$5 Left at the End of the Month: A New Campaign

Posted on | August 30, 2010 | 40 Comments

Winner of Christian Finance Carnival 2.

I come from a divorced family. Wait, that doesn’t even tell half of the story. I come from a divorced family, who then divorced separately again and who are now on their third marriages. My familial connections seem to connect and divide like a sluggish strain of bacteria.

                But even with all of the fighting, the passive aggression and the heartache, there are moments of joy that I can remember from each of my family configurations. One of these memories came from an inspiration from the Oprah Winfrey show.

                I do not remember all of the details, but one day my first stepmother was watching Oprah’s show on committing Random Acts of Kindness and became inspired. She told the rest of us and we decided to call these random acts of kindness RACs. At a time when we normally only saw one another as a family unit every other weekend, and could be found bickering out in the barn at all of the work to be done, or perhaps stealing time away in our bedrooms from everyone else, the simple act of showing kindness to complete strangers united our family. My father used to take us on Sunday rides where he would purposefully get us lost in order to find our way back home. These were always fun with a tinge of adventure, except for this one particular Sunday I can remember that was just darn exciting. We had been driving around for some time and wound up at a toll booth. Instead of paying for just our toll ticket we also paid for the driver behind us. All of us giggled and smiled at the idea along with the toll booth attendant—she could tell we were up to something. We pulled ahead a hundred yards or so and watched as the car came up to the booth and sat there for a few minutes, most likely trying to digest the fact that total strangers had paid their fare. We raced off like bandits, except that the act we had just committed was for good.

                Quite frankly, I cannot remember the other RACs we committed as a family, but the fact that I can recall just one in great detail means a lot to me. Lately, I have been giving a lot of thought to my purpose in life, to who I am outside of work, and to our budget. We have managed to go over our budget almost every month for the past several months. This is due in large part to working on our home while setting unreasonable spending expectations on ourselves. Still, while we have been able to pay everything on time (including our credit card in full) every month without question, it has made me wonder.  

                In my self-analysis afforded by writing articles for this blog, I have asked the question before of why I want to become rich, and why I am saving and sacrificing today without a real purpose. It is not entirely without purpose, as I want to be financially independent, to travel, and to enjoy all that life has to offer. But I want a higher purpose than these everyday goals; I need to do something with my budgeting and with our money that goes beyond satisfying us.  I have alluded to this in the article My Charity Black Hole, which we have acted on by choosing an organization that we have been consistently donating to each month in 2010. But I do not feel that we are doing enough.

                So, I have begun an exciting new campaign and challenge for us, as well as for you. I am calling it “$5 Left at the End of the Month”. Basically, Paul and I will work diligently to stay within our budget for the month, and make sure we leave room to have just $5 leftover. With this money, we will commit a random act of kindness. It could be a donation to a charity, buying coffee for the next guy at the drive thru, buying a sandwich to a homeless guy outside of Subway…the sky is the limit. Not only will this help us show kindness to others, but it will also give us motivation and purpose to stick to our budget each month.

                Why $5? It is a small enough amount that no one should be excluded from participating. It can purchase a lot to help another person, or to extend some kindness. And finally, with a large enough set of dedicated people, we can truly make a difference. I have had a little over 1400 unique visitors to this website, and if each of them signed onto the $5 Left at the End of the Month Challenge, after just 3 months we would have made a $21,000 impact! How amazing is that?

Here is how this will work:

  • If you want to sign onto this challenge, leave a comment below.
  • At the end of each month I will post about our Random Act of Kindness, and I would love to hear all of yours in the comments section to that post!
  • I will keep a tally on the right sidebar at my Frugal Confessions blog of the Kindness Impact we are making as motivation to spend within our means, to help out others, and to spread kindness everywhere we can. Of course this will only be a monetary measurement; spreading kindness and helping others has implications well beyond monetary valuation.

So…are you with me? Tune in on Wednesday for an article about an interesting way to budget and help you with this challenge, compliments of Gail Vaz-Oxlade. Then in the coming weeks I have a few other articles in the works, such as how to donate without spending any money.

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Comments

40 Responses to “$5 Left at the End of the Month: A New Campaign”

  1. Aurora
    August 30th, 2010 @ 9:14 am

    great idea, count me in!!

    [Reply]

    Amanda L. Grossman Reply:
    August 30th, 2010 at 10:38 am

    Woohoo! Thanks:).
    Amanda L. Grossman recently posted..5 Left at the End of the Month- A New Campaign

    [Reply]

  2. Helen
    August 30th, 2010 @ 11:03 am

    I am so there. And guess what, there is a homeless guy that sits outside my Subway.

    [Reply]

    Amanda L. Grossman Reply:
    August 30th, 2010 at 12:08 pm

    Thanks for joining!
    Amanda L. Grossman recently posted..5 Left at the End of the Month- A New Campaign

    [Reply]

  3. The Alber_troz
    August 30th, 2010 @ 11:07 am

    I’ll see your 5 and raise you a sandwich. I think this is a fantastic idea.

