Paying it forward - A holiday PC challenge

PrairieMom wrote: Inspiration struck me when I was in the shower just now. (I do some of my best thinking in there )
Anyway, I have been wanting to do something to "pay it forward" for a really long time now, but have never really gotten around to it, and I got to thinking that this holiday season is a great time to do something. So I am. My goal is to do 4 things to Pay it forward between now and the end of the year. I also want to inspire at least 2 of you here to do the same.

Okay, so Right now I have thought of a few tiny things I can do to brighten a strangers day.

1. Pay for the car behind me at a drive through window. ( gotta make sure there aren't a ton of people in it tho.

2. Put a few dimes into the soda machine at work to "pre-load" it so the next person gets a bit of a discount

3. put extra change in parking meters

4. Park far away when I am shopping so someone else can get a closer spot.


I will track my progress here.

Please post any other ideas you have.

Who's with me?

Kirstenmumof3 replied: I think that's a great idea! I'm going to have to think really hard about what I would do! Thanks for the inspiration!

Cece00 replied: Good ideas!

In regards to #3- as long as you are putting extra money into the meter YOU are parked at, its OK...but its actually illegal to put money into meters that the time has run out on, just some FYI, as some ppl dont know you arent supposed to do that.

PrairieMom replied:
really? huh. Thanks. Maybe I will just top off meters that still have time on them. Is that okay? or putting $ in meters that noo ne is parked at yet?

Anthony275 replied: paying for somebody behind you at cvs or the express lane at the super market

sparkys2boys replied: Ok I am in!! What a great idea you have!! I am all about doing special things at xmas for others! Hmm.. gotta think about what I can do now.

luvmykids replied: Some things I already do sometimes but hope to expand on or do more often
A) Let the person in line behind me go next, at the post office, gas station, wherever.

Put quarters in the slot your change comes out of at newspaper machines, vending machines, pay phones, etc.

C) If I'm getting a newspaper from a machine, pay for the person behind me too

D) Go to a laundromat and leave a box of detergent and dryer sheets with a sign that says "use what you need"....if someone uses the whole box, oh well, I've done my part

E) I forgot to add...we're adopting a soldier for six months, with a card or letter every week and a care package once a month.

Calimama replied: What a great idea!!!! I'm in!! Let me think about stuff I can do for a bit.. my brain is fried from homework.

boyohboyohboy replied: count me in!

we are going to bake cookies for the little old lady next door and leave them on her door step secretly this winter...at least twice.

and shovel out the neighbors everytime it snows

offer to watch the kids in calebs kindergarden class so the moms can go christmas shopping for free.

i love the idea of paying for the order of the person behing you at the drive thru.... can we steal that one too?

lovemy2 replied: I think this is a fabulous idea - I will have to think too but

1) help an older or even another mom with kids put groceries in the car (if of course you are lucky enough to be at the grocery store without your own kids )

2) put your spare change in a cup everyday and donate it to a local charity or dump it all in the Salvation Army pot at Christmas

3) have your kids go through their toys with you and donate things that aren't played with anymore, etc.

momofone replied: put money in someone's mailbox (secretly) who is in need.

lovemy2 replied:
Love both of these ideas Mon - where did you adopt the Soldier through? Or Denise - Bellasmommy - can we adopt your DH??????

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Great idea Tara, love these type of posts! Let me think some more, but I'm in. I have been wanting to volunteer lately but can't seem to find the time. So this is another way to do it without having to give up my time with my own kids.

I often let people go infront of me at the grocery store checkout. And I cook meals for moms who just had babies in my mom's club. And I watch my friends kids often. Hmmm, I can't think of any others. I suppose holding the door for people, letting the check-in at the gym front desk first even if I were there first, helping another gym person put away their equipment.....But I want to do MORE.

thinking...thinking...thinking...

luvmykids replied:
We did it through Soldiers Angels and Denise gave me another good site, Operation Shoebox, can't really say what made me choose one over the other

amynicole21 replied:

You can also use AnySoldier.com

AlexsPajamaMama replied: We do the Giving Tree at our local mall...my plan is to teach Alex about giving to others who have less. We bring toys and clothes to Good Will too.

I am really interested in the adopt a soldier idea..Im going to look into that

Great ideas to Pay It Forward...its always so nice to see/hear nice things going on in this world

kit_kats_mom replied: That's great Tara!

We've been doing this lately around here but not with money.

As a mom of a Daisy Scout (and a leader) I'm trying to teach good deeds to Katherine and the beauty of the feeling that helping others gives.

Last week I was leaving Target when an elderly woman was trying to pull her scooter into the space between her car and the curb. She was having trouble so I walked over, told her I'd put her groceries in her car so she could park the scooter. She was thrilled.

