THE COLUMN THAT SAVES YOU MONEY: Christmas gifts to charity that won't cost you a penny!

By Liz Phillips for MailOnline
Updated: 01:09 BST, 9 December 2009

Did you know you ca n give more to charity this Christmas without spending a penny extra? You could even save money.

Charities need our help more than ever as there has been a 減少（する） in giving of £1.3 billion 全体にわたる this year, によれば the Charities 援助（する） 創立／基礎. We explain how to make every penny count.

Click to give

Your online shopping can 利益 good 原因（となる）s by using websites such as thegivingmachine.co.uk, easyfundraising. org. uk or everyclick.com. They 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる） more than 2,000 retailers who will 支払う／賃金 （売買）手数料，委託（する）／委員会／権限 of up to 15 per cent to charity when you click through from these 場所／位置s.

Christmas gift 援助（する）: Barbara Phelan has chosen to give gifts from the Oxfam Unwrapped 範囲, 支払う／賃金ing for something practical for 貧窮化した communities

You can shop at major retailers such as John 吊りくさび, HMV and アマゾン. And you choose which charity or good 原因（となる） 利益s.

Cashback 場所／位置s

By shopping through these websites at mainstream retailers, you earn cashback on your 購入（する）s. But instead of keeping the money yourself, you can give it to a charity of your choice.

の中で the 場所／位置s 申し込む／申し出ing this service are quidco.co.uk, giveortake.com and ushopucare.co.uk. The 量 of cashback 変化させるs from as little as 1.5 per cent to 15 per cent.

Or you can 調印する up to froggybank.co.uk, which will 寄付する £2.50 に向かって 炭素 offsetting for each new member. You’ll also earn cashback.?

Credit cards

There are 66 charity credit cards supporting a variety of good 原因（となる）s. Most of them give an 初期の 寄付 when you take out the card and a small 百分率 of the 量 you spend on it after that.

の中で the most generous are the PDSA card for pets in need of vets from MBNA, which gives £25 最初, and the 避難所 card from the Co-Operative Bank, which gives £20 to help the homeless. Both cards also give 0.25 per cent of your spending to charity. The 利益／興味 率 on 購入（する）s on the MBNA card is 15.9 per cent while the Co-op 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金s 12.9 per cent.

Christmas cards

A 熟考する／考慮する by 消費者 group Which? 設立する the charities 利益ing from 購入（する）s of these cards earned, on 普通の／平均（する）, 13 per cent of the sale price. The Children in Need pack sold by WHSmith gives all the money to the 原因（となる）.

全国的な BS has cards for sale in 支店s, where 100 per cent of the price goes to its five children’s charities: Macmillan, 避難所, Disability Sport Events, Skillforce and 国民s Advice.

Songs and games

You can help by buying a charity CD or game. This year Coming Home by The 兵士s is raising money for 軍の charities, though the 記録，記録的な／記録する company has been criticised for giving away only 25p from each CD sold.

The X Factor 選び出す／独身 You Are Not Alone by the 12 finalists is raising money for 広大な／多数の／重要な Ormond Street children’s hospital. OneBigGame creates ビデオ games to raise money for Save the Children and the Starlight Children’s 創立／基礎.

Gift 援助（する）

Every UK taxpayer making a 寄付 should tick the Gift 援助（する） box on the charity’s 寄付 form. In this way, the 歳入 returns the 税金 you’ve paid to the charity, so every 続けざまに猛撃する you give is 増加するd by 28p if you’re a basic-率 taxpayer.

Those on the higher 率 can 埋め立てる the difference on their 税金 return and 寄付する that, too, 上げるing £1 to £1.60. The Charities 援助（する） 創立／基礎 reckons £750 million of Gift 援助（する） is unclaimed every year.

Give as you earn

You can give to charity 直接／まっすぐに through your salary. 寄付s are taken before 税金 is deducted, so a £10 寄付 costs you only £8 if you 支払う／賃金 basic-率 税金, or £6 for higher-率 taxpayers.

The drawback is your 雇用者 has to be 調印するd up to the 計画／陰謀. Many 雇用者s will match your 寄付s.

Give 株

Many 投資家s have a small number of 株 which cost more to sell than they are 価値（がある）. You can pass them to Sharegift, which will bundle them together and sell them as a 選び出す／独身 lot.

Visit their website sharegift.org or call 020 7930 3737 to find out how to do it. The money raised goes to a variety of UK charities chosen by their trustees.

Give 利益／興味

Charity Bank is a 貯金 account where you can choose to 寄付する the 利益／興味 earned to your favourite charity. It also 供給するs affordable 貸付金s to charitable organisations. Triodos Bank also supports a number of good 原因（となる）s and 寄付するs 0.25 per cent of your balance to a variety of charities.

Charity gifts

Look for 現在のs in charity shops or on their websites and 寄付する unwanted 所有／入手s to your 地元の shops. Goodgifts.org has a 目録 of 現在のs which help a 範囲 of 原因（となる）s.?

Doing her bit

This Christmas, 調書をとる／予約する editor Barbara Phelan (pictured) has chosen a gift from Oxfam Unwrapped to give to her best friend.

With Oxfam Unwrapped, you choose to give something practical to 貧窮化した communities. Your gift could buy a goat, help 支払う／賃金 for a new 井戸／弁護士席, or to train teachers and health 労働者s.

Barbara, from West London, has chosen the teacher training gift costing £27. ‘It seems a more special 現在の and I know my friend cares about education,’ she says.

‘She will receive a gift card telling her about it and the money goes where it’s most needed. In the past, I’ve bought 調書をとる／予約するs, chocolates and teddy 耐えるs from Oxfam shops and I usually buy charity Christmas cards.’

l.phillips@dailymail.co.uk