One fun way to involve your children in thinking and giving globally is to pack an Operation Christmas Child box. First, find a shoe box or plastic shoe container. Next, decide what age group and gender you would like to pack a box for. Then, buy things and fill the box. Donate 7 dollars to help with shipping the box to its destination. (If you do this online, your package will be tracked and you will get an email to let you know when and where your package was delivered.)
Why do this?
- It is practical and hands-on – your kids can help buy things and pack things with you.
- It can be budget friendly – you can choose to spend as much or as little as your budget allows.
- One option is to take your kids shopping with you to the store. You can let them help choose items – they’ll have great fun putting things in the cart and helping.
- Another option is to buy things throughout the year as you find them on sale. This is great for families on a budget. You can get fun stuffed animals and toys at after-Christmas sales and after Easter items go on clearance. Back-to-school shopping can help you find great deals on pens, pencils, erasers, and pencil sharpeners. Many times you can get these for 1 penny!
I am going to walk you through what we put in our boxes and how much we spent.
Box 1:
- Backpack – $2.00 at Walmart on clearance in October
- Bunny – $0.50 on clearance after Easter
- Pencil Sharpener – $0.01 at Office Max in August
- Red and Black Pens – $0.01 at Office Max in August
- Crayons – $0.01 at Office Max in August
- Markers – $1.50 at Walgreens in August
- Scissors – $0.75 at clearance sale at Walgreens in September
- Balls – (we had a baggy of these at home, so they were not a recent purchase)
- Toothbrush and Toothpaste – Free (donated)
- Socks- $0.50 I split a package between the boxes
- Pencil – we had this at home
- I threw in some Bandaids and hard Halloween candies at the last minute (not in the picture).
- TOTAL $5.28 + $7.00 = $12.28
Box 2:
- Backpack – $2.00 at Walmart on clearance in October
- Eeyore – $0.50 on clearance after Easter
- Hot Wheels – $0.25 each at a garage sale in the summer (New in package!)
- Pencil Sharpener – $0.01 at Office Max in August
- Red and Black Pens – $0.01 at Office Max in August
- Crayons – $0.01 at Office Max in August
- Colored Pencils – $1.50 at Walgreens in August
- Scissors – $0.75 at clearance sale at Walgreens in September
- Balls – (we had a baggy of these at home, so they were not a recent purchase)
- Toothbrush and Toothpaste – Free (donated)
- Socks- $0.50 I split a package between the boxes
- Pencil – at home
- I threw in some Bandaids and hard Halloween candies at the last minute (not in the picture).
- TOTAL $5.78 + $7.00 Shipping = $12.75
Want some other ideas? Check out this post from MoneySavingMom.
What do you put in your Operation Christmas Child box?