How to Create a Blessings Jar

by Angela Charles on March 15th, 2014 | 1 Comment »

I have never been proud of the fact that I am a stingy giver. Yuck, that just doesn't sound right. Giving away my finances is just incredibly difficult – more than my time or resources. Part of the reason is that my husband and I will most certainly be paying off student loan debt and working with legitimate credit repair companies until we die. It’s hard to justify giving money away when we so desperately need to chip away at those. I get a sense of security from having money in the bank. If we ever have a car emergency or need foundation repair ottawa, the money will be there.

The way I have always done things is not setting an example for my daughter. I am not teaching her how to be generous. I’ve known for a while that something would have to give. Literally.

Around the time that my husband and I started thinking about how to improve this skill, several people shared a link on Facebook about the “The 52-Week Money Challenge”. It came from a blog called "The House Made Home". The challenge is that every week you save a little bit of money starting with $1. The next week you save $2. And so on. By the time the year ends you will have saved $1,378.

My husband and I decided to take the challenge and donate the money we saved to a person or organization in need. We aren’t sure where the money will go yet, but I have to admit that I feel a surge of adrenalin thinking about the good it can do. We decided to call our jar the Blessings Jar.

So my question for you is, are you up for the challenge? If so, join us!

Create a Blessings Jar

Here’s what you need to do:

Find some kind of container in which to collect the money.
Have fun with it. Name your jar and get your kids involved. We are calling ours a Blessing Jar but you could call it a Giving Jar or the Generosity Project or whatever else you’d like. Get creative.
Start collecting money. Week one, you’ll collect $1.Week two, you’ll collect $2. And so on. By the end of the year you will have $1,378.
If you are anything like my hubby and I, you will need to think ahead. We don’t typically have cash lying around so you may need to make a stop at the bank. You can also throw spare change in the jar.
Finally, pick a person or organization and donate the money. Researching this can be a fun family project and create great conversation as you brainstorm around the dinner table. Talk to your kids about their interests and become a passionate, generous family.

Are you up for the challenge? How are you teaching your children to give back?

Angela Charles, MS is a Life Coach and blogger at www.acharlescoach.com/blog. She and her husband Jake just celebrated their five-year anniversary and she still finds him absolutely yummy. They have a beautiful four and a half month old baby girl named Ainsley Grace and live just outside of Washington D.C. Stop by her blog for reflections on change, faith, mommyhood and more.