I decided to schedule my do-good days on the first Tuesday of every month. This is the day my oldest son and I spend together. He doesn’t have school and we take the day off from speech therapy. This way, he can participate with me. Coincidently, I started in December and the first Tuesday of the month was the feast day for St. Nicholas. It just seemed fitting, doesn’t it? St. Nicholas is the basis for our contemporary Santa Clause because of his generosity toward others. He was the inspiration for my youngest son’s middle name and is a great source for inspiration…especially for this project!

December 6 – My First Day of Kindness

To start things off, I completed two acts of kindness. I paid for the person behind me at Starbucks and printed off a couple extra coupons for the bounce place I took my son to play at that day. It was pretty simple to do those tiny acts of kindness and felt good to get started.

January 3 – My Second Day of Kindness

1. Our first order of business was to stop at the post office to send out a package of magazines and expired coupons to an Army base in Germany. I read online that overseas military commissaries will accept coupons up to six months after they expire. And, I get a ton of magazines that I figured somebody would like to read, so I just threw those in the box too. I hope they can put all of it to good use! (Click here to learn where / how you can send your coupons.)

2. During the holiday season, I came across a few really great deals on the daily deal sites. Through Plum District, I used my referral credits to buy a voucher for EcoMom (which is a really cool site, BTW). They also ran a great sale and I was able to buy a ton of toys for really cheap. Last time we were at the library, I noticed their puzzles were looking a little rough. So, I offered to get a few more for them. While we were talking over email, the children’s librarian mentioned a need for baby toys to use in their story time program. I already had a ton of that on hand from my youngest son, so that was pretty easy. We were able to deliver two bags of puzzles and toys.

3. I gave an old friend a voucher code good for two free movie tickets through Fandango.

4. I took my little man out to a movie and treated him to popcorn and Sprite.

More Ideas for Acts of Kindness

I’ve been searching the net for more ideas because I don’t want it to seem like you have to spend money to be kind to others. Here is a list of things I thought were the most interesting.

Thank your Police or Fire Department with a handwritten thank you note, artwork from your children, or fresh baked treats.

Write a Letter to Someone Who Made a Difference in Your Life.

Leave a generous tip.

Send someone a card.

Adopt a soldier.

Cook a meal for someone (If you do freezer cooking, it’s easy to make one extra meal for someone else.)

Donate blood.

Bring flowers to someone (Most grocery stores have beautiful arrangements for very affordable prices.)

Help someone load or unload their groceries

Thank your mail carrier.

Visit someone who is lonely.

Say something nice about someone / compliment a stranger.

Give a lottery ticket to a stranger.

Open the phone book, pick a name, and send them something (movie tickets, thank you card, you are appreciated card, book, etc.) Anonymously.

Take flowers to a hospital ward and give them to someone who hasn’t had any visitors.

Buy a copy of your favorite book and donate it to your local library or hospital.

Tape a dollar bill to a vending machine…or preload it without making a selection.

Feed parking meters with quarters.

Bring in your neighbor’s trash cans.

Pump someone’s gas for them.

Print extra coupons when visiting a restaurant or local attraction. (but not too many…we don’t want rob the owner of potential profits)

That’s why I’ve decided to write this post.

I very rarely post specific requests for charity. Mostly because there are so many people and causes in the world that are worthy of help, that it’s difficult for me to say you should support this particular cause. But this story has hit a string with me. A friend of my sister was in a horrible car accident on December 4 when her path crossed that of a 23-year old drunk driver. Although she and her two children were all properly restrained, they all suffered critical injuries. While the mom was undergoing surgery, her 11-month-old and 7-year-old daughters were taken to the UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh. Tragically, due to head and neck injuries, the 7-year-old, Lexa Cleland, died less than an hour after the accident.

I can’t even fathom the pain this family must be going through. As a mother of two young boys, I’m not sure I would have the strength to heal myself while suffering such heartache.

A¬ fund has been established to help the family whether the costs of rehab and funeral expenses. And while money can never heal such heartbreak, it can help lessen the stress of everything they’re experiencing. So, I’ve decided to donate all the proceeds from The Average Parent affiliate advertising through the month of December. It’s not a lot of money, but you can help increase it by clicking through my Amazon link to make your holiday purchases. You can also sign up for Ebates and $5 will go toward the fund when you make your first purchase of $20 or more. Ebates is totally free and you get a $5 bonus for signing up, plus cash back for all your internet shopping.

I also believe in the power of prayer above all else. So, if you are the praying type, please add the Clelands to your list and leave a comment to let them know you’re praying for them. It can mean a lot to know people are praying on your behalf.

If you’d like to give to the fund, you can use the below address:

The Cleland Family Fund
c/o First National Bank
2550 Brownsville Road
South Park, PA 15129

412.831.4800

Update: I just heard from Angie at Baby Cheapskate and she’s going to donate her Amazon affiliate revenue from now till the end of the month too (up to $500). That’s just one more reason to love Baby Cheapskate (not that you needed one)

Dentists around the country are answering that very question by teaming up with Operation Gratitude for the Halloween Candy Buy Back program. Here’s how it works: Your children will get $1 for each pound of candy they bring in to a participating dentist. That candy then gets sent to U.S. soldiers serving around the world.

It’s a great opportunity to teach your children moderation and generosity at the same time.

(thanks Mrs. Moneysaver!)

The Love/Avon Army of Women offers a revolutionary new opportunity for YOU to partner with research scientists to move us beyond a cure…and it is one of the absolute easiest ways to get involved with this cause. Their goal is to recruit one million healthy women of every age and ethnicity (including breast cancer survivors and women at high-risk for the disease) to partner with breast cancer researchers and participate in the research that will eradicate breast cancer once and for all.

With a long family history of Breast Cancer, I can testify to the important of this movement. Plus, as my mom is participating in one of their studies, I can tell you first hand how easy it is to do your part.

How it works: Women (and men) who are interested can register on the Love/Avon Army of Women website, and provide very basic information such as name, age, city and state of residence. Army of Women members receive email updates from the Love/Avon Army of Women announcing new research studies looking for volunteers. If you fit the criteria for one of these studies and want to participate, all you need to do is reply to the email and let them know you’ve accepted the “Call to Action.”

To learn more or to sign up, visit them online or watch Dr. Susan Love on Good Morning America as she talks about the cause.

Other ways to support The Declan Carmical Fund:

All new customers who sign up for Alice.com will get 15% off their first purchase when they shop through this special link. Plus, 3% of every purchase will go directly to this family for a period of one year.

New customers to Soap.com or Diapers.com who use promo code DECLAN26 will not only save 15% on the first order, but $10 will go to the family behind Declan’s Journey.

(Thanks to Coupon Cravings for sharing this story!)

Just click here to get started: Give and Get is Here!