    [Reply]

    Amanda L. Grossman Reply:
    August 30th, 2010 at 12:09 pm

    Can’t wait to see the RAC you’ve committed!
    Amanda L. Grossman recently posted..5 Left at the End of the Month- A New Campaign

    [Reply]

  4. CityFlips
    August 30th, 2010 @ 11:37 am

    I’m in!

    [Reply]

  5. Amanda L. Grossman
    August 30th, 2010 @ 12:09 pm

    Woohoo!
    Amanda L. Grossman recently posted..5 Left at the End of the Month- A New Campaign

    [Reply]

  6. The Saved Quarter
    August 30th, 2010 @ 12:28 pm

    I’m in!

    Also check out Penny Experiment (http://www.pennyexperiment.com/) and if you make your $5 donation in food to a food bank, add it to his site. He’s trying to donate $1,000,000 worth of food to food banks using coupons and sales to stretch every penny. So far, he’s donated $15,910.53 worth of food and has only spent $657.06.

    You can see how he ate well on under $1 a day for 100 days using coupons at his other blog, http://www.grocerycouponguide.com/. The 100 day challenge is over but it’s worth going back to read the archives. He’s currently sharing drugstore coupon deals that get free stuff he’s donating, so people could use that (or any coupon-match-up site) for an easy start.

    Imagine if your readers took that $5 and used it toward a current, easy coupon-sale combo at their grocery store to donate $25 worth of food to their local food bank. (That’s conservative – you could definitely get more with $5 and a great coupon deal!) That $21,000 act of kindness is quickly turned into $105,000!
    The Saved Quarter recently posted..Giveaway Winners Announced

    [Reply]

    FruGal Reply:
    August 31st, 2010 at 8:31 am

    Hi Penny!

    Thank you for sharing the information, and I’m so glad you joined in!

    [Reply]

  7. Budgeting in the Fun Stuff
    August 30th, 2010 @ 3:14 pm

    I’m in! I was thinking last week about how cool something like this would be – I might be starting something too as well, but I’ll treat this challenge separately. :-) Great idea Amanda!

    [Reply]

    Amanda L. Grossman Reply:
    August 30th, 2010 at 6:13 pm

    Thanks Crystal!
    Amanda L. Grossman recently posted..5 Left at the End of the Month- A New Campaign

    [Reply]

  8. Karen
    August 30th, 2010 @ 4:08 pm

    Awesome idea; count me in!

    [Reply]

    Amanda L. Grossman Reply:
    August 30th, 2010 at 6:13 pm

    Thank you Karen!
    Amanda L. Grossman recently posted..5 Left at the End of the Month- A New Campaign

    [Reply]

  9. andrew
    August 30th, 2010 @ 5:52 pm

    Good entry, good idea. Mark me down.

    [Reply]

    Amanda L. Grossman Reply:
    August 30th, 2010 at 6:13 pm

    Thanks Uncle Andy:).
    Amanda L. Grossman recently posted..5 Left at the End of the Month- A New Campaign

    [Reply]

  10. Vickie
    August 30th, 2010 @ 10:00 pm

    Me Too my fellow 16er!

    [Reply]

    FruGal Reply:
    August 31st, 2010 at 8:23 am

    Hi Vickie!

    I just realized I misspelled your name on the card we sent you….sorry!

    Very exciting, thank you for joining!

    [Reply]

  11. Forest
    August 31st, 2010 @ 4:44 am

    Not got a budget right now but am working on it through September…. Anyway I am more than happy to commit a RAC at the end of Sept and let you know what I do…. Will make a great long post :)
    Forest recently posted..Insanity Week 2 Fit Test Results and Update With Video

    [Reply]

    FruGal Reply:
    August 31st, 2010 at 8:23 am

    Hi Forest! Thank you for joining up. Should definitely be interesting:).

    [Reply]

  12. Thankfully Thrifty
    August 31st, 2010 @ 10:37 am

    Okay so you had me at the first sentence… I am also from a twice divorced family and now have 3 separate parents! (You know my stepmom is still “Mom”.) And one is now on their second marriage. And lucky us, my hubby’s parents are divorced (just once, thank goodness) too!
    Thankfully Thrifty recently posted..Guest Post- Frugal Confessions

    [Reply]

    Amanda L. Grossman Reply:
    August 31st, 2010 at 11:12 am

    Hi Thankfully Thrifty!

    Thank you for sharing, and thanks for joining!
    Amanda L. Grossman recently posted..Article Round-up- Get Out of College Debt-Free Edition

    [Reply]

  13. Khaleef @ KNS Financial
    August 31st, 2010 @ 10:48 am

    This is a great idea. Count me in!
    Khaleef @ KNS Financial recently posted..Helping Those in Need is a Reflection of God’s Love!

