For years you’ve had to choose how to make yourself feel good by giving to charity or giving to yourself by shopping.
But now you don’t have to choose, or at least not quite as much.
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Welcome to the TheGivingMachine an innovative online platform and fundraising organisation designed to help charitable causes raise money online, by allowing shoppers to support the charities and communities they care about when shopping online. So now every time you give yourself a treat, you’re giving a charity a hand at the same time.
But even shopping can get boring (unbelievable we know). So if that happens here are some suggestions for other new years resolutions to keep yourself busy and doing good this year.
Resolutions for
Change Everything
Food
Music
Skills
Get Writing
Your Finances
Getting Out
Health
The World
Etiquette
Animals
Your Personality
Holidays
Home
Family
Work
Students
Yourself
You could try one these...
Commit to enjoy yourself, hang around with people who make you happy and do things your enjoy. And have fun on new year’s eve, not worrying about the year to come. |
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Not a blog or a Facebook page, not something you share with the world. But you know a record you can look back to remind yourself of where you’ve been in life that year. If nothing else it’ll help with your 2018 list of new year’s resolutions. |
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From food banks, to distributing food to those who are homeless there’s a lot you can do to help out in your community. And if you end up getting in trouble with the courts and receiving community service, it’ll look less suspicious if you’re already helping out. |
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This has been fashionable for a while so get with the trend. Top up somebody’s parking meter, pay for a coffee for someone who can’t afford one at a coffee shop. Anything small, that makes someone’s life seem a little nicer. You’d appreciate it if someone did it for you. |
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Give blood, sign up to be an organ donor or get tested to see if you’re a match for giving bone marrow. It’s amazing how much useful stuff you’re full of and how easy it is to share with those in need. |
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Well ok not literally. But more and more libraries and community schemes are creating social book projects. Where you agree to meet up with people to talk about interesting life experiences. It’s fun, helpful and you probably won’t get your pages dog-eared. |
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Why not? Have a laugh by making other people laugh. Find an open mike, write some jokes and stand up for yourself. Your friends may laugh at the idea, they won’t be laughing afterward. |
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Knitting, baking cookies, planting flowers all seem nice? But there are extreme knitters and anarchist gardeners. Covering government buildings in yarn or growing vegetable in abandoned government land. The revolution may turn out to be surprising. |
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Move to another town, move to another country. Or just in your own city, don’t get stuck in a rut. Besides with global warming, most of us are going to be heading to higher ground. |
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Spare bedroom? Air B’nB it. Got junk sell it on Ebay? Then reinvest it in other junk you can sell. Don’t get fixated on earning your way 9-5. Not many become a millionaire or even all that happy working the day job. |
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Did you know 30% of the food produced in the world is wasted? Compost your leftovers, don’t over provision make the world a better place. Just don’t post your leftover kebabs to a charity you think will appreciate them. |
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You’ve probably gotten into the habit of eating at your desk, watching TV or walking down the street. Not concentrating on eating means you don’t enjoy it and miss out on the joys of it and probably eat the wrong thing. Treat eating like lovemaking and enjoy the experience. |
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Sharing meals with friends, family, maybe even your colleagues at work is a great way of bringing people closer to you. Just be careful if you eat out you don’t fall out with all of them, over splitting the bill. |
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What you eat can have a profound effect on the world you live in. Everything from Styrofoam takeaway containers and food miles wrecking the environment to cruel factory farming. Make an effort to eat more kindly so you don’t give yourself guilty heartache and heartburn. |
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Try something you haven’t tried before, if you’re eating the same thing all the time your taste buds are just going to get jaded. Whatever’s out there give it a go, you are what you eat, so why don’t you become something exotic? |
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If you’re over 25 chances are your favourite bands are doing some tours somewhere. Holiday camps, cruises can have the kind of lineup you would once have had to go to a major sporting arena and been ripped off to see. So why not catch up the sounds of your youth, it may just be a chance to make new connections? And rock stars are famously not long lived, so seize the chance. |
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If you haven’t gone to an Opera go to one. Challenge your tastes that way if you don’t like classical music or whatever at least you’re a philistine with authority. But more likely you may just find you appreciate it. |
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It’s great it mixes up poetry, performance and singing and forgives you if you’re not that good at any of those skills. You might even want to get involved in rap battles for fun, though you’d better get right or develop a thick skin before you drop those sick lines. |
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Because it’s easier than most other instruments, you can take it most places with you. And nothing says it’s going to be a fun evening than somebody getting out a ukelele. |
