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Skip Black Friday and shop discounts at these companies making a positive impact on the world

Michelle Gant

11.27.19

Courtesy of DoneGood

While Thanksgiving is meant to celebrate all we have to be grateful for, it's also the unofficial kick-off to the holiday shopping season. Last year, Americans spent about $1 trillion on gifts. What if we all used that purchasing power to support companies that reduce inequality, alleviate poverty, fight climate change, and help make the world better?

Between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the coming days will have spending on everyone's brains. But in an effort to promote the companies doing good for the world, DoneGood founder Cullen Schwarz created Shop for Good Sunday (which falls on December 1 this year.)

Dubbed the "Alternate Black Friday," Shop for Good Sunday is dedicated to encouraging people to shop brands that do good for people and the planet. It also serves as a reminder to support local businesses making a positive impact in their communities.

While Shop for Good Sunday technically falls on a single day, this year, participating ethical and sustainable brands are running discounts for the whole week prior.

Where you invest your dollars matters, and there's great potential to put that money to good use if you know how. Check out these six brands that sell amazing products while also making a positive impact on the world. You'll not only be getting your loved ones meaningful gifts, but also making the world a brighter place along the way.

Isn't that what the holidays are really about?

Functional outdoor gear

Cotopaxi makes unique, sustainable outdoor gear, like this Parque rain shell, while keeping ethics at the core of its business model. The company gives 1% of its annual revenue to organizations that fight poverty and improve the human condition.

Modern furniture

Simbly is a direct-to-consumer furniture company that sells modern, sustainable products built in the U.S. made of FSC-certified wood. And for every product sold, the company plants a tree.

Beautiful jewelry

Hathorway is a jewelry company that handcrafts its accessories with materials like ethically-sourced up-cycled buffalo horns and handwoven rattan. Each item is designed and assembled in the U.S. with thoughtfully selected materials sourced from Vietnam, Thailand, and South Korea. A portion of the company's profit goes to initiatives that empower young, underprivileged women.

Luxe linens

Ettitude crafts its home textiles from CleanBamboo fabric, a unique material made from 100% organic bamboo, the most resource-efficient plant on the planet. It also requires significantly less water to grow and produce than traditional cotton textiles. The products are also ethically made and come in packaging made from extra pieces of fabric.

Unique wood wares

Would Works creates and sells beautiful household wood products handcrafted by people experiencing homelessness or living in poverty. The company works with its artisans to provide job skills, financial literacy, and an income so they can reach their financial goals.

Empowering candles

Prosperity Candle products are created by women refugees building a brighter future for themselves and their families. Each candle is made of soy-blend wax with essential oils hand poured in a well-designed container that is easily refilled or repurposed.

Find more of these great deals at DoneGood!

*Upworthy may earn a portion of sales revenue from purchases made through affiliate links on our site.

Business

17 silly 'house rules' couples made as a joke that worked so well they kept them

"If you want to swap chores you just buy the other person food. I hate putting laundry away, but I'll do it for a burger."

Photo credit: Canva

A person with a dog in their lap.

As relationship gurus John and Julie Gottman attest, using humor is an effective way to ease tension, create connection, and maintain the necessary "5:1 positive-to-negative interaction ratio" in a healthy relationship. It serves as a vital repair attempt during conflict, provided that the humor is respectful and not a form of contemptuous mockery.

Sometimes, this takes the form of joke "rules" that somehow stick, either becoming lighthearted rituals that deepen a couple's connection or inadvertently establishing healthy boundaries in a way a "serious" conversation never could.

That's certainly been the experience of the Redditors below, who shared the "dumbest house rules" they established in jest with their partners, only to find that they became something "aggressively" enforced for the foreseeable future.

tips for happy marriage, happy marriage, relationships, relationship advice, ask reddit, couples, happy couple, chores A happy, laughing couple. Photo credit: Canva

Though the answers are a mix of unique, wholesome, and absolute silliness, they're all relatable in their own way and a great reminder that some of the most seemingly insignificant choices we make in our relationships can have the biggest impact.

