Charitable contributions may be the last thing you have on your mind during tough times. 

But, the truth is, giving away money, time, and items is always a good idea. 

Here are the top 3 reasons to consider making charitable donations this year...

Don't let Christmas get you into debt.  While it's fun to purchase everyone you know a cool gift, and it is wonderful to see people's eyes light up in appreciation, it's not so great to see the pile of bills in January. 

There are still ways to provide gifts for all of your loved ones without putting yourself in the poor house.

Here are some ideas for ways to have a frugal but merry Christmas this year...

GoodSearch.com is a website that enables you to give monetary donations to charity without taking any money out of your own pocket. 

After registering with GoodSearch, you designate a charity you want them to donate money to.  Then, with every online search you conduct, GoodSearch will donate 50% of its revenues earned from those searches to your designated charity.

The money comes from GoodSearch's advertisers, as people click on ads at the GoodSearch website. You can also set up buttons on your website to invite others to search, shop and donate money to your favorite charities.

We estimate that each web search will generate approximately $0.01 for the designated charity or school (image, video and site-specific searches are not included). It quickly adds up!

Ouch!... Ready for a slap of reality?

Check out these heart-wrenching commercials from the Ad Council.

I had seen one of them on TV, but not all of them until now...

What comes around goes around... even in the world of donations.

Kevin Bacon has put his "Six Degrees of Separation" to good use in a very charitable way.

And you can get involved, too.

...It's fun!!!

My mom and brother have donated cars to charity before.

From their experience, I learned a few things about the process.

The biggest thing I learned: It's so quick and simple!

Here's how to donate a car to the charity of your choice...

I practically bought a whole new winter wardrobe the other day.

And, Jim didn't mind!

Here's why: