The following excerpt is from the just released book Bitches on a Budget: Sage Advice for Surviving Tough Time in Style, by Rosalyn Hoffman. This is reprinted with permission from the New American Library division of Penguin books.

Volunteer

Remember keeping your elderly neighbor company when you were a kid? She was such a lovely woman, so patient, so wise; she taught you all those card games you’re so glad you know now. Like gin rummy and poker. You gave something away, you got something in return. Yeah, this isn’t quite staying in, but volunteer in your community; it’s a homey feeling.

If you’re the oldest of thirteen, spent most of your life as mini-mom—you’re excused. No more responsibilities. Go have fun.

Everyone else, you know who you are, step forward. You may not have loads of cash on hand, but you surely have loads of time. So put on your little thinking caps and consider what you can do for someone else. It’ll be a lot more satisfying than that pair of shoes you were dying for that now dig into your heels, pinch your toes—not to mention the spill you took when you turned your ankle because even with all those criss-crossing straps the damn things don’t stay on well and are so high. Gladiator shoes belong in the dark ages. But we digress.

Make it fun. Nothing should feel all serious and penance like. Do something with a friend, or a group of friends. Sit around, talk to people, really talk. If this time has taught you nothing else it should be that life spins and turns on a dime; we are separated only by an accident of time and space, and the person on the receiving end of your help could just as easily be you.

Plan a night out a week when you and your friends or family all go work in a soup kitchen, homeless shelter, or food pantry. Maybe babysit for the moms so they can get a night off. Go to a nursing home and read a book to someone who’s bed-bound, or offer to record his or her life story. Pitch in at a community garden. Do a Habitat for Humanity project for a week or a weekend. Go to immigrant aid societies and offer practice conversation to those who are studying English. Be a Big Sister. Mentor in a school. Be a coach. We all have something we love to do, find a way to share it with a younger person or an older person or just another person or a dog at the shelter. Or, if you’re a complete misanthrope, pick up trash on the side of the road.

Roz writes for her daily blog Bitches on a Budget. Follow her on Facebook.

For more witty wisdom, add a copy of Roz’s new best-selling book Bitches on a Budget: Sage Advice for Surviving Tough Times in Style to your library.

About the author: Vivanista

Vivanista is a member-based, lifestyle community for fundraising volunteers. Sharing of unique insights, expert tips and a spirit of giving empowers members to improve their own lives and the lives of others.

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