The Power of $12

I consciously handed out Christmas cards last month to local friends to see how much I could save by forgoing stamps. It was a little experiment to bring awareness to my personal wasteful spending.

I handed out 26 cards throughout December, saving me just over $12. I purposely cut back to have some extra cash on hand for someone who may need it.

What if we all consciously cut back on an area of our life in order to help someone else?

I posted my little story on Facebook as a reminder of how often we take for granted $12. That afternoon I received a message from a single mom saying how much she could use that money, as she had bought her mother a Christmas gift but didn’t have the money to ship it.

It was a perfect use of the money I had saved, so she could ship her gift instead.

Where can you save $12 this week and intentionally turn that money into a blessing?

My friend gave up going to a movie with her family as she had no desire to see the latest Star Wars movie and intentionally wanted to bless someone with that ticket money instead.

My daughter thought my little saving quest was crazy. Big deal, she voiced. How’s $12 going to help anyone? She and her girlfriend rode along with me to drop the small amount of cash in the Mom’s mailbox. I talked with the girls about how much a stamp actually costs (.66), the power of $12, and how we should always look for small ways that we can help others.

Our children are growing up in a world of privilege. They watch us parents grab daily Starbucks or whatever vice we consistently indulge ourselves with. We forget that our kids are watching how we choose to spend and save our money.

We need to model for our children ways that we intentionally cut back, showing them that small amounts of money can make a difference for others. Kids form their opinion of how the world really operates through watching our actions.

Do they witness us going without for the benefit of another often enough?

We forget that $12 can absolutely make a difference. Maybe it won’t help someone pay the bills, but it can certainly contribute to them.

Let’s contribute more than we consume. Cut back so that others can receive. Give away ordinary amounts to bless others regularly.

What can you do this week, month, and year to intentionally cut back in an area of your life so that you may have an extra $12 to bless another?