1. Safe word = "bananas"

"My immediate family is chaotic and we talk a lot and sometimes talk over each other at gatherings. I'm used to it. He was not. We agreed that we'd have a safe word of 'bananas'…He used it a few times at the beginning, he'd just whisper it in my ear and get up from the chaotic table and walk outside. Over the last 15 yrs it has evolved that 'bananas' is now just our everyday safe word, for when you want to be taken seriously. When the teasing is too much, when we feel like the other person isn't listening, when we're fighting a need a break, etc."

2. "Happy Birthday Bob"

"I once ordered a birthday cake for my wife and asked for 'Happy Birthday Mom' to be written on it. I picked it up, never looked at it and upon revealing to the family it said - Happy Birthday Bob. No other inscription is ever again allowed for her birthday cake to this day 15 years later. Our grown kids love it."

3. The pet chooses who does chores

"If the dog has 'chosen you' and sits on your lap, you are released of all responsibilities, and the other partner must get you whatever you want or need while the dog is on your lap. It is like 'king for the day' except it usually maxes out at 30 minutes. We take this rule very seriously…"

"We call this 'with cat' if you are with cat, you are relieved of anything and everything until the cat is removed and someone else must do it. It applies to everyone in the family. In all fairness I try to get everything done before I sit down because I am almost always with cat when I'm sitting."

tips for happy marriage, happy marriage, relationships, relationship advice, ask reddit, couples, happy couple, chores A person with a cat in their lap. Photo credit: Canva

4. "Invoke the right" to rock, paper, scissors

"If there is a job/chore/task that one of us does not want to do, we are allowed to 'invoke the right' which is a game of rock, paper, scissors. You are not allowed to decline when someone 'invokes the right' and the loser must do the task.…This has gone on for 8+ years and is how we solve arguments 99% of the time. It was written into our wedding vows as a joke, but has stuck. We are so serious about it that 'invoking the right' will occur beyond the confines of our home, in public in front of friends and strangers who look at us like we are mad."

5. Matching undies

"Matching undies Mondays (hedgehogs) and Fridays (dinosaurs). Even when (or especially when) we're going through a rough patch, it's a stupid thing that unites us."

6. It's always the pet who farted

"All passed gas is blamed on whichever animal is closer. Every. Single fart."

7. Orange hat = do not disturb

"Everybody wears an orange hat if they are not to be disturbed. Started as a covid era solution to work conference calls and continues to this day."

8. Nightly tuck-ins

"I always go to bed a couple of hours before my husband. To make sure we end the day (aka my day) together, he always tucks me in, gives me a goodnight kiss, and we end with something happy. It started as a joke, but we both realized it was such a good way to end the day well and stay in sync. He has done this every single day for over five years."

9. No badmouthing the cars

"We don't talk sh*t about our cars where they can 'hear' us."

10. Popsicles are a shared treat only

"Popsicles are only to be eaten together. They come in a box with even numbers so if one person eats one then there is only odd numbers left. If you really want a Popsicle then the other must also eat a Popsicle. And when you get a Popsicle, you must also get one for the other."

11. Always say "I love you"

"We have to say I love you to each other when one of us is leaving even if we're furious, because what if the one leaving dies in a car accident."

12. Stringent binge-watching rules

"No more than 2 episodes of each show per day so we don't burn through them. The last 2 episodes per season must always be watched back to back, no cliffhangers."

tips for happy marriage, happy marriage, relationships, relationship advice, ask reddit, couples, happy couple, chores A couple watching television. Photo credit: Canva

13. "Your Shelf/My Shelf"

"Loooooong time ago (like 25+ years), we instituted the Your Shelf/My Shelf rule. Any food or drink on Your Shelf or My Shelf is off limits to everyone else in the house. You are free to share your food, of course. But if I ask for a snack on your shelf, and you say no, I cannot get angry about it. And vice versa. We both got tired of the other one of us eating snacks that we were saving for later. We were so serious about it, that when our kiddo was a kid, they got their own shelf, too. Kid's gone now, but we still do YS/MS. Keeps the peace in the house!"

14. Butts must be smacked

"If youre bent over, and the other person walks by, they have to smack your butt."

