Tag: giving

Make Every Day Boxing Day

Posted on by Jordank

Happy Boxing Day! British custom has it that the first weekday after Christmas is the day to acknowledge those rendering services throughout the year with gifts or gratuities. Servants and tradesmen have accepted “Christmas boxes” of gifts, cash bonuses, leftovers and secondhand items since medieval times, House Beautiful says.

Today, the United Kingdom and former colonies such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand celebrate Boxing Day as a shopping holiday, similar to Black Friday or a post-holiday clearance sale in the United States.

We’ve likely done all of the shopping we need to do for a while, and more shopping just means more #stuff to put away — or more #clutter. So let’s return to the “#giving” definition of Boxing Day and make it an everyday tradition from now through the new year.

It’s a great holiday for #minimalists, because it calls upon those celebrating to #give things away. Assuming it’s in good working order, the stuff you no longer use — wrong-sized clothes, extra kitchen and dinnerware, appliances, books, small furniture and so on — may have a second useful life in someone else’s hands.

That’s where ClothingDonations.org can help. Our drivers will pick up those extra things and resell them to #thrift stores to fund an array of programs that the nation’s #veterans rely upon. It’s a generous, safe and convenient way to observe the Boxing Day tradition of acknowledging others’ service.

You don’t have to limit yourself to a single box, of course. ClothingDonations.org will #pick up as many boxes and bags of #donations as you want to give. And if you’re still in the process of household #decluttering, you can schedule a #donation to match your progress as often as you gather a few boxes of stuff to #give away.

As the #holidays wind down, we hope you can make Boxing Day an everyday tradition — one that recognizes service and sacrifice while helping #declutter and #streamline your home life. Get started today, and make a new habit of observing Boxing Day as early and often as you want while getting organized for the new year. #BoxingDay

Observing National Give Something Away Day

Posted on by Jordank

July 15 is National Give Something Away Day, a calendar holiday launched in 2015 that invites people everywhere to #give something — anything — to friends, family and the less fortunate; be more aware of one’s carbon footprint; and practice mindful consumerism. Lofty goals!

But don’t hesitate — National Give Something Away Day is easy to observe. All you have to do is exercise some generosity with your money and possessions, and maybe reduce the number of things you own in the process.

For example, if you have an article of clothing, a knickknack or a piece of jewelry that a family member or friend might like better or get more use from, give it to them. Even #giving something as small as a compliment qualifies.

Consider giving the gift of time by volunteering at a local nonprofit such as an animal shelter, food bank or veterans home. Help an elderly neighbor with their yardwork or shopping. Donate needed supplies to a homeless shelter, school or charitable organization.

To make giving really easy, do a wholesale #decluttering and give a bunch of things away all at once. Go through a drawer, closet or room and sort out the things you don’t need; you may be surprised at how much you can do without.

“The world can always use more kindness and generosity,” says Mostly Mindful. “Why not view the day as an opportunity to give the things you no longer need to someone who could use them? After all, there’s no point keeping something if it’s just gathering dust.”

Put that extra stuff in bags or boxes and contact ClothingDonations.org for a free #donation #pickup. You’ll be celebrating National Give Something Away Day while funding programs that provide the nation’s #veterans with food, health care and other sustaining programs.

Giving is a simple act that can brighten another person’s day and effect real, positive change. Observe National Give Something Away Day to get started, and seek out ways to #give throughout the year. #NationalGiveSomethingAwayDay

5 Ways to Shop Sustainably This Holiday Season

Posted on by Jordank

You’ve got a dilemma: You want to give gifts that your friends and family will love during the holiday season, but you want to do so without creating undue environmental impact — not such an easy task in today’s global economy.

Mass-market merchandise requires raw materials — petroleum products, rare-earth minerals and so on — that are often toxic to extract. Manufacturing byproducts and product packaging go into landfills and oceans, where they can last thousands of years.

What’s more, even things that break down or recycle easily often travel long distances to get to your front door, using fossil fuels and other non-renewable resources. So even if you buy imported foods for the holiday feast, you add more carbon to the atmosphere.

But there are ways to at least minimize your impact during the #holidays:

1. Support small, local businesses. The closer you are to the product’s source, the less fuel it takes to get to you. Locally grown foodstuffs and handmade items — that one-of-a-kind scarf from the craft fair, for example — have minimal environmental impact and are usually better than anything you can find at a big-box store.

2. Shop sustainable businesses. Businesses that pledge to recycle, use #sustainable materials, plant trees and offset carbon emissions are easier on the environment; just be wary of claims that seem too good to be true. “Fast fashion” brands are some of the worst for creating trash.

3. Give an experience. Tickets to the movies, a local play or concert; a restaurant meal; or gift certificate to a yoga session, spa or salon make great gifts that don’t require a lot of sweatshop labor or create extra greenhouse gases.

4. Shop the thrift. Giving used goods a second chance is a great way to keep lots of clothing and household items out of landfills while saving money. Bonus? Buy from a #thrift shop supplied by #donations to ClothingDonations.org, and you’ll help fund veterans programs.

5. Donate. #Charitable organizations need help on Giving Tuesday and throughout the year. Choose a cause that aligns with your giftee’s goals and #give in their name. It won’t be the same as unwrapping the latest air fryer or smart speaker, but still makes a thoughtful #gift.

#Giving can be its own reward — especially if you shop #sustainably.

Celebrate National Give Something Away Day

Posted on by Jordank

July 15 is a day that makes an official acknowledgement that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure — National Give Something Away Day. Established in 2015 by Linda Eaton Hall-Fulcher to encourage generosity, the day promotes #giving selflessly, mindful consumerism and #sustainability.

It’s a great incentive to #declutter and redistribute anything that you no longer need or want. “The reward goes both ways,” National Today says. “We benefit from feeling good about giving and making someone’s day, and at the same time, we also let go of items that we no longer need and are just lying around.”

The sheer amount of stuff in the average American home is staggering — about 300,000 different things. One in 10 Americans rents offsite storage for their extra #junk, and 25% of people with two-car garages don’t have room to park a car inside. The average 10-year-old owns 238 toys, but plays with only about a dozen of them.

Check your closets: There are probably outfits in there that you not only don’t wear, but didn’t even know you had. Pack up any items that no longer fit or don’t get worn, and schedule a free #donation #pickup at ClothingDonations.org to do your part on National Give Something Away Day.

You can also #donate lightly used household items, appliances, books and other items. Whatever you decide to give, having less #clutter in your life to worry about makes everything simpler. And giving actually activates the brain’s pleasure centers, a 2007 study revealed.

Whether you give someone flowers, pay for the next person’s order at the coffee shop, or sort through your old things and donate them to ClothingDonations.org, observing National Give Something Away Day is good for the giver and the recipient. Give something — one thing or a whole truckload — away. You’ll be better off for it!

#NationalGiveSomethingAwayDay