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Have you ever gone through a difficult season? There are so many times in life where we feel like we are in survival mode. It may be after the birth of a new baby, after a move, after the loss of a loved one, or after everyone in your family has been sick for what feels like weeks. In these times, other people’s help becomes extremely precious.
Our family has personally been blessed by many grand gestures such as someone purchasing a week’s worth of groceries, or giving us a free week away in their mountain house, or giving us a gift card for a date night out. These were wonderful gifts and I have often wanted to be able to do the same for another friend. However, sometimes our budget hasn’t always allowed for us to do those things. In the long run, though, consistency and support are more important than grand gestures. Your ongoing friendship is a gift regardless, and along with that, here are 10 frugal ways to bless a friend.
10 Frugal Ways to Bless a Friend
Offer to keep her kids for a morning
If your friend has children, providing free childcare will be a huge blessing. Maybe she needs to run some errands or go to an appointment, or maybe she would just enjoy some quiet time at her house.
Offer to clean a room of her house
I can’t think of anyone I know who would turn down an offer for someone else to help clean, especially if it is a good friend. (Some people may feel that this is a very personal/private thing, so you need to tread carefully.) If you really want to take it to the next level, consider this idea: One time, my neighbor and friend had been through an especially difficult season. Her family went out of town for a week and I contacted her husband ahead of time and got a key to her house. While they were gone, a few of us went over and deep cleaned her kitchen and all the bathrooms.
Make muffins that can be put in the freezer (paying attention to allergy restrictions)
Muffins are one of my favorite things to make for a friend because they may be getting meals from others, but usually they don’t have breakfast items. Muffins can be eaten for breakfast or as a snack, and they can be put in the freezer for later. Some of my favorite muffin recipes:
Banana Bread Oat Muffins
Double Chocolate Muffins
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Make coffee at home and drop it off to her in a reusable coffee mug
If your friend is a coffee drinker, make her coffee and drop it off in a reusable mug. You don’t have to go spend $7 on a drink for her from Starbucks. She will appreciate the effort!
Do a chore or project alongside her
Sometimes a friend may not want you to come and clean her bathroom for her, or maybe she has a big chore or project that feels overwhelming. Offer to come do it with her. Not only will it help her get the task done, but you will also get to spend time together and hopefully have a good conversation!
Clean out her car
I don’t know about you, but my car gets dirty no matter how hard I try to keep it clean. It is more important to me to have the inside of my house clean, so my car usually is at the bottom of the list. This could be a huge blessing to your friend!
Take home several loads of laundry and return them all washed and folded
This is another idea that will depend on how close you are, but offering to wash all your friend’s laundry and bring it back ready to be put away could really help her.
Write a note of encouragement
This is a way you can bless anyone in your life, whether they’re going through a hard time or not! So much of our lives is digital, so a handwritten note or card saying you’re thinking of her will be treasured.
Have her over
Whether you invite her whole family over for dinner and cook for them, or you just ask if she wants to come over in the evening and go for a walk, giving her a chance to get out of her house might be something she would find helpful.
Keep texting, keep calling, keep checking in
More than anything you can take to her or do for her, I think just being consistent with checking in is one of the best things you can to do bless a friend, and it’s completely free. When I was going through a difficult time over 10 years ago that included a bout of insomnia, the thing that stands out the most was a friend who texted me every morning to ask me how I had slept and tell me she was praying for me. You can’t put a price on the perseverance of a caring friend.
Do you have any additional ideas for frugal ways to bless a friend? Let us know in the comments!