15. Funny birthday cards

"You may not give a real birthday card. You must give either a card of the completely wrong age thats funny. Like last year for my 32nd birthday my husband gave me a pop-up YOURE THREE card with a You're three sticker inside, or it must in no way be birthday related. Ive given him a Catholic Confirmation card, a condolences card (I wrote that it was for the passing of his youth when he turned 30) and all manner of other things."

tips for happy marriage, happy marriage, relationships, relationship advice, ask reddit, couples, happy couple, chores Assorted cards.Photo credit: Canva

16. "Captain Morning"

"I don't have a ton of trouble waking myself up, so I elected myself Captain Morning. Captain Morning is a whole persona to help my wife get out of bed. Kinda pirate/nautical in the voice and mannerisms? We start with a cup of coffee from her fancy machine, brought to her in bed. Then morning cuddles with the dog, with an enforced time limit so she stays on track. Captain Morning believes in hydration and nutrition, so I also make her lunch and refill her water bottle. When I'm on business trips I call her to wake her up and text her to make sure she's out of bed, because she's been deputized as First Mate Morning in my absence :)"

17. Chores for food

"If you want to swap chores you just buy the other person food. I hate putting laundry away, but I'll do it for a burger."

ask reddit marriage happy marriage tips for happy marriage relationship relationship advice marriage counselor house rules happy couples chores relationships

Pop Culture

Boston man's aggressive kindness with stranger demonstrates the differences between 'kind' and 'nice'

"Boston: Kind but not nice. LA: Nice but not kind."

Photo credit: Canva

A man helping someone out.

People often use "kind" and "nice" interchangeably, but there's a distinct difference between the two. Someone can be kind without being nice, just as someone can be nice but not kind. One man in Boston has people in stitches with his real-life lesson on being a kind human rather than a nice one.

The man, who goes by the name ChuncleRitchie on social media, says he was approached by a presumably disabled man who needed help a few days before Christmas. In the video shared to TikTok, Ritchie can be heard asking, "What do you need?" to someone off camera. The interaction quickly turned into a wild side quest for the content creator, but it was his reaction that had people happy and intimidated simultaneously.

Ritchie keeps the camera trained on himself, never exposing the disabled man's identity, but he can be heard stuttering through his request. Off camera, the man says, "I feel like I'm going to get jumped. I have significant funds in my pocket right now. I need someone to walk with me to the bank."

Boston; nice vs kind; kindness; east coast kind; west coast nice; kind people; faith in humanity restored; good news Walking together: friendship and guidance on a sunny day.Photo credit: Canva

In a thick Bostonian accent, Ritchie asks if the unidentified man thinks he's a police officer, to which the man confirms that he does not think Ritchie's in law enforcement. Clearly confused by the admission and request, the Good Samaritan clarifies, "You're saying you have a significant amount of funds in your pocket and you want me to f------ walk with ya? That's what you're asking?"

When the man confirms, Ritchie doesn't hesitate to assure the man that he will walk behind him to make sure no one tries to take his money. It should feel like a sweet moment, but the tone Ritchie uses sounds as if he's annoyed or upset, confusing commenters who aren't from the East Coast. Ritchie sprinkles expletives the entire walk to the bank, including when a couple of coworkers join the unexpected city stroll. Upon reaching their destination, Ritchie learns that the man's name is Bill before lecturing him on safety.

Boston; nice vs kind; kindness; east coast kind; west coast nice; kind people; faith in humanity restored; good news Friendly conversation on a sunny bus ride.Photo credit: Canva

"Bill, you shouldn't f------ yell that to random people for real. What if I was a f------ maggot psychopath? Dude, what are you nuts? Huh?" Ritchie says, but cuts Bill off when he attempts to explain. "No, I got that. Just don't be yelling like that to anybody else."

People familiar with Boston and East Coast kindness find the interaction hilariously endearing, while others are now afraid to visit the city. One person says, "The epitome of Boston, annoyed and mean but still going entirely out of your way to help a complete stranger."

@chuncleritchie If I didn’t catch it on video, you wouldn’t believe me. Now come with me as a random person approaches me and asks me to escort him to the bank as he’s fearful of being attacked while transporting a “significant amount of money.” #security #help #stranger #helpme #excuseme @JMealey537 @Michael Frazier ♬ original sound - ChuncleRitchie

This person thanks the man for validation and video evidence, "Hi. As someone who moved from the Midwest to New England and had to explain to my family every time we went to Boston … “no, they would do anything for you… they will just cuss and be a little mouthy about it. I swear they are nice”… thank you for this video evidence and being such a good human."