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Not only is it cheaper than singing lessons on your own, but it’s a great chance to meet new people and not have to listen to the sound of your own voice until it gets a little sweeter. |
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If you’re traveling the world, or just helping out at your local old peoples facility, then you’ll rapidly find chess is an international language. Travel the world, meet new and exciting people and get your ass kicked by them. |
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Because being able to code is going to be the language of this millennia. And once you’ve learned how to do it, you can share with other people. Remember a Raspberry Pi doesn’t have to be just a tasty treat. |
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Not only is it a useful skill, but like with first aid it might help you save someone’s life. That and there’s a new Baywatch movie with the Rock in it coming out this summer, so it’ll contribute to making you look cool. |
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Ok sign language is a terrible language to learn right? But even just learning a few signs can make a real difference to someone who’s deaf who doesn’t have anyone to talk to. It’s also potentially useful for cheating at pub quizzes. |
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Don’t make the decision to learn CPR or the Heimlich maneuver when you actually need to use these skills. Learning first aid is your chance to help others when they really need you. Besides you can also get your hands on bandages and pretend that you’re a mummy. |
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Poetry isn’t so terrible compared to most things, learn rhyme meter and start getting your thoughts together and you’re half way there. You may even get invited to write them for weddings and such like. Or you can just send your friends obscene limericks at Xmas. |
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Online or in person, if you’re writing then share it and why not share it with other people you’re actually sharing a room with? If you’ve got the stomach for it, you may even get useful feedback. |
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It’s never been easier to get writing and it’s never been simpler to get published (well online that is). And there’s even projects like Nanowrimo that encourage you to get that novel written in just a month alongside other writers. |
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It’s never been easier to get your thoughts out there. So whether you like Lego, Persian cats or conspiracy theories about how Colonel Saunders and Mr Kipling secretly rule the world get your thoughts out there. |
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Online publishing has made everyone a potential author, now you don’t need to actually print on paper (which is basically just mutilated tree corpses). So now for just a few pence or nothing, you can explore the works of thousands or millions of new writers. Some will be rubbish, some won’t be able to spell one of them might be the next Emily Dickinson. |
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Most supermarkets, stores or even online companies have some sort of loyalty scheme. It may seem not worth but all those fractions of pennies add up. And you may find yourself getting some bonus vouchers just when you need them at the end of the year. And your friends and family get all of their gifts bought with nectar points. |
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Not only should you take time to check you haven’t got forgotten standing orders, also check your money is in the right place. Can you move some of your earnings into a higher interest account, or use your savings to pay off debts faster? It’s like juggling but you won’t look stupid doing it. |
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Have you been a good customer? Always paid on time? Are you being taken for granted? Then get in touch with your service providers and ask them to reward your loyalty. Remember when your contracts up you can leave your mobile provider for someone who really appreciates your commitment. |
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Got regular bills for all sorts of things from gas to phone bills? Go on a comparison site and consider switching, a lot of companies make their billions by assuming nobody cares to check out they’re paying double what they need to for utilities. And why not compare other things like pets or your spouse? Don’t like it, change it! |
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This may sound dull but it can be more like a treasure hunt. It’s amazing how many old direct debits, standing orders and other holes there may be in your leaky boat of a bank account. So get searching and get plugging. |
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There are now all sorts of giant open air games you can play. From recreating battle in Lord of the Rings, to pretending to be Middle Ages Peasants. Get a costume, get in character and pretend you’re not who you actually are for a weekend or a day, easy enough to find online.. Just you remember that you don’t actually take the simulating the Black Death Experience all the way. |
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The internet has made a day doing car booting far more exciting than it ever used to be. No more picking through other tat, broken mugs for TV shows you’ve never heard of. Now you can look up how much everything is actually worth. Just remember so can the seller, let the battle of wits begin. |
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Try this with friends it’s a weird new craze that started recently. You get locked in a room and have to solve puzzles to get out. In fact there are some bigger versions online where you can recreate that favourite game show of the 1990s the Crystal Maze. Just make sure it’s a legit game and you’re not about to get held hostage by some weirdo. |
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There are lots of sites where people leave favorite books in public spots like train stations, then let people know where to find. You can do this yourself or look for other people’s books, either way it’s a great way to go out and find a book. Just don’t leave it in a bookshop or you’ll get someone done for shoplifting |
