Give a little?

Today, via Girls Gone Child, I found another adoption story with a Paypal donation button.  And while I don't begrudge people trying to raise money for their adoptions, sometimes the growing trend of Paypal donation buttons can get a little tiring.  But I clicked over to the persons blog to read their story.  And I found out that this family is different.

First, I read about baby Elvie here.  Then I did a little clicking around, and discovered this page.  And what an amazing idea.  Instead of asking you to just GIVE them money, they are asking you to "loan" them the money.  You wont' get your money back, but instead, they will make a "loan" payment each month to a charity that their readers vote on.  Go, read.  I'll wait.

This is what people should be doing.  I know that not every person is in the position to make the loan payments at the time they are asking for funds, but so many come across as nothing more than begging.  How refreshing to find someone committed to making the world a better place in a financially responsible way.

BHBC: Lost and Found by Geneen Roth

This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.

In Lost and Found, Geneen Roth discusses her relationship with money before and after losing her life savings as a victim of the Madoff Ponzi Scheme.  Geneen has spent her life learning how to fix her relationship with food and then teaching others how to do the same.  In this book, she discusses how her relationship with money was fueled by the same feelings and beliefs that fueled her overeating.

Right after Geneen finds out about the loss of their life savings, she goes shopping while in New York City and becomes obsessed over a pair of glasses.  She makes her mother and husband come see the glasses and is convinced that her whole life will be better with those glasses.  Ultimately, a different sales clerk makes her see that those glasses aren’t what she wants, waking her from the haze of the obsession. This moment helps her start to understand how dysfunctional her relationship with money is, and how similar it is to her relationship with food.

This book was a little difficult to read, as some of the things she discusses hit close to home.  I've come away with a better understanding of my relationship with both food and money, and I'm looking forward to working towards making changes because of this awareness.