Winter Holidays In July?

In about five months, it will be one of the busiest times of the December Holiday Season.  Whether you celebrate the Yule, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Christmas, or a combination of them all, you know that it gets a little harried with all of the people who wish you will celebrate the holiday season with them.

A lot of the time, these celebrations include the exchanging of gifts.  How often, after the crazy weeks have past, do you realize that you should have gotten such-and-such for so-and-so?

It’s early, so it’s a great time to make a list of those people who aren’t normally on your list.  Get some of your holiday shopping done. Dedicate a box in one of your closets for the little things you pick up for the people we sometimes forget. And while you’re on one of your Shopping Club trips, pick a little something up for:

• your pediatrician
• your postal carrier
• the guy or gal who does your hair
• your veterinarian
• the pizza delivery guy
• your receptionist
• your dentist
• your bus driver
• the trendy person who makes your 5-shot latte in the morning

And when the holiday season is upon us, bring your little something with you on your next visit, or even plan a day with friends or your kids to delivery these well-wishing holiday greetings.

It doesn’t bite into the budget all THAT much, so do it just cuz.

Bottle Caps, Box Tops, Soup Labels, And Yogurt Lids

You may not realize this, but there are some things you can do with little or no effort to help other people.

Many food and food distributing companies have programs that we, as consumers, can join or participate in. These programs are not only ones that we can benefit from, but ones that others can benefit from as well.

Why not dedicate a shoe box (or two) to collect those bottle caps with codes in them, or box tops and soup labels for school points, or metal yogurt lids to help fight breast cancer.

Check with your local school district or place of worship, and see what they are collecting. At the end of the month, take your bounty to the school or place of worship, or if you’re entering codes from bottle caps, consider donating the points to charities (if this is an option).

Don’t just throw these points away, make the effort to save them to give away, 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.

Leave Some Time For The Next Guy

I used to wash my clothes at a laundromat. Now, I’m fortunate enough to have a clothes washing facility in my building. When I used the laundromat, the going rate was 25¢ for fifteen minutes, and I’d usually throw four quarters in for my sixty minutes of drying time.

Occasionally I would check my clothes after 40 or 50 minutes, and at times, they’d be perfectly dry, leaving ten to twenty minutes on the timer. Instead of leaving my dry clothes drying for that added time, I would point out to someone else that there was time left on my dryer.

Try it yourself. Why not save someone a quarter? Just cuz!

Share A Newspaper

I used to subscribe to my local newspaper, but I almost never read it, and over the course of a week, my home recycling bin became full with unread news. Now, when I want to read the paper, I’m fortunate enough in my real job to have access to a library where I can read.

I started thinking about other places I worked and the lack of this great library resource. I decided that if I were in that predicament and I subscribed to a newspaper, after I was finished reading it, I would refold it to its almost original condition, and leave it in a break room, or in the lobby for someone else to enjoy. It’s simple. It’s a no-brainer. But how often do you read your paper, and then throw it out recycle it?

Your newspaper doesn’t need to be recycled right away, so why not share it just cuz?

(the same goes for magazines!)