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Geocaching and similar hobbies combines the internet with the great outdoors. People set up clues on the web that help you find things in the real world. Just like a pirate treasure map but with no real treasure or bloodthirsty pirates either. |
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Persistent cough, or stomach ache? Might not be anything could be something, value yourself and your health. Check stuff out, talk to your doctor don’t wait for concerned friends to prompt you. |
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Doing good for yourself by doing good for others, walk people’s dogs, cut grass, there are even charity volunteer schemes with personal trainers. You can lose weight by pulling your own weight. |
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This is another great free form of exercise. Ditch the lift or the escalator and start walking, remind yourself that some people pay gym memberships to walk up stairs, suckers! But maybe if you work on the sixth floor build yourself up a bit first. |
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There are few exercises that are easier to get into your daily routine. Just walking to the shops or work or whatever will start getting you into better shape. It’s easy to fit a mile a day into your daily routine, just remember to come home again at the end of it or you’ll end up in the sea. |
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The one thing you can be sure of on January first is you will be a year older sort of. So all those leaflets you get at the doctors surgery about checking out all your bits are working? Read them and check yourself so you don’t wreck yourself. |
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In a world where you can be communicating instantly with the other side of the globe. It can be easy to lose touch with the people next door. So get to know people in your street, you never when you can help each other out. Unless you think they look dodgy of course then avoid them or maybe keep an eye on them. |
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There’s so many good jobs that need doing, that people don’t get paid for. Everything from clearing parks to visiting the elderly or helping at hospitals. Give your time as well as money, what else were you planning on doing with your spare time? |
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Most of the real decisions get made at the local level. Defend your local park or library write your MP. You might even get your question read out in Parliament, if only to illustrate a debate on why people shouldn’t get the vote. |
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All that free news media you might be getting via the news media is taking funding away from actual journalism. Don’t support good journalism and it will disappear, leaving you to rely on those 37 amazing facts to know what’s happening in the world. |
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If you commit to giving a charity a fiver a month that can really help. Because they can then rely on that regular income, plus you can feel less guilty about dodging chuggers. |
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The internet can be more than a little bit addictive. So if you find yourself spending more than 8 hours a day online, then you know go out and smell the flowers maybe? Just take your phone with you and tweet about it. |
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Being on social media is a great way of keeping in touch with what’s happening in the world and telling it what you’re up to. But clichéd as it maybe nobody wants to see your cat, or your dinner and if your cat is your dinner they’ll probably email the RSPCA. |
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There’s been a lot of big things happening in the world in 2016, no denying that. So it’s easy to get excited about everything from who’s been voted president to who’s won Xfactor. Either way don’t be rude and don’t stay up till 4am telling someone in Texas you’ll never meet why you’re right. |
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It’s easy to get into the habit of using text speak, but it really stops you saying what you mean clearly. Because once you LOL, ROFL, PMSL or ROFLPMSL why bother saying laugh, chortle or howl? Not to mention when you say PMSL you know what you just said? |
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Force yourself to imagine that you’re in the same room as the person you’re talking to and looking at them. Be polite, be nice make the internet better place to be. You wouldn’t want to be called a “ROFL noob”? Now would you? |
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Animals live in the wild, they don’t live in metal cages or circuses. So you know if you want to see animals go on holiday, watch them on telly or maybe visit a Safari park. Don’t view them in a zoo and listen to all the kids saying, “are all the monkeys that sad daddy?” |
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If you like animals and want them to have a beautiful life then not eating them is a great first step. Or at least eating them in such a way they get a relatively more pleasant life or maybe go vegetarian a couple of days a week? I mean they don’t eat you, so return the favour. |
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Few things can be more restful than sitting by a pond throwing bread at the ducks. But choose to do it responsibly, get advice on what won’t poison them. And if you feed them in places like city centers then the council may try to remove them, so feed them carefully. |
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There’s a lot of great reason for adopting a cat. Cats are amusing to watch, nice to stroke and will with practice do their business in a plastic box. Also if you ever get to full of yourself, the contemptuous way your cat treats you as a provider of tinned food will bring you back down to earth. |
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Having a dog (if you don’t have one already or why not get another if you do). Will help you make feel good about yourself. By having at least one person who’s pleased to see you and will listen adoringly to your every word, however much nonsense you spout. It’s also good for the dog, so it’s win-win. |
