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Home > Donate A Rama, 2 Rules how to give alot and love it

Donate A Rama, 2 Rules how to give alot and love it

November 14th, 2012 at 08:01 pm

Calendar is getting crowded! Is yours? The way to stay calm and happy this time of year is....

RULE #1 ORGANIZED SCHEDULING. Keep a list on hand of what you agree to attend / volunteer for / want to do. Put it in your phone calendar, or a purse notepad, or the kitchen whiteboard. Leave some free hours and days. Those will be YOU time for simply browsing shops for fun, decorating or crafting around the house, or spontaneous get together with someone.

RULE #2 DO IT EARLY. Maybe it's the function of being involved in the community, having school age kids or who knows what?! But I have a good number of bake sales, raffles and other activities to donate toward.

Instead of dashing around with too little time and not enough fun, I have already started fulfilling the tasks on my calendar.

Baking
Who likes Christmas cookies, raise your hand?
Yes, thought so. And us crafty types want to make REALLY fancy ones like that crazy Martha Stewart. I have two bake sales this year. How to fit in hours of rolling, frosting, sugar sprinkling, gingerbread house building?

The answer is: I'll bake gingerbread AHEAD OF TIME and freeze it undecorated. Then have a block of hours to decorate on a separate day. Even two separate days for each bake sale. Lots more fun and less rushed! And oh, I already have the decorations in stock.

Donating Gifts
This is why you have stocked the closet earlier in the year with specials too good to pass up! And saved the imperfect things given to you, right? Follow Rule #2 by having all this already on hand!

For a needy girl: I have an amazing doll with a big wardrobe that my daughter never wanted (from grandma 5+ years ago).

Then there's 7 prizes to donate for my non-profit causes.

Prizes #1, 2 and 3: Three kids' prizes for a contest will be: A big kite (new we never used), a couple big packs of young artist supplies which I will supplement with items from my own pocket. Here I come Michaels! They blast their biggest coupons this time of year.

Prize #4: A prize for boy or girl, child or adult (we don't know who will win) will be: An Egg Themed Basket. A basket full of little decorative birds, woven nests, styrofoam eggs, and silk flowers which a storekeeper gave me that didn't want them anymore (she changed her decor). BONUS addition of one of my own jeweled eggs to inspire the winner to make their own. ALL IN STOCK AT HOME.

Golden Egg

Fit for a king. Hand blown and decorated turkey egg by

Text is Pretty Cheap Jewelry and Link is http://www.prettycheapjewelry.com
Pretty Cheap Jewelry

Prize #5, 6: Two adult prizes for a contest will be: Boxed wine glass sets. I have the boxes to reuse from work (corporate gifts). Matching wine glasses, or any manner of beautiful glassware is easy to get at the thrift store. I will sew a set of napkins for each of the boxed sets. Add a dollar store mini bottle of Martinelli's and tie it up with a big fancy bow.

Prize #7: Jewelry from my business for the figure skate event. I have two amazing handmade chain necklaces that will make a nice prize all boxed up as a gift.

All the donations will be put together Thanksgiving weekend because I follow Rule #2.

The result? Time for my family, my own fun and WAY less unpredictable spending!!

2 Responses to “Donate A Rama, 2 Rules how to give alot and love it”

  1. creditcardfree Says:
    1352925788

    You are set! Great ideas. I need to get everything that is in my mind down on paper, so I do have a plan.

  2. Wino Says:
    1352931191

    My idea of planning ahead is waking up early to do everything last minute. I truly envy people who are so organized.

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