5 Charitable Ways to Spend Money on Black Friday

Over the last few years, November has become a time the British pound is splurged on items that people have been eagerly watching drop further and further in price in anticipation for the date that is known as Black Friday. What was once a shopping habit of our friends from across the Atlantic, this craze has now reached us here in the UK, and shows no signs of disappearing soon.

But with Christmas around the corner, has it now become more of a habit than a need? Are people seeing that their money could be spent on doing some good, instead of being led by the fear of missing out on an amazing deal. Well, we’re all for spending money wisely, so have some suggestions on ways to spend your money for Black Friday 2020, that gives something back.

 

Save lives or help support research with donations to a charity

Of course, this was always going to be the number one, but did you know just what the smallest amount could do for any charity, let alone your local one! The money you spend on a coffee maker or sound system could literally go towards saving someone’s life, supporting with research, equipment and so much more, and how much do you really need an extra few inches on your television screen?

If you already give to a charity, that’s amazing and the smallest amount makes the difference, but there’s so many other great causes where your money could give something back. We all take for granted the services we may need as we get older, become parents, or if we’re in an accident, but without great causes that put time and effort to help and need the funds to continue the great work.

 

Buy supplies to help stock a food bank

Winter is a time where money needs to stretch further than most other seasons. With increased costs for utilities, transport and, of course, the build up and aftermath of Christmas, some people have the difficult choice of prioritising their money. Unfortunately, food is often the thing that people feel they can live without, which is not something people should have to choose. In between, 1st April ’17 and 31st March ’18, there was a 13% increase * in food parcels given out by The Trussell Trust, the UK’s largest food bank distributor.

Although the increase of food bank usage is a bigger issue, by just giving donations to the food bank you can ease the pressure for someone over the coming months and help provide supplies that certainly won’t be taken for granted.

 

Help the Environment – sell old items and make a donation.

How many of us have boxes of old clothes, shoes and electronics that are good enough but aren’t ‘new’? Don’t dump them, sell them! There are so many great places you can easily sell unwanted items, whether it’s classic eBay or Gumtree, the modern Facebook Marketplace or an even fancier app such as Schpock, getting cash for your old items has never been easier.

As a charity we understand that not everyone wants to donate they hardly used items to a store, but the proceeds made from selling your items can do wonders for helping support the work undertaken, and someone is still making use of it – win, win!

 

Save your money for #GivingTuesday

Black Friday follows Thanksgiving in the US, which is a time to be thankful for everything you have… before going out and spending money on more things you want! Crazy, no? Well, some people think so and have started bypassing Black Friday, Cyber Monday (and the newly birthed, Grey Thursday) in favour of GivingTuesday!

So, what is it? This social movement shared with #GivingTuesday is in it’s 10th year and is focused on bringing people together from across the globe to encourage giving back to the community by donating to their charities both local and national. It’s aim is to promote small acts of kindness and highlighting doing something for others rather than ourselves.

If you do buy, then choose companies that are giving something back

Whether you suffer from the fear of missing out on great deals or you’ve been saving hard for when the prices drop, then there are still things you can do to help give back to great causes. Many corporations are finding ways to help with the profits they make from their sale. Here are just some of the companies that have given back in previous years;

• Fat Face – 10% net profits to charities local to stores
• Patagonia – 100% profit from Black Friday sales
• Pieminister – gave away surplus food stock and in return for donations to Shelter

 

There you have it. 5 charitable ways to spend money this Black Friday. We all love a bargain but if there’s anything you can do to support a great cause such as our services here at The Air Ambulance then please donate.