When you’re a frequent shopper who loves nothing better than browsing the rails of the stores near you or scrolling through your favorite brands’ wares online, you should consider how you can pair this with charitable giving.
By combining shopping and giving to charity, you’ll barely notice how much you’re giving to the charity in question, and this can even help you to feel positive about your shopping experiences.
- Shop Second-Hand
Although you might love the smell and the feel of new clothes, as well as how good they make you feel, shopping at thrift stores for items that are new to you can be just as exciting. In fact, you might even end up preferring the excitement and anticipation of thrift store shopping, especially if you regularly come home with designer brands for a fraction of the price that they usually are.
This might even help you to wear clothing that you no one else has, and that you won’t see every time you walk down the street. You don’t even have to shop in-person if you want to buy second-hand products, as many charities now have websites where you can browse the clothing and other wares that they have in stock.
- Shop Less
You might dread the day that you have to give up shopping as much as you currently do. Although shopping can bring you joy, shopping for fewer products can free up your money for your next donation to charity. Not only this but shopping less can allow you to make more conscious decisions over what you’re buying and will ensure that you only buy products that you really love.
Once you’ve saved up enough money from your absence of shopping sprees, you should look around for charities that give you the option of making an online donation. For instance, at the American Red Cross, they’ll allow you to donate money on the internet as a tax deductible. This type of donation will ensure that you pay less tax at the end of the year, freeing up more of your money use for your next shopping spree.
- Use a Shop for a Cause App
If you want to support charities without even thinking about it, you should consider downloading a Shop for a Cause app. These apps can automatically apply different coupons and deals to your shopping baskets, while raising money for your favorite charity for each website you scroll and every purchase that you make.
You can have ultimate control over the charity that you’re raising money for on these apps, and this will enable you to fundraise even if you don’t have a lot of money to contribute to a cause yourself.
- Shop Wisely
You should also be wise about where you’re shopping and who you’re shopping with. For instance, you should try to shop with brands that are socially conscious and that have great social policies.
You should also look around for businesses that actively work and collaborate with charities or who donate regularly to certain non-profits or organizations within the local community. This will give you the opportunity to indirectly help a charity that means a lot to you while buying the wonderful products that you’ve had your eye on for weeks.
