25 Ways to Say Thank You!

So, since there are 25 days in November till Thanksgiving, wayyy back in October I thought I'd post 25 ways to say "thank you"! However, it is now the eve of the 5th and I have yet to post a thing...so here I go trying to get 25 ways in before the 25th!
There are many people in our lives that deserve a thank you more often than they get it! At our church alone, there are many volunteers who serve in irreplaceable ways...from the ladies in the nursery who love my children to our Youth Ministry volunteers who let students stink up their vehicles and eat them out of house and home...let alone the neighbors who make life enjoyable, to the friends who help me maintain sanity...there are many people who deserve a thank you! I hope that you can implement some of these ideas and enjoy the feeling of saying thanks!

Way #1: Make a fall gift basket of home-made caramel dip and apples. You can buy 12 jars for $8 or $9. (that is about $.75 a jar) An amazing recipe for home-made caramel dip can be found HERE. This recipe is really easy if you do exactly what it says and is glorious! I brought some to our small group one night, and 5 adults were fighting over the caramel sauce once all the apples were gone!! The sauce can also go on cheesecake or brownies, or put some in your coffee or hot apple cider for a much cheaper version of a Starbucks drink! (I also made some M&M cookies to add to the baskets that we gave our volunteers...but I think caramel sauce and apples would be enough!)

Way #2: Offer to baby-sit for a friend. Let me re-phrase that...demand that you be allowed to babysit for a friend. If you are a parent, you know how hard it is to find a baby-sitter, especially when you are low on the green stuff...but what a blessing to have someone TELL you that they are going to babysit and that all you have to do is say "when"!!! If you are not a parent yet, even more reason to volunteer to babysit because your day of need is coming! It is self-sacrificing, yes; but what is a gift if it has no value to the giver?

Way #3: Send a note. In the day of email and texts, it's nice to receive real mail sometimes! (that's not a credit card application or a bill..lol) It can be a cute card or cute stationary, but honestly, just words on notebook paper would brighten ANYONE's day if they told that someone the things you appreciate about them. There are always things we want to say, but never do for one reason or another. Take 5 minutes and the cost of postage to tell someone thank you.

Way #4: Invite them to your house for a meal. Or go to theirs! I had a friend come over earlier this week, she showed up before work in the morning with breakfast burritos! We didn't have a whole lot of time, but the fact that she took time to come see me at my house with food meant a lot to me! Your house does not have to be clean. You don't even have to have clean dishes- I'm sure you have paper plates or even napkins if you're desperate without plates! We have too many excuses for not including people into our lives. What a great way to say thank you-by connecting and inviting someone into your personal life and home! (even if it's only for 30 minutes!)

Way #5: Leave a voice-mail message. Call this person while they are at work or at a time when you KNOW they will not be able to answer. Leave a message telling them how much you appreciate them and specific things you are thankful for. It only takes about 2 minutes, and they can save the message to listen to again and again whenever they want to!


Some of these posts will include making something or putting something together; but if you have the money, you can always buy the substitute if you don't have the time. I am "that kind of girl" but I understand that not true for everyone and that's ok, I just want to help if I can! :) Let me know if you have specific questions or situations (how to say thank you to your boss, husband, sister, etc), I'll try to help!