You don’t need to hand out $100 bills to practice random acts of kindness (ROAK). In fact, sometimes the smallest or least expensive things can mean the most to someone, whether they are a friend, a neighbor or a stranger. It is amazing how a ROAK can really make someone’s day and change a bad attitude to a good one.
Here are some random acts of kindness that you can practice while still leading a frugal lifestyle. Wouldn’t it be great if we all decided to try and do once nice thing for someone every single day? Pretty soon, doing nice things would become a habit.
- There is the classic ROAK. Put a quarter in the meter for someone.
- Make a homemade treat and leave it in someone’s mailbox.
- Make a healthy dinner and leave it on the doorstep of a single parent. Then ring the doorbell and hide.
- Bring your neighbor’s garbage cans in from the road when you bring in yours.
- Shovel, sweep or rake a walk for a neighbor.
- Gather bunches of coupons that you won’t use. Add them to a large manilla envelop and bring them to a frugal friend.
- If you have a membership to a museum or attraction, very often you will be allowed to bring a guest.
- Ask if you can use that extra pass for the person in line behind you.
- Pick up a small book or toy for a friend’s child and leave it anonymously.
- Drop off your already read magazines or books to a neighbor who you know loves to read.
- Bring garden flowers to the hospital and ask the hospital staff to give to a patient who never receives visitors.
- Carry someone’s groceries to the car.
- Blow up some inexpensive balloons and give them away to children at the park.
- Bring extra coupons along when you shop and hand them to the person in line behind you.
- Send a letter of appreciation to someone anonymously, telling them how much you value them being in the world.
- When you are out getting lunch or a treat, buy an extra cookie for the cashier.
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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