If Squanto never offered the pilgrims, coming from the other side of the world, a place to stay and food to eat, then thanksgiving day would not have taken the form as it is today….

It was a long difficult time of suffering, and a brief history of charity and love, that made the foundation of thanksgiving. If you don’t know who’s Squanto, then let me tell you, ‘he was the dude, back then’.

When the english pilgrims stepped down from the merchant ship Mayflower on Cape Cod, they were welcomed by heavy snow, draught, unfavorable conditions, and other threats from nature.

That’s exactly when Squanto appeared. A tribal man from the jungle, had feathers on his head, and spoke broken English.

He offered the dying and weathered englishmen shelter, and food.

Squanto taught them how to plant crops and how to beat the harsh weather conditions of the Atlantic.

So, now it was time for the englishmen to pay thanks and show gratitude to Squanto and his native american tribe.

It was then, that the first thanksgiving season was observed, where food, fresh harvests, and other household objects were exchanged among the people of the native tribe and the pilgrims.

Then after 2 centuries, our former president Mr. Abraham Lincoln officially declared a special day that is to be considered a holiday and should be marked as thanksgiving day.

Since then we have been celebrating thanksgiving each year, where we invite our family members and friends, and have big feasts and get-togethers.

But are all of us actually celebrating this festivity the way it’s meant to be done? Guess not. Thanksgiving itself means to show gratitude and give thanks, which many of us don’t follow.

In this blog post however, it is a question of finances.
I believe, this thanksgiving it’s time for us to offer gratitude with an act of charity so as to respect our financial independence, and say thanks to the Almighty, who makes it possible for us to earn and live!

What should you do on thanksgiving?

A little charity is what I am asking you to do. Nothing more.

As you receive your paycheck for this month, try to scrap out a little percentage (say 5% or 10% – even 1 dollar will do), and donate it to some charity foundation or association.

There are numerous charity organizations in our country that you can donate to.

Even your local church will pull out the job too. Just go ahead and do the charity. Offer your thanks for the financial happiness you are experiencing in the present time!

Trust me, your thanksgiving will be the most blessed one, and can’t get more better if you do some charity!

But that’s not all. Charity is one part. Do you know how charity influences better finances?

I recently went through a few blogs and articles on psychology and finances. They are defining charity and donations at a different level.

It’s said that when you give away a portion of your money for moral investment, it brings in happiness and influences you to have more wealth, so that you can receive more happiness like this in the future by donating more money.

Charity is an investment. Not something that will give you good returns in terms of money. But it ensures that you are sharing your wealth for worldly reasons.

Obviously you can ignore this belief, but remember that charity will surely force you to have more income, and will give you a strong reason to sustain your existence.

Life is short mate. You are born today, and you die tomorrow, before you even know it.

Hence do something, for which you will never leave any regret behind, when you are gone.

Have a wonderful and happy thanksgiving.

Sometimes the difficult thing of money saving habit is just how you can start the habit itself. It is really very difficult to find out easy ways to save money and how you can use your savings to reach your financial goals. So, let’s discuss few basic tips that can help you to develop a realistic money savings habit.

1. Make a list of the expenses

The first step would be figuring out the amount of your spending. Keep track of all your expenses. This may include the cost of newspaper, coffee/snacks, etc. After getting the data, categorize them according to their total amount. You can use your credit card or bank statements as reference.

2. Plan a budget

Once you have the idea of your monthly spending limit, you can execute a budget and try to fit your expenses into it. Apart from your monthly expenses, you must also consider expenses that occur often but not regularly. These may include car maintenance cost, home renovation, etc.

3. Make a strategy on saving

After planning the budget, try to put away 10–15 % of your income as savings. If you save money every day as well as reduce your fixed monthly expenses,  very soon you’ll be able to build up a good saving habit.

4. Choose a goal to save for

Try to set a goal. You need a specific target for which you’ll cut off expenses and save money. Figure out how much time you need to save for it. If you need help figuring out a time frame.

These are some examples of short- and long-term goals:

Short-term (1–3 years)

• Emergency fund (3–9 months of living expenses)
• Vacation expenses
• Down payment for your bike or car

Long-term (4+ years)

• Retirement investments
• Child’s education
• Down payment for your new home or any remodeling job

If you’re saving money for your child’s higher education and your retirement fund, then you may invest your money in IRA or a 529 plan. These investments might come come with risks but they also give you good, compounded returns if you plan properly.

5. Initiate automatic saving

Almost all banks offer automated transfers between your checking and savings accounts. You should decide the time, the amount , and the account where you’ll transfer the money to. You can also divide your income between your checking and savings accounts. Automated transfers are a great way today to save money as you don’t have to twice about separating money into two accounts manually.

6. Keep noticing your savings

Check your progress every month. Keep eyes on your checking and savings account. This will not only help you to stick to your savings plan but it also helps you identify and fix problems quickly.

These easy tips to save money will be very helpful to you and will inspire you to build a good money saving habit.