Little savings really add up. I’m always harping on to my kids about making sure they finish all the food on their plate. Over dinner we talk about children in the world who have little or no food. When I put my kids to bed I explain why they are so lucky to have a safe house, a cosy bed and necessities like warm blankets, clothes, shoes and socks. We discuss the homeless who are sleeping on the street tonight. When driving to school we talk about how many children in the world don’t get to go to school and the luxury of an education.
We also talk about the meaning of ‘spoilt’ and why it is important to be grateful – about everything.
FYI: Here are the official definitions of ‘to spoil’ and ‘gratitude’
To Spoil
To impair, damage, or harm the character or nature of (someone) by unwise treatment, excessive indulgence, etc.: to spoil a child by pampering him.
Gratitude
The quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful: He expressed his gratitude to everyone on the staff.
Source: Dictionary.com
Waste not & do something
Sometimes I feel as though I’m making my children feel guilty about being so lucky, and then I think no. This is because deep down I do have a ‘thing’ about ‘waste’ and I do believe it is my social responsibility as a human, adult, mother and parent to do something to help and to also educate my children about how to give, care, help and ‘do.’
If you’ve read Table Tucker you will know the extent I went to (in writing the book) and also still go to daily, to not waste food and to recycle and reuse items as much as possible. The Table Tucker and Savings Room journey, in terms of research, has also been a real eye-opener in terms of world affairs and statistics. Generally, mums like me are too busy to get down to world statistics on any given day of the week. Unless we are afforded the luxury of reading extensively daily, these days we receive our information in bite-sized chunks via social media, news feeds, easy-to-digest books, the media and even via word-of-mouth from more time-rich relatives and friends. We do this between the demands of our home and work lives, children’s schedules and the daily pressures life throws at us.
So, many years ago, while researching for Table Tucker, I went on the hunt for some fast, ‘real-time’ bite-sized statistics I could absorb quickly and I was shocked with what I discovered:
An amazing website….
Step 1: Take a visit to Worldometers
This amazing website will open up any time-poor person’s eyes and quickly. If you are a busy parent or person like me, one of the biggest bites of reality you can give yourself is a visit to this website:
This site is incredible for watching world statistics in real time, as they happen and believe me these statistics are staggering to watch. The stats are also hugely depressing and very sad. So please be warned, these statistics are not for the faint-hearted.
Step 2. Get a staggering bite of reality
Here are a few current statistics I grabbed while writing this article.
These stats change by the second, minute and hour. They are so overwhelming you might wonder how you could help at all? Because yes – these world problems and statistics are staggering….
- During Writing: Undernourished people in the world 890,121,154
- During Writing: People who died of hunger today 27,311
- During Writing: Deaths from water related diseases today 4,404
- During Writing: People with no safe drinking water source 736,176,140
I’ll leave you to think about these stats while I move onto Step 3.
Step 3. Learn more about the current urgent African food crisis
Another current world issue, which I recently learned about through CARE Australia, is the devastating food crisis that has struck many parts of Africa. There are a staggering 20 million people across the Sahel who are running out of food and up to five million children who are expected to become acutely malnourished.
CARE estimates that:
“In some parts, half the population will exhaust their food stocks by the end of June and the United Nations is warning that famine is imminent in South Sudan.”
You can read more about the crisis at CARE’s website.
Step 4: Commit small & become part of something bigger (than you)
Read on to discover how you can help – even in a small way, while you help yourself this tax time:
Let’s face it. We are an extremely busy nation and many of us don’t have the time, like me, to get our head around the stats and even if we wanted to help, we wonder how our small contribution could help the mammoth problems facing the world, as listed above.
But your small contribution and that of your friend, mother, sister, group of friends, community and region adds up into a bigger contribution – and thus together we grow into a CARING nation that is making a true difference in the world.
Look at tax time another way….
While many of us dread tax time, in terms of the associated administration tasks and business ATO payments that need to be made, you could look at tax time another way:
“Tax time is an excellent opportunity for individuals, as well as small and large business people, to enjoy the heart-warming satisfaction of helping others less fortunate, while also gaining a benefit in tax savings.”
Step 5: Calculate your tax savings
To soften the blow of the June 30 tax deadline, CARE Australia has launched a handy calculator to help people maximise their tax return when making charitable donations. Found at www.care.org.au/tax, donors simply enter the amount they would like to give, as well as selecting their income. The calculator will then work out how much tax will be received back for a contribution made to CARE Australia.
By donating to CARE Australia, donors will not only be assisting someone in need, but will be boosting their tax return at the same time.
Here’s an example of possible tax savings:
For a salary of $37,001 – $80,000 this is how you can help and the tax savings you can make according to Care Australia’s Tax Calculator:
- $112 can provide food for a month for 7 children – Tax Saving $36.40
- $300 can provide 10 families with bags of rice – Tax Saving $97.50
- $500 can provide 5 families with cash for essentials – Tax Saving $162.50
Step 6: Place a donation & make a difference
Donate before 30 June to claim your deduction in this year’s tax return! Visit www.care.org to read more. You can place a donation online or donate by calling 1800 020 046. Donations over $2 are tax deductible.
Mahatma Gandhi
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
Do you have any tips for creating tax savings? Comment below because sharing is caring!