"You are the meanest nice person," another laughs, while someone else explains, "This is the difference between NICE and KIND. You are KIND, but not NICE."

This person plans to stay put in their home state, writing, "I’m not sure my skin is thick enough to live in Boston. Ima stick to the Midwest."

Boston; nice vs kind; kindness; east coast kind; west coast nice; kind people; faith in humanity restored; good news Lost on the road, they seek directions from a map.Photo credit: Canva

"Boston is full of grinches. We’ll go but we’re gonna talk sht the whole time," someone writes.

"Boston: Kind but not nice. LA: Nice but not kind. East coast best coast," one person declares.

Another person giggles at the conflicting tone versus action, saying, "How terrifyingly sweet of you guys."

One Massachusetts commenter confirms their style of kindness, saying, "As a fellow MA resident - this is the most Boston thing. The nicest, grumpiest, annoyed toned - but still going out of your way."

"Hey so I work with disabled adults and I just want you to know that being identified as a safe person to ask for help says a LOT about who you are as a person. I hope you realize that," someone shares.

Joy

Non-Americans share the 15 strangest things they didn't expect when visiting the United States

Pop Culture

In 1986, Bill Murray dished on Looney Tunes characters as if they were real people for 2 mesmerizing minutes

Family sees exhausted UPS driver working hard and invites him to 'make a plate' at family cookout

"Everybody family around here 😭."

Relaxed008/YouTube

UPS driver invited to family's cookout.

UPS drivers are always on the grind delivering packages around the clock—even on holidays. And one family took notice of the hard-working UPS driver in their neighborhood who had his nose to the grindstone as they enjoyed a cookout together. Rather than simply let him pass by, they decided to flag him down and extend an invite to join them in a move that proved community and hospitality are still alive and well.

TikToker @1fanto shared a touching video with his followers from Easter weekend where his family invited a UPS driver making rounds in their neighborhood to come to their cookout and 'make a plate.'

"Everybody family around here 😭," he captioned the video. "Everybody invited to the cookout.😂"

@1fanto
Everybody family around here 😭 #easter #cookout #wherethefunction

In the video, the UPS driver is seen standing in the family's driveway, and a group of cookout attendees warmly welcome him to join them. The uncle of @1fanto says to the driver, "You've been working hard all day man, you can go on in there!" He calls out for a woman named Stephanie to "take care of him!"

The UPS driver walks up the driveway, and they encourage him to go inside and get his fill as he enters the garage. After securing a plate of food and a drink, the driver walks back outside to mingle with guests, shaking hands with the uncle who invited him.

"You good?" the uncle asks, and the driver responds, "Yeah I'm good. They hooked me up. Thank you so much. Appreciate y'all for inviting me out." On his way back to his truck, the uncle encourages the driver to invite other workers to stop by as well.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

In a follow up video, @1fanto explained more about how the invite went down. He shares that the UPS driver was driving by the family's house on the Saturday before Easter, and at the time the family was enjoying a big fish fry cookout together. His uncle flagged the driver down, and he pulled over.

He shares that his uncle told the driver, "Go inside and get you a plate!" The driver asked him, "Are you sure?" But he reassured him, adding that the family made sure to ask the driver what he wanted and didn't want on his plate to "make sure he was good and got everything he needed".

"I saw it had a positive impact. That's what my family do. That's not something that we just do for social media," @1fanto shared. "That's something that we do on a regular basis that doesn't just happen when the camera's on. It happens when the camera's off, too. We're all equal. We all bleed the same."

ups, ups truck, united parcel service, ups delivery, ups deliveries, ups driver A UPS truck with package deliveries.Image via Wikipedia

Viewers had lots of positive things to say in the comment section.

"I am a UPS driver and that makes our day. People showing love to us"

"Your family represents the best of America🫶🏼 Your uncle is now all of our uncle."

"Working the holidays suck. But they made that man’s entire day. Love it."

"I love when people are nice for no reason. You’re so real ♥️thank you for being so kind."

"Being a delivery driver is grueling, often thankless work. It's awesome to see a family that remembers those hardworking folks are essential parts of our communities."

This article appeared last year. It has been updated.

Community

Studies show non-parents are happier than parents unless 1 of these 3 things are true

"Bundle of joy" might not be the most apt nickname.

