.... and giving

I'm immensely thankful for the budget I recently put together: I gave myself a weekly food-and-fun allowance, and a weekly charity allowance. The charity allowance, in particular, has made it possible for me to give money, almost instantly, when I see a need, instead of having to weigh it against what I want or what I need. I'm lucky that, even though I tend to feel cash-strapped, I'm really very lucky in that I have enough money to do this.

Whatever your situation, you can always click daily at The Hunger Site.

As for monetary donations, I'm spreading my money around -- smart investing or indecisiveness, take your pick. My three favorite charities of the moment:

Everyone's favorite, the Red Cross.

Catholic Charities USA (not least because I'm Catholic myself).

The Southern Mutual Help Association -- I just learned of them today, via I-forget-which-blogger, but I really like their mission statement.

I've also given money, in the past, to Mercy Corps -- an especially good place to go (imho) for giving international aid. I've heard good things about America's Second Harvest, but haven't yet given them any money, not least because I can contribute to their efforts (and also Mercy Corps's) for free via The Hunger Site.