Fire and Charity

[maddythebeagle]

The Millionaire Next Door talks about the person being their own best charity. On the same token, what are people's views on charity.

 

[Marshac]

Nice choices in the poll- every option is 'tightwad' spelled slightly differently. How about a few more options?

 

[maddythebeagle]

I know, isnt that funny. I added another option, Polls are always a work in process.

 

[yakers]

I give, maybe 5% total accross a bunch of organizations, I give as long as it feels good but stop short of until it hurts.

 

[flipstress]

My family (in Asia) is my charity.

I give little to non-profit orgs but I try to give to those with low overhead costs like Doctors Without Borders and What If Foundation, which runs a food program for children in Haiti.

 

[brewer12345]

I give occasionally, mostly to animal charities and my high school, but not as much as I would like. I actually am under a bit of a tight budget until the end of the year, so I feel pretty constrained WRT discretionary expenditures like donations.

What I see the most neeed from the non-profits I have been involved with is that they don't have enough active volunteers. The beagle rescue I have supported and adopted from is turning away dogs because they don't have foster homes available. I'd love to foster, but I have an older dog with health issues that can't be exposed. I want more of my time back from work, but it will have to wait.

 

[unclemick]

Charity begins at home - at least that's what my friends and relatives think.

Usually disguised in the form of a 'loan' request.

I try to look broke all the time.

 

[Martha]

Been generous with struggling relatives during my working years. Most recently paid a big chunk to help a relative get out of a bad marriage. She didn't ask. We offered. Painful for all concerned.

DH mentioned recently that we have never said no to my relatives and we might on occasion have to say no in the future, when we move to a more "fixed" income.
He has this bad dream vision of all my relatives moving in with us.

 

[maddythebeagle]

"I try to look broke all the time."

- I think that is a great quote. You always hear about folks winning the lottery and how much disdain people have for you if you dont give them more and more money. Solves the problem if you just tell everyone you're broke.   My thinking within your family since you have a clearer idea if gifts of money will be used wisely. Seems like it is common for folks to help with down payments on houses, etc.

 

[Martha]

My doctor has an interesting view on charity and money. She told me once that she and her spouse used to spend too much time thinking about money and "stuff" money can buy. They decided that after paying expenses for a modest life style and putting aside money in her 401(k) plan, all the rest of their money would be given away.

They have stuck to this for years.

 

[Sheryl]

None of the options really worked for me.

How about "I give as much as I feel I can spare?" Stopping short of "'til it hurts."

I give some money to causes I would like to see advanced, diseases I would like to see cured and organizations that helped me when I needed it.

Luckily I've never had family members who needed my help.

 

[KB]

I mostly donate clothing, food and money to the local church run food bank in my town.

I also pick a single mom or two each year and give them a few hundred dollars.

Now that I am on a fixed income, I'll have to see how things go. If my income stays at the level it is now, I'll continue to do what I'm doing now. If it's less, I'll rethink what I'm doing.

 

[Caroline]

I give a fair amount every year -- not to the point where it hurts, but let's face it, at our level of income in this country it's pretty hard to really hurt.  But people in developing and / or war-torn nations?  Now those people know the meaning of the word "hurt."

I want to retire very badly, and have visions of myself going out and doing good works / saving the world, yada yada, once I'm free to do so.  It's been frustrating to wait to reach my savings goal and tempting to sock away every single penny.

But in an odd way, "giving back" and NOT keeping everything myself has helped me to be less impatient.  If I'm not yet contributing my labor and effort to good causes, then at least I'm contributing to those others who are laboring.  

And I can go to work thinking that I'm achieving some good beyond the basic paycheck.  When I get tremendously angry with my company for making stupid mistakes, laying good people off, and wasting my effort with cancelled projects and busy-work, I can think instead:  "This week's salary fed starving people" and that makes it much, much better.

Caroline

 

[MJ]

I contribute to a number of organizations annually but I wouldn't consider myself very generous.

I have become recently permanently unemployed but I will continue the same contributions. I will probably double if not triple my donations when some of the unresolved financial events (selling my house, small pension in 8 years, SS, lottery) come to a successfull conclusion.

Unless I marry a 21 yo when I'm 95 who will love me to death , most of what will be left of my vast financial fortune will go to charity upon my untimely departure.