Canva Photos

Having kids decreases your quality of life and marital satisfaction, but that doesn't mean you can't be happy.

For decades now, there's been one great question looming over society: Does having kids make you happier?

Most studies show that, perhaps surprisingly, people without children tend to be happier, or have more life satisfaction. When you really think about it, it makes sense why: being child-free eases your finances and allows you more time to pursue friends, romance, hobbies, travel, adventure, and career aspirations. Having children makes your immediate quality of life and marital satisfaction go down temporarily, or in some cases, permanently. In 2024,The Surgeon General even issued an advisory warning that parental stress is a major public health issue.

But there are three factors that might turn the tide. In the right circumstances, the joy and immense satisfaction of raising children can overcome all the associated stressors and lead to incredible happiness. Other studies from around the globe prove that you might just be a happy parent if:

1. Your kids have moved out

empty nest, parents, parenting, moms, dads, children, kids, family, love, stress, happiness, studies, research Empty nesters are happy with a job well done. Canva Photos

A study from Heidelberg University in Germany specifically looked at happiness in people aged 50 and older. What they found makes a lot of sense.

People who have children were happier than those without, but only in the older age group, and only when those grown children no longer lived at home. Drilling down, the research found that when children become a source of "social enjoyment" rather than stress, life satisfaction increases dramatically while symptoms of depression decrease.

You can think of it as finally getting to enjoy the fruits of your hard labor. After spending decades teaching, nurturing, and shaping your children, your twilight years are when you get to really enjoy them as fully-fledged people who enrich your lives. While there's lots of joy and fun and happiness to be found in the younger years, those years are also marred with financial and other stressors which can subdue our overall happiness.

2. You have a lot of money AND good work/life balance

empty nest, parents, parenting, moms, dads, children, kids, family, love, stress, happiness, studies, research, wealth, work life balance Older couple on vacation.Canva Photos

A 2019 study out of Bocconi University in Milan, Italy found that "Parents are happier than non-parents ... as long as parents feel they can handle their work pressures to find work/life balance and they have the financial and other resources they need."

Oh, is that all?

Some estimates say it costs roughly $24,000 per year to raise a child, on average. A family with three kids would need to make about $75,000 just to cover the absolute bare minimum food and childcare costs—yowza! The costs are more when they're young (daycare, childcare, diapers, toys), but it never stops being expensive. Parenting is also extremely time-consuming, requiring several hours per day of childcare and extra housework for most families.

The impossible conundrum that many parents find themselves in is somehow having enough money and enough time to do it all. It's easy to see that if you can somehow solve that puzzling equation, yeah, you'd be a heck of a lot happier. Easier said than done!

3. You don't live in the United States

parents, parenting, moms, dads, children, kids, family, love, stress, happiness, studies, research Parents in Spain, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, and more are enjoying more time off to spend with family.Photo by Mauro Lima on Unsplash

In 2016, The Council on Contemporary Families wanted to look into whether parental discontent was a global phenomenon or not. So, they studied parents and non-parents from 22 different countries to see if they could find any differences in life satisfaction.

The report found that parents in countries like Norway, Hungary, Portugal, Finland, Sweden and Spain were shown to be happier than non-parents.

And yet, according to Time Magazine, "Of the 22 countries the researchers studied, America has the biggest happiness differential between parents and the child-free."

The report specifically cites the high cost of childcare for young children and the limited amount of paid leave Americans receive—and not just parental leave, but simple vacation time. Countries like Spain and Portugal mandate anywhere from 22-30 paid leave days per year, while Americans average about 11. That allows for significantly less time to actually enjoy time with your kids, and has a big impact on our happiness, or lack thereof.

new parents, parents, american parents, america, happiness, study American parents would be happier with more time to spend with their families.Canva Photos

Of course, happiness can be measured in a lot of different ways. Is happiness a blissful feeling of freedom and joy? Or is it a deep satisfaction and sense of purpose in your life? Or maybe a combination of the two?

What the overall body of research seems to show is that there are many different paths to happiness, whether you choose to have children or not. Finding joy and satisfaction in your life as a parent might be considered "hard-mode." There are a lot of obstacles working against you, especially in America, but the research is beginning to give us some clues about how we can get there.

This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.

Parenting