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This was my first Christmas as a "retired" person. I'm now living on a more limited budget than when I was working, and this raised a little bit of tension at Christmastime, with people expecting me to spend like I did when I was working.
When I was working I would contribute much more than my share towards group expenses like groceries, eating out, entertainment, and such. That seemed fair as my sister never has enough money and my uncle is an artist living on a very low budget. But now that I'm FIRE'd, I'm spending about the same per year as my sister, and watching my pennies just like my uncle. And I'm spending less per year than my parents spend on themselves. So I didn't contribute as much towards group expenses this year.
This ruffled feathers all around, as everyone else had to kick in a little more than they were used to.
This raises the question of what is reasonable... should I contribute according to my yearly spending budget (meaning small contributions), or according to my net worth (at least twice that of any other family members, meaning higher contributions). Or, as I'm learning might be best, just contribute what I feel comfortable with.
This sort of issue is coming up for me in other contexts... for instance deciding how much to contribute to my place of worship. On the one hand I'm blessed with much more time and savings than most people my age (mid-thirties) but on the other hand I am living on a much more limited budget than most people around me. I do believe in giving according to one's means, but I'm not sure what my means are.
I'd be curious to hear how y'all handle deciding these things.
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