    [Reply]

    Amanda L. Grossman Reply:
    August 31st, 2010 at 11:13 am

    Thank you Khaleef!
    Amanda L. Grossman recently posted..Article Round-up- Get Out of College Debt-Free Edition

    [Reply]

  14. Suzanne
    August 31st, 2010 @ 11:02 am

    This is an amazing idea! Not only is it a motivator to show yourself you can save, you are doing good for someone else. In our current economic crisis that $5 is huge to someone in need!
    I’m in!
    Thank you for the inspiration!
    Suzanne

    [Reply]

    Amanda L. Grossman Reply:
    August 31st, 2010 at 11:14 am

    You are welcome Suzanne and I am glad you are excited as I am:)
    Amanda L. Grossman recently posted..Article Round-up- Get Out of College Debt-Free Edition

    [Reply]

  15. Frugal Confessions
    September 1st, 2010 @ 8:07 am

    [...] I don’t know whether it’s the simplicity of the system, or watching others who are financially lost use these jars and come out to the light, but I love the idea of money jars for budgeting. However, my husband and I aren’t really on the level where we need to use the jars to budget our money, and perhaps you aren’t either. So, I had an idea to take this a step further and make it relevant to people like you and I. Frugal Decadence is all about making do with less and not compromising on what you would like, so why not use a few jars for some of your variable expenses throughout the month and see if you can’t tweak out extra savings from these expenses to use elsewhere…say to make sure you have $5 left at the end of the month to commit a Random Act of Kindness? [...]

  16. Friday Night Likes — Financially Poor
    September 3rd, 2010 @ 6:02 am

    [...] know much about something I usually don’t buy the cheap stuff.Check these Out@ Frugal Confessions $5 Left At The End Of The Month: A New Campaign@1milchallenge Yakezie Challenge Blog Carnival@BITFS Carnival of Personal Finance #272 – Yogi [...]

  17. Weekly Favorites and Gratitude! «Budgeting In the Fun Stuff
    September 4th, 2010 @ 7:04 am

    [...] Confessions posted $5 Left at the End of the Month:  A New Campaign  I’ve joined the challenge to spend $5 on a random act of kindness every month – pop [...]

  18. Suba@Wealth Informatics
    September 6th, 2010 @ 12:08 pm

    I am in! Amazing idea!
    Suba@Wealth Informatics recently posted..What does Bush Tax Cuts mean to an average Joe

    [Reply]

    FruGal Reply:
    September 6th, 2010 at 5:43 pm

    Hello! Thank you–can’t wait to see what your RAC is.

    [Reply]

  19. Weekly favorites | Financial freedom through information
    September 6th, 2010 @ 12:50 pm

    [...] $5 Left at the End of the Month:  A New Campaign at Frugal confessions. I have joined the challenge to spend $5 on random act of kindness. Check it out if you are interested! [...]

  20. Christian Finance Carnival 2 - A Heart of Compassion Edition | Redeeming Riches
    September 15th, 2010 @ 11:13 am

    [...] L. Grossman presents $5 Left at the End of the Month: A New Campaign posted at Frugal Confessions, saying, “My husband and I have been going over on our budget [...]

  21. The Kindness Challenge « Crystal Clear Thoughts
    September 17th, 2010 @ 10:58 am

    [...] September 17, 2010, at 9:58 am Frugal Confessions had a terrific idea when she started her Random Act of Kindness $5 Challenge.  Squirrelers also brought up some nice stories of good [...]

  22. Frugal Confessions
    September 20th, 2010 @ 8:07 am

    [...] the spirit of the $5 Left at the End of the Month Challenge, I thought it’d be great to highlight some ways that you can donate without spending anything. I [...]

  23. Frugal Confessions
    September 28th, 2010 @ 8:49 am

    [...] of this week, and I hope you come and post yours as well. We have 31 people involved in the $5 Left at the End of the Month Challenge…how exciting! Let’s show everyone what we’ve done and get more people interested. [...]

  24. Frugal Confessions
    October 18th, 2010 @ 8:06 am

    [...] Life is all about making the best of the resources we are given despite a matrix of limitations. This is where effective brainstorming can really make a difference. While working for a marketing company in Florida, I had the distinct pleasure of participating in innovation where I learned how to let my mind crawl around problems, entertain all kinds of crazy ideas, and harvest the nuggets. This has come in handy countless times in both my personal and work life in the last several years, including for my 2010 New Year’s Resolution. Now I am hoping we can make it work for the $5 Left at the End of the Month Challenge. [...]

  25. Frugal Confessions
    November 4th, 2010 @ 7:02 am

    [...] you new to this series? Check out the $5 Left at the End of the Month Challenge, and September’s RAC update articles. My readers and I are up to $160 in kindness impacts so [...]

  26. Frugal Confessions
    December 9th, 2010 @ 6:03 am

    [...] pointing out that you all are responsible for $240 in Random Acts of Kindness since we started the $5 Left at the End of the Month challenge in September. Bravo! Think of the kindness impact this has had in Houston and elsewhere.Here’s our RAC:For [...]

  27. Frugal Confessions
    April 17th, 2011 @ 1:44 pm

    [...] is the first posting of the $5 at the End of the Month Challenge Random Act of Kindness for the month of [...]

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