On Thursday, Katherine and I were going to pick up Lauren from daycare and there was a big basset hound rambiling down the middle of a busy street. I stopped and pulled over, picked up the dog, called the number on the tag and drove her home. Now my car still smells like dog but Katherine and I both felt great.

We will keep it up.

CantWait replied: Great idea Tara.

How about buying a coffee for the person behind you at Tim Horton's, Starbuck's or Second Cup.

MoonMama replied: Its funny that you posted this because DH and I have been talking about this a lot lately. We have been really blessed and should like you said pay is forward. Here are some things we have been doing. Putting the our change we get back from buying something into the charity jars a lot of places have esp. this time of year. Donating Braedin's old toys a lot are new too actually. We just gave the young couple that live next to my parents who just had a baby a gift card to go out to eat and a gift card to the movies, along with the offer to baby sit (at no charge of course). If possible help someone load their groceries into their car. And I have been taking the elderly lady up the way from us to the store, spending time with her and making extra dinner, cookies etc. and taking them to her (no one else pays any attention to her not even her own children, and she is such a sweetheart). Also like Marie said pay for the person behind us as Starbucks.

ZandersMama replied: I'm so in!

1. Pay for the parking at the hospital for all the parents with babys in the NICU on Christmas Day

2.buy coffee for an elderly gentleman from tim hortans ( i do every year)

hmmmmmmm gonna have to put some thought into this

Brias3 replied: What a great idea! I think I'll steal some of the ideas here already if you all don't mind

What a nice way to get into the holidays...I like that I can get the kids involved too!

My2Beauties replied: Wow these are such thoughtful ideas. I may try a few of these.

A&A'smommy replied: wow I agree.. hmmm let me think about what I can do!!!

Maddie&EthansMom replied:
I have been planning on doing this. I'm praying that God will lay a particular family on my heart and put them in my path so I can bless them this Christmas. Last Christmas when Scotty was out of work we got an anonymous donation this way. It will be so nice to pay God back for what He did for us during that time. What better way than to bless one of His children in need.

Tara you have some excellent ideas!

lisar replied: I like this idea. I will try to do some of these things.

lisar replied:
They really made yall pay for parking. They gave us a parking pass and with parking spots reserved at the door. Only for NICU moms. That is a great idea though. If it wasnt free here thats something I would do.

Insanemomof3 replied:
omg that last one is awesome. Where do you do that???

luvmykids replied:
We did it through soldiersangels.com, there is also operationshoebox.com and anysoldier.com.

I may add another name or two from anysoldier, they had emails from some of them posted and it was really touching

Soldiersangels does ask you to commit to the letter every week and pkg every month, the others don't. Anysoldier.com looked neat because you just do whatever you can, whenever you can.

Boo&BugsMom replied:
Why is that? I'd sure be happy if I wasn't able to get out there in time to put in more change and someone happened to be so kind as to put a few coins in there for me.

PrairieMom replied: I did my first pay it forward thing last night. I took $1. 35 in pocket change and put a bit in 6 different vending machines. So, hopefully I made 6 people smile a bit, or at least go when they got extra change back.

bawoodsmall replied: What a great way to get into the holidays. I am also going to steal some of the ideas and I have one of my own believe it or not that I have been meaning to do just cuz. Bake cookies and have them set out at the kids daycare with a little note. Thanks for getting me into the true meaning of Christmas Tara.

PrairieMom replied:

MotherForever2043 replied: What great ideas Here are some I'm going to try and do:

1) Pay for the person in front of me in the Dunkin Donuts line.

2) Start Recycling


I'll keep thinking of more.

ZandersMama replied:
2$ every time we went over. 2 or 3 times a day.

PrairieMom replied: I did my 2nd pay it forward thing today, I bought the lady in the car behind me at burger king breakfast. I hope it made her smile!

jacobsmama replied: I am in too! great ideas!!!

how about:


Pay the highway toll for the person behind you.

Hold the door for someone.

Pay someone a compliment every day.

Visit an elderly person who is lonely and would really enjoy it!


Wow..Inspired

Kaitlin'smom replied: okay I am in.

I will hold dorrs open when I can

I want to give that anomous money, I just need to figure a good way to collect/save up and do it close to christmas.

I am going to donate some items to Kaitlins school food drive

I got my co-woker some milk for her kids lunches that does nto need refridration and would not let her pay me back.

I bought coffee for a stanger

I will keep working

bawoodsmall replied: I payed for everyones candy fix at work for the next couple days by leaving money aat the bar so when someone comes to get some the bartender just tells them its on the house.

PrairieMom replied:

You have a bar that dispenses candy? I want that at my work! Actually, a bar at my work would be nice too.