweekly, or monthly, pick up an extra canned good – or even two. Dedicate a box in a hall closet for these canned goods, and once a year, take your bounty to a local food shelf.

Many people go hungry each year; especially children. Your simple gift can help.

Do it just cuz.