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Find books you’d never normally read and give them a try. Widen your thinking you’ll find you’re giving your brain some much-needed exercise. |
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Smiling makes you feel good, it actually affects your thinking. Other people like see you smiling, you’re making the world a happier place. And the people who don’t like seeing smiles? Enjoy knowing they’ll be bothered by what you’re so damned happy about. |
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Find reasons you like yourself, write them down, then in the morning look in the mirror read them back to yourself and remind yourself why you’re a good person. Like that scene in Taxi Driver only with less guns. |
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It really doesn’t hurt to smile, say thank you and be agreeable to people you meet. It’s nice to be nice isn’t it? |
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Yes I know you’re not racist, you wouldn’t be reading a wholesome list like this if you were would you? Stand up and say something next time you witness something, listen and speak if you think anyone might be, being insensitive. |
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Go on the vacation you weren’t expecting. Pick the cheapest flight on a comparison site or just throw a dart at a map of the world and go where it sends you. Ok if the dart lands in the middle of the ocean you’re allowed a do-over. |
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There are all sorts of schemes looking for people to volunteer. Be it teaching English or helping to deliver aid to refugees, you’re needed. You’ll get to see the world, help out and meet interesting people. You’ll also be able to sneer smugly at your mates who spent their holidays on the beach which is also a bonus. |
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Find a way of hitchhiking, or going by boat or just walking. See if you can see the world without spoiling it with your carbon footprint. It’ll be a challenge, it’ll be an adventure, it’ll take a lot of planning. It will most likely be worth it, don’t cheat though and just stay down the pub. |
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Don’t take it too far! No running with the bulls or signing up as a mercenary unless that’s what you want to do. But if you’re scared of nature, why not buy a tent and go camping? Or if you can’t swim, learn to swim, heck why not learn to scuba dive? (Probably best to learn to swim before that one though) |
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Does this sound obvious? Well yes but with the expense and being busy, just finding the time to take a vacation can be surprisingly difficult. So locate the time and commit to having that holiday.
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Or rather a home warming, if you’ve tidied up or redecorated or just thrown out the vomit coloured rug that smelled of vomit in the front room then celebrate. Why not? You’ve earned it. |
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If you’ve got a spare room or even just floor space start making your home earn it’s keep. Meet fascinating people from around the world who are too cheap to pay for a hotel room. It’s like going on holiday, without leaving your house or traveling. |
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Or just get a design aesthetic going on, it doesn’t have to be anything major or cost money. But just rearranging stuff in your home and trying to make it make sense can make you comfortable in your space. Just don’t remove anything too vital like the sink or toilets. |
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It’s amazing how used you get to have lots of junk about the place. Just chucking out broken chairs nobody sits on or those old drawers full of instructions for electrical devices you binned a decade ago can make it feel like you’ve got a whole new home. And besides if you watch Antiques road show, some of that old junk might be worth something to someone with more money than sense. |
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It’s amazing how used you get to have lots of junk about the place. Just chucking out broken chairs nobody sits on or those old drawers full of instructions for electrical devices you binned a decade ago can make it feel like you’ve got a whole new home. And besides if you watch Antiques road show, some of that old junk might be worth something to someone with more money than sense. |
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Because when you donate not only will combining your donations enable you to do more. But it’ll give you a project to share, particularly since many charities such as sponsoring children will send you reports on how they’re doing. Just so long as you don’t end up having to compete with a child in a distant country, who never forgets to write. |
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Because using a written form of communication shows real appreciation and effort. It’s a media that people can share without any electrical devices. And besides your mom can’t post it online and embarrass, well not unless she can work out how to use a scanner. |
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Because we’re all growing up so fast and none of us are around forever. You don’t always know what will be the important memories do you? That and having photographic evidence is the best way of winning any argument, right? |
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Your parents, raised you cared for you they should get to see you. And not just because they’ve got a washing machine and mom can be persuaded to do your ironing, even though you’re 30. |
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Because family time is important and you’ll miss it when it’s gone, won’t you? That and it’ll mean you get at least one good meal a week you didn’t prepare yourself. |
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Find out about their interests, take the time to chat them more and share time. You’re going to be spending a lot of time with your colleagues make the most of it. Unless you work on your own, in which case you might want to get out more. |
