Help for a family in Georgia

I read this article today and have decided to help this family whose difficult time was made even harder due to the greed and insensitivity of others. I would encourage you to offer what little bit of help you can. There is an email address to contact the family in this story. I'm sure they need all of the kind words, prayers and yes, financial support, that they can get.

Foreclosed family watches helplessly as craigslist crowds strip house bare

WOODSTOCK, Ga. -- A family in Woodstock, who just lost their home of 20 years to foreclosure and are preparing to move out, lost even more on Wednesday.
And it was because of what they triggered when they posted a craigslist ad Tuesday night.
Their online post was just a well-meaning ad for a giveaway in their driveway outside the small house, a giveaway scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

I am awaiting an email response from the family. So I can't say yet that I've been able to help them. But I pray that some of us might be able to make their situation a little less difficult. I know all of you will do what you can.

Back after a hiatus from posting - looking forward to sharing some new stories with you

Earlier in the summer, I took a break from posting updates to givingawayfreemoney.com, as many of you have noticed. During that time, I wasn't posting new blog updates but I was reading to and responding to emails I received both here and on the Facebook page.

I appreciate your patience during this down time and hope everyone realizes that even when I'm not posting on the blog, I am still around.

I received so many messages from so many wonderful people. It makes it difficult to decide who I can or should help, how much to give, etc.

So this time I chose to send $300 to Carl from Missouri, who needed help with electric bills that have been piling up. Like most of us here in the States know, it was a very very hot summer. It's really easy to run up the electric bill in a hurry when you have no choice but to run the A/C morning and night just to stay comfortable.

Carl didn't mention if he had a family or if he lived alone. But in any event, I think this will help get him back in the good graces of the utility people.

It does make me feel great to be able to help people, even if it's in a small way like this. As always, I encourage you to do the same for your friends, neighbors, family and even strangers if you can. It's easy if you try.

Have a wonderful day everyone. Keep the letters coming and I'll be back here soon with another update.

Joined Facebook today

I joined Facebook today. I'm not sure if it will help get the word out about this site. But I don't suppose it could hurt. If you're interested in checking out or "liking" my Facebook page, it's located here: Giving Away Free Money Facebook Page.

As you can see, I'm back. Hopefully I'll be updating with news and giving away more money soon.

Thanks everyone.

Let's start summer off with some free money - time to share with some folks who need it

Well, summer officially arrives today in the Northern Hemisphere. So for me, that means summer has officially begun. Three months of sun and generally lovely weather. I'm looking forward to making it a great one.

It also seems like a good time to get back into the giving spirit. I've gotten A LOT of letters lately and have been a bit lazy in following up with personal responses. So to make up for it, I'd like to really help out a few great people today.

Free money recipient #1 goes by the initials "J.S." and is from the province of Ontario, Canada. I am sending J.S. $500.00 (US) for his/her family's use for groceries and possibly for a small family outing to the beach. I wasn't immediately aware they had beaches in Ontario. But I suppose one of the Great Lakes counts. Or perhaps they're heading to the Atlantic coast? I've been as far north as the state of Maine on the Atlantic seaboard and it's lovely this time of year, if a bit chilly for the swimmers.

Recipient #2 is Monica from California, USA. I happened to catch a Beach Boys concert live for the first time in my life recently and enjoyed it tremendously. A letter from the beautiful state of California made me a bit nostalgic for a different era when the Boys sang about sun, cars, girls and beaches. Nostalgia and memories are a nice thing. But I also know that even in California people face challenges in making ends meet. I've shared $150 with Monica to use as she pleases for general expenses.

Recipient #3 is from Spain (or, Reino de España). Can you believe it? My first recipient from outside of North America. I've not purposely neglected our brothers and sisters around the world. But since this site is presented in the English language, I think it's a little less noticeable to folks searching in different languages. So most of my requests tend to come from the U.S. and Canada (and a few from other English speaking locales). But now that the international door has been opened, I hope to occasionally spread good will far from home. My new friend in Spain will remain nameless here. But she will receive $100 USD to supplement her income. She is currently unemployed and I hope this will help make ends meet.

Recipient #4 is Tyler from Ohio, USA. Tyler is young and a recent college grad. The $50 I'm sending can be spent on whatever he chooses. But Tyler tells me it will mostly be used for gas for his car.

I appreciate everyone's letters and will continue to accommodate when I can. In the meantime, do something good for someone today. You'll be glad you did. Keep those messages coming and I'll be back soon.

Four people chosen to receive $100 each - for groceries, gas, summer clothes and savings

I am mailing out four gifts to folks today. I'm trying to spread things around as best as I can, and decided that I'd like to give out four $100 gifts this morning instead of just one large one.

To Mike - $100 for your weekly grocery bill for your family. I've seen food prices and I agree with you that they're through the roof. You may not be able to support a family of four for $100 a week. But this will at least get you part way there.

Lisa - Four dollar a gallon gas stinks. But $100 will get you 25 gallons, which should help you get to and from where you're going for the next week or two. Maybe longer if you're frugal with trips.

Lana - I love your name! And yes, I'm happy to share a little bit with you to buy some summer clothes for the kids. I don't have any of my own. But I know they grow fast and keeping them in new clothing is a challenge. Wal-Mart and other large retailers offer some very affordable clothing and shoe options. Don't overlook the thrift store either. You can get nearly new jeans, pants, shorts and t-shirts for pennies there.

Tyron - I love your name too :-) Put this money to good use in your 401k / IRA.

Thanks, as always, to everyone who writes to me and reads this site and blog. I always try to promise more frequent updates and I know that I don't update you often enough. But rest assured I'm still here and will be back soon enough with more good news.

Gas prices are through the roof. A gift to help with gas.

Ebony lives in Illinois, where gas is now averaging more than $4 a gallon for regular unleaded in some places. We can all sympathize. Gas prices have skyrocketed in 2012, and most of us are at a loss to explain why.

I admit that I have no idea what geo-political and economic forces are responsible for our current fuel cost woes. But I do know that it cost me $70 to fill my tank this weekend. And I do know that a lot of people are struggling to pay their regular bills, let alone pay to keep pricey gas in their tank.

Ebony wrote to me with a complaint about gas prices and I've decided to do what I can to help. I'm sending her $200, which should be enough to fill her tank for a couple weeks - maybe longer if she drives a hybrid or fuel efficient car. I didn't ask what model she drives! Regardless, a little help with the fuel bill should brighten her day.

If I didn't respond to your email this week, there are still steps you can take to save money on gas and keep some cash in your pocket.
- Make only necessary trips. Driving to work is necessary. Driving to Burger King for a snack is not.

- Plan ahead and consolidate trips. I can't say how many times I've made three or four trips out to different stores to do my weekend shopping. If I had planned ahead, I could have saved myself time and money by doing all of my shopping in one trip.

- Walk. This one's pretty simple. If you're physically able, skip the car and walk for trips within a mile or two of your home. Walking not only saves gas, it's healthy and good for you. Just be sure to use sidewalks to stay safe. If walking isn't your thing, you could also invest in a bicycle and use it for trips around town on nice days. You can usually find an adult bike for $20 or $30 at garage sales in the spring. It won't take long at all to recoup that investment.

- Change your air filter and inflate your tires. Dirty air filters reduce air flow into your engine, reducing combustion efficiency and causing you to use more fuel than you normally would. Keeping your tires at optimal pressure could save you up to 5% on your gas costs.

Hopefully you found today's post not only inspiring but also educational. I'll be back soon with more good news.

Thanks everyone.