Filling Red Kettles With Christmas Joy HOW WE HELP WITH THE SALVATION ARMY’S FAMOUS HOLIDAY TRADITION
It All Started With ‘The General’ William Booth, an English evangelist, started The Salvation Army in 1878 as a religious outreach to London’s poorest individuals. To accomplish this, Booth called himself “The General” and fashioned The Salvation Army based on Britain’s military. From the very start, his “soldiers” wore uniforms, and their charity missions were always described in militant, martial terminology. By 1891, The Salvation Army was rapidly expanding to the United States, but their eagerness to help the poor didn’t always match the available funding. In San Francisco, Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee wanted to serve a Christmas feast for thousands of the city’s poorest residents. Without any funding, however, he decided to grab a crab pot from a local wharf, and he
In Phoenix, you often know it’s Christmastime not by snowy or tinseled streets, but by red kettles outside your local Fry’s Marketplace, usually staffed by people in Santa suits and Salvation Army uniforms (or sometimes, just festively dressed local Realtors — but we’ll get to that!). We’ve seen red kettles around the holidays for as long as many of us can remember. But how did red kettles get started as a tradition?
hung it from a tripod at a busy intersection. Above the pot, he wrote: “Fill the Pot for the Poor — Free Dinner on Christmas Day.” It was a huge success, and news of his improvised fundraising campaign spread to the nation. Now, red kettles provide thousands of Christmas dinners for the poor in nearly every state of the United States. Say Hello — Consider Stopping by on Wednesdays! After Thanksgiving week, Real Estate Wednesdays begin, which means that Lisa and Dennis will be at the Anthem Fry’s Marketplace in person from 4–6 p.m., gathering funds for our local Salvation Army red kettle! We’d love to see you. Come by with your spare change and get your free holiday hug!
Lisa & Dennis ringing the bell
Comparison Shop Like a Champ DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON
The holiday season can be expensive. Sure, you might describe this time of year with less cynical words like “magical” or “warm,” but unfortunately, most stores don’t accept magic or warmth as legal tender. Whether it be for gifts or for holiday meals and treats, most people want to get the most for their money while saving their time and energy. That’s what makes comparison shopping in the age of technology so worthwhile. In case you didn’t already guess its meaning, “comparison shopping” is simply when you compare prices of the same or similar products at different stores or online retailers. You’ve probably done comparison shopping without knowing you were doing it. However, once you truly embrace the concept, you can increase your savings. Plus, by using the bevy of online price comparison tools, you can do so without scrambling around to every store in town.
If you want to comparison shop like a champ this holiday season, here are a few general tips. The best deal isn’t always the lowest price. If you’re buying gifts online, be sure to take shipping costs into account. They might end up making the cheaper option more expensive in the end. You should also take a look at the return fees, in case these could drive the price up significantly. Look at the per unit price for food. If you’re buying groceries for Thanksgiving dinner, sometimes the item that’s more expensive at face value is actually cheaper per unit. That can mean you’ll save money overall by buying in bulk. Be wary of markups. Black Friday can leave you feeling frenzied, and that’s not always when stores have their best deals. In fact, many of them mark up their prices
(sometimes “discounting” them back to their regular price) in preparation for that day. It’s a good rule of thumb to be wary of massive “sales” at big retail locations. If you want to know where you can compare prices, take a look at any one of these apps: Google Shopping, PriceGrabber, Shopping. com, Idealo, Shopzilla, BuyVia, NowDiscount, ScanLife, or ShopSavvy.
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Dennis & Lisa Jones
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