Unless you’ve lived under a rock the last ten years you’ve heard about all the ways you can save money by cutting out the frivolous expenses in your life.  The Starbucks that costs (at minimum) $3 a swing.  The $25 gym membership during the summer.  The $10 craft beer at that trendy bar downtown.

While these are all ways to make sure that you are adhering to a personal budget which IS important they will not be ways to save yourself to millions.  And for most of them, the euphoria is fleeting (yes, this is coming from a girl who would IV coffee into her veins if she could figure out a way to do it!)

In looking over my own mint.com account, my purchases under $15 are substantially takeout, coffee shops, tickets for movies/events, a jillion random “Target” shopping trips and other “want” items.  In other words, they are things I probably didn’t NEED to spend the money on, but instead were things I WANTED to spend my money on.

Now I’m not here to tell you to cut all these things out to save yourself money (though I could preach that and maybe even practice it) or give some brilliant ideas for personal finance.   I’ll leave those types of posts to people much more knowledgeable than I.

Photo Credit: Getty Images – Peter Dazeley

Instead I’m advocating against using this money for the shallow and fleeting pleasures we afford ourselves without thinking twice (I type this as I chew on a multi-grain bagel with olive cream cheese, please note.)  How quickly we’ll whip out a few bucks for a cup of coffee or lay down our debit card for a bar tab.

But why do we hem and haw over giving $10 to something that goes towards something much bigger?

I know, I know…we as activists have a serious problem telling people that what they do isn’t good enough.  It’s hard.  We get SO passionate about our causes that we forget that not everyone has the focus on it that we do.

But the truth is EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS!

Whether it is posting a stupid update on your stupid privacy-pirated Facebook status.  Or volunteering every year on a HUGE project that honors the memory of a loved one.  Or starting a soccer league/company/organization devoted to helping bring meaning to the lives of kids.

$10 might not seem like much.  But it’s only giving up a couple coffees, or a beer, or a cute top, or something else that will be gone before we know how to appreciate it.  But lots of $10′s add up.  10 people donating $10 is now a $100 donation.

That’s why I ask you to take a few minutes and think about the things in your life you could maybe do without this month.

*And here’s where the sales pitch comes in*

Now I want you to take a few minutes to think about someone you know who has been affected by cancer.  Taken far too soon and too young from their loved ones.  Killed by a disease that has come to mean an ominous light-eating omnipotent and veritably unknown mass set on destruction.

The way I figure it I have hundred of readers on this blog.  If I have 200 readers and each of you donated $10, that would be $2000 donated to finding a cure with the American Cancer Society for my upcoming Relay for Life in June.

Take a few minutes to decide which you’d rather have.  A $10 double skinny caramel macchiato with a blueberry scone or a moment to honor or remember someone who has fought or is fighting a battle with cancer.

You can visit my American Cancer Society Relay for Life page here.  Thank you in advance for even taking the time to look it over and consider finding $10 in your budget this month.

(Thanks to Old Port Candy Co,  Bob O’Brien, Ryan Knapp, Jenny Blake (x2!!!) Andrew Norcross, Michaela Cavallaro, Cheila Esquilin, Melissa Mullen Photography, Sara Barron-Nichols (Scentsy), Grace Boyle, for donating <—I’ll be updating this list for anyone who donates, FYI)

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