Earth Month

I’m back and this time I’m setting an alarm! When I started writing again in August I wanted to post about once a week however I have failed at that. So now I have set a weekly alarm for me to write a new post! Hopefully that will work cause there are a lot of awesome ways to help out there, new and old. For this week I am bringing a couple of new ways to help out that have to do with helping the Earth we live on. Burt’s Bees has pledged to plant 1 Billion Wildflowers to #BringBackTheBees however they need our help in order to do so. For every tweet with #BringBackTheBees they will plant 1,000 wildflowers. It’s as easy as just retweeting (which is what I did) the “pinned” tweet on their twitter page; @BurtsBees. You can also help plant wildflowers by purchasing one of their limited edition lip balms!

I know not everyone has Twitter which is why I am posting about two options today. Another awesome way to help out is through the National Recreation and Park Association thanks to The Walt Disney Company. For the month of April you can vote daily for 15 different parks (one in each city) throughout the US to receive a $20,000 grant. As well, when you register to vote (name and e-mail) you can let them know your favorite park in your community and it will be entered in a random drawing to also win $20,000! How awesome is that! By simply voting we can help beautify our country and continue to build community. Happy Earth Month!

Until next time,

Annie

http://www.burtsbees.com/

http://www.parksbuildcommunity.org/

Macy's Letter to Santa

As the holiday season is once again upon us I thought I would repeat a blog post back from 2011. Incredibly Macy’s is still doing this wonderful program to help benefit Make-A-Wish. For eight years now Macy’s donates $1 to Make-A-Wish Foundation for every letter to Santa. All you have to do is write a letter to Santa either on paper, on their website, or on the new Macy’s Wish Writer stylus and app. For those written on paper you can take them to any Macy’s and drop it into one of Santa’s special letterboxes. They will count up the number of letters they receive and will donate $1 per letter up to $1 million. So while you or you and your children are beginning to think in the holiday spirit, consider writing a letter to Santa. Happy Writing!

Until next time,

Annie

http://social.macys.com/believe/

Pure Love For Pets

Today’s blog post brings us a bit of education and trivia. Purina has teamed up with Dogs on Deployment to quiz our minds while raising money for them at the same time. Dogs on Deployment helps take care of service members pets in many different ways to help ease their mind during deployment, times of homelessness and during a time of crisis. Purina has created a fun way for us to be able to help them by merely using our brain. If you visit PureLoveForPets.com and register, from now until November 18 you can answer up to 5 trivia questions per day. For every trivia question you answer correctly they will donate $0.25 (up to $40,000). It takes about a minute and you could end up donating $1.25/day, as long as you’re better at trivia than I am (I only got two right on my first day!). So for the next couple of weeks, take a minute out of your busy day, head on over to PureLoveForPets and start giving back! Happy trivia gaining!

Until next time,

Annie

http://www.pureloveforpets.com/

Tab for a Cause

Today’s blog post is a pretty cool one and another organization that I was recently informed about. Tab for a Cause is an app that you can add to your web browser and then every time you open a new tab you raise money for great causes. It is really easy to do and you don’t even have to change anything to start giving. All you have to do is visit Tab for a Cause and add the app to your web browser. Even better they are donating $0.25, from now until November 2, for every new Tabber who joins. It varies although each time you open a tab between 1/10 and 1/3 of a cent is raised which can quickly add up. For instance, I joined a couple of days ago and have already opened 28 tabs. So when you have a minute, head on over to Tab for a Cause, check it out and start making a difference. Happy web searching!

Until next time,

Annie

Tab for a Cause

Box Tops For Education

As the new school year is off to a start I thought a repeat blog post was in store. Box Tops for Education is a program that has been going on for many years and is helping schools get needed money to help improve things. Box Tops can be found on Betty Crocker products, Pillsbury, Kleenex, Fruit Snakes, Cheerios, etc. They are on many items that we buy and you may not even know they are there. Each box top is worth 10 cents yet when collected and put together it adds up. If you don’t have kids than think about picking a school that is close to you or one in your community that may need help. On their website, http://www.boxtops4education.com/, you can find a list of all the products that is printer friendly and all on one page. This is a great program and something that you can add to your things to remember to do! Happy New School Year!

Until next week,

Annie

http://www.boxtops4education.com/

mPOINTS

I thought I would start off with a new post, a new program (to me) and a very fun way to help others. mPOINTS is a mobile loyalty program that uses many different aps to reward you just for using them. For example, I use the Weather Channel ap almost daily and did not realize until my sister told me about mPOINTS that it is one of the aps participating in the program. I signed up for an mPOINTS account and then whenever I sign into an ap used by mPOINTS I receive points for just opening up the ap. There are also aps that are games so you get rewarded for playing and then there is mPlaces that rewards you for checking in when you go places. The aps link your account so no matter what ap you are using it will go to your mPOINTS account. The points you earn can then be used for different rewards including donations to many different national non profit organizations. Unfortunately this does require a smart phone which I know not everyone has. That is why I will continue to post all different things here so that everyone can find something! So when you have a little time this week, check out mPOINTS, sign up and then start earning! Happy Earning!