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Because nobody’s going to promote if you’re doing the same job you were doing that you were doing 20 years ago. Be enthusiastic, be interested and it just might make the job more fun. Well unless you’re testing roller coasters because that sounds pretty fun already. |
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It’s always somebodys birthday, or someone’s doing something sponsored. But it doesn’t cost much and it makes for a happier workplace. Plus it’s a great chance to give to a charity you’ve never heard of. Well unless it’s something dodgy like protecting fox hunting, but that’s not likely is it? |
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But what else am I going to do to make the long days pass at work? How about your job? Gossiping not only annoys other people, but the bottom line is you’re gossiping will be the subject of gossip soon enough. |
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Showing you’re committed to your job will make you more famous, with your colleagues and your boss. Besides you know what’s awful about always wrong about being permanently 5 minutes late? You’ll realize that 5 minutes is when all the really cool gossip happens. |
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Sure anyone can cook, but if you’re a student it can make a real difference. Being a student means being on a budget. And learning how to prepare your own meals can banish the misery of tinned beans, ramen and occasionally tinned beans with ramen. And the upshot? When people realize you can cook, you’ll become famous fast. |
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It can be easy to focus on just passing with the best grade in your subject. But as much as you can broaden your own horizons and you’ll gain. If you’re doing literature, why don’t you pick the writer nobody else has chosen. In history want a less chosen era, the more you push yourself the more you’ll learn. |
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College can be a scary, intense and overwhelming experience, this can be a real bonus. Don’t just learn from your books, lectures and the internet. You’re surrounded by students from all around the world and all sorts of backgrounds. Make a commitment to get to know your fellow scholars, you might be surprised what they can teach you. |
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Have you been following the news this year? If not, you should start now. There’s a lot of things happening in the world, somethings like growing student debt affect you, somethings like global warming… also affect you. Being at college surrounded by other young people, is the best time to get involved and change things. |
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You know the oldest joke about procrastination, when are you going to stop procrastinating? Tomorrow! Well stop today, being a student is a busy time. You’ve got to study, complete assignments, you’ve probably got a job. So if you end up procrastinating all the time, the bottom line is you won’t have time enjoy the best 3 years of your life. |
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This is crazy but riding a bike improves your life on so many levels as opposed to driving. Gets you fitter, saves money, de-stresses you on the way to work. So think bike and get your life into the right gear. |
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This is the one everybody promises to do (well ok everybody who’s a smoker) and the government tries to push you to do. But the kicker is, it’s for a good reason. Smoking is not okay for you, addictive and not actually that enjoyable. So don’t spend your breaks at work standing out in the street, commit to giving up. And maybe giving some of the money you save to charity? |
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Great if you’re already a none drinker, don’t take it up to give it up. But drinking is something you get used to doing and when you stop, you’ll find your fitter, thinner, happier and you’ve got more money. The kicker is unfortunately you may need to find more interesting things to talk about. |
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All the benefits of getting fit and finding inner peace in one package, that’s probably the wrong attitude but it works. It gets better you’ll also always have a spare mat if somebody wants to sleep over at your house. |
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Or any other big sporting event, give yourself something to aim and it’s a great way of raising money for a charity. All that training and building up to the big day will be fun and the bottom line is you’ll be amazed how much your friends and family will cheer you on. |
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Why not? Sounds radical, but that might be why it’s a good idea! Turn yourself into your very own living piece of work. And if you get lost a lot and you’re forgetful, get your address tattooed somewhere and someone can always help you home. |
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Mindfulness is a great way of stopping and smelling the flowers and appreciating the world around you. This is crazy you could just stop and smell the flowers, but why not try some mindfulness classes you might be surprised what you learn. |
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We all want to travel the world meet new and exciting people and by learning a new language you’ll also be able to get to speak to them! Better still you’ll be able to learn a new way of thinking too! |
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It’s great to get fit, it’s great to get out, it’s great to make new friends. It’s even better to do all 3 at the same time. It gets better you even get an excuse to wear fashionable sportswear, without people wondering if it’s been painted on you. |
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It’s easier to face life’s big challenges if being big isn’t one of them. Christmas is over, the New Years eve party finished. Time to be a bigger person whilst being a smaller one at the same time. What’s the bottom line? Having a smaller bottom. |
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