Money Crashers: Charity and grocery

Two new articles of mine have just popped up on Money Crashers, covering quite different topics. The first one is a rewrite of another author's old article on ways to give to charity when you don't have any money. I updated and expanded the info on the topics she covered — such as giving blood, donating old stuff, or joining a charity walk — and added a few newer ideas, like "donating your birthday" on Facebook or donating all your accumulated change through Coinstar. For all those who are on a tight budget in the current recession but still want to give to those in greater need, I hope it will be useful.

How to Give Back to the Community & Be Charitable on a Budget

Since one of the ideas in the first article is donating food to a food bank, this second piece kind of ties into that by explaining how to pick that food up cheaply. It's all about store brands — why they're cheaper than name brands, how they compare in quality (spoiler: in some cases, they're literally the same product with different labels), and which ones are true bargains.

Generic vs. Name Brand Products at the Grocery Store – How to Choose