Until next time,

Annie

http://www.getmpoints.com/

Welcome Back!!!

WELCOME BACK to a blog about doing little things that make a big difference. Now that I have more time on my hands again I have decided to pick back up with my blog. The purpose of this blog is to educate others on unique ways to give back including ways that have probably been sitting right in front of you. I feel like people want to give back but they do not always have the time or money and I want to help change this. I will continue to post new ideas as I find them as well as repost ideas from my posts in the past. Some of my past posts are still relevant yet some are not so I will go back through and post about any that are still going on today. These ideas will not take much time and are inexpensive or better yet free. If you have any questions about the posts or organizations I would love to hear them and also to hear your feedback. If you have any ways to give back, that I may not be aware of, please send them to me so I can share them with others! Happy Reading and I hope this blog helps you feel like you are making a difference, because you are! Until my next post!

Peace,

Annie

Care to Recycle

I have realized I’m terrible at keeping my promises! I said I would try and post at least once a month and did not post at all last month. My apologies! I do have a pretty cool blog post today though and it is double cool because it involves two companies helping people to become greener and save the environment. Johnson & Johnson has put together a website called Care to Recycle that helps teach about what can be recycled, facts about recycling, and so much more. What’s really cool about the site is that for every time the video they have is shared on a number of social media sites, Johnson & Johnson will donate $1 to Keep America Beautiful. As well, if you have a Recyclebank account they have different ways you can earn points off of the Care to Recycle page. So this week when you have a few minutes and want to brush up on recycling tips or learn more about recycling head on over to the Care to Recycle page. Happy Recycling!

Until next time,

Annie

http://caretorecycle.com/

Help fight AIDS by downloading a song!

I know I’ve been absent for awhile and I apologize! Going back to school has taken up more time than I thought but I am going to try and be better this semester and get up more posts. It still won’t be every week but hopefully at least once a month. Today’s post is a quick one seeing as it is only good until tonight however it is a really cool one. You get something free and money is donated to a great cause all at the same time! All you need to do for this post is sign into iTunes by tonight at Midnight (EST) and download U2’s new song “Invisible”. It is free to download and for every person that downloads the song Bank of America will donate $1 to (Red)’s fight against AIDS. How awesome is that! All you need to do is download a free song and you will have donated money! Happy listening!

Until next time,

Annie

http://www.red.org/en/bankofamerica

Fair Trade

I apologize for my absence however I went back to school and am finding that I don’t have nearly as much time as I used to! I am still going to post but it won’t be as frequently. So be sure to check back every once in awhile! October is fair trade month and Fair Trade USA (Fair Trade Certified) has an awesome site that you can visit to learn more about fair trade as well as many other things. You can take a quiz to find out how fair you are and then after taking it you can enter into a contest for awesome fair trade items. They also have a section that shares fair trade companies with you for different products. I personally think fair trade is a wonderful and ecological thing to do so if you feel like you don’t know much make sure to check it out. If you are a fair trade expert than still take a look and at least take the quiz. So this week when you have a few minutes check out the “be fair” website and see what fair trade is all about. Happy ecologically shopping!

Until next time,

Annie

http://befair.org/

Dairy Queen

I think this week’s post is especially a good one because it’s an excuse to get yourself a little treat! This Thursday, August 8, Dairy Queen stores across the nation will be celebrating Miracle Treat Day! Dairy Queen will donate at least $1 to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals for every Blizzard Treat purchased on Thursday. The donation will not be made if it is on discounted offers so make sure you are not getting a discount for this one day! How awesome is that to have an excuse to get an ice cream treat! So, if you want a break from the heat or are just in the mood for some ice cream, head on over to Dairy Queen Thursday and get a blizzard. Happy eating!

Until next time,

Annie

http://miracletreatday.com/

CheckPoints

I personally really like this week’s blog post and use the app myself quite often. CheckPoints is an app that can be downloaded for both Iphone and Android. When you go shopping open up the app and scan items for points and coins. The points can be used towards rewards and you use the coins to play games that will get you more points. They have all sorts of rewards like gift cards, air miles, a Wii system, etc. however they also have a section in which you can donate your points. They have partnered with many organizations, like Kiva, American Red Cross, The Humane Society, and Democracy Matters, and when you get enough points you can donate your points to one, or many, of the organizations that you want to support. I enjoy the app because they have things that I can scan at many of the stores I go to and even though I’m not buying the items it’s still easy to find, scan them and get more points. So this week when you are headed out to go grocery shopping, spend a minute beforehand and download the app so you can start scanning items for points! Happy scanning!

Until next time,

Annie

http://www.checkpoints.com/