I said yesterday that I was going to cover how to fulfill common New Year’s resolutions on the cheap – and the first one I’m going to start with is helping others. A lot of folks want to help others – but often feel they lack the time or resources to do so.  Here are some simple, easy ways to do so without breaking the bank.

1. Try Web sites like freerice.com or Charitti.com. You get to play fun games like figuring out the meanings of words or filling in crossword puzzles. And in return – rice is donated to the hungry or a donation is made to various charities – you can select from several of them. There’s no catch, and they don’t ask for any user information. They’re advertiser supported, but they’re quite discreet – no pop up ads or anything like that.

2. Check out Sparked.com or HelpFromHome.org.  These Web sites specialize in a new trend called micro-volunteering – where you give a small amount of time to do anything from writing a blog post to helping proofread a non-profit’s press release.

3. Okay, this one you have to leave the house for. .  Share your expertise by starting a club at a local school – or just asking if you can come in an share your knowledge one day.  You could start with teaching kids some basic money management skills!

4. Donate your unused frequent flyer miles.  You can donate them to a variety of causes, including the Make A Wish foundation, the American Cancer Society, or the Salvation Army.

5. And speaking of the Salvation Army. Perhaps one of your New Year’s resolutions is to declutter your house or apartment? Donate things you no longer need or want to your local thrift shop!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this list – and please share it with others. It’s pretty awesome that you can play games and help others at the same time – it’s a sweet gig.

Do you think you’ll try anything listed here? I’m most curious about the micro-volunteering.

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