TIghtwad in Texas

Dear Tightwad -

Good questions, good questions!  It's much harder to dig into your pockets during economic crisis and I think most non-profits are feeling jammed right now.  What we've done as a family during these difficult times is re-evaluate our own spending on all the extras and we realized, we were due for an internal audit!   Among other things, we started shopping at a grocery store with lower prices and we're also eating out much less. 

Every family of course has to come to terms with how much money they give away.  Our family sticks to at least ten percent of what we earn.  So, in flush or hard times, the percentage never goes under ten percent and this internally consistent approach has worked for us.  That way, we don't have to debate yearly giving amounts because of economic flux.  

Sincerely, One Cent

Dear Tightwad,

I agree with One Cent on this one.  In fact, perhaps the first item on your budget should be "giving" -- set a non-negotiable percentage that you try to give every month.  If your salary goes up, you'll give more.  If it goes down, you'll give less. Speaking strictly for myself, I think it'd be hard to increase the amount you give each month based on these fluctuations.

Charles P. Pierce writes, "We have become very strange in this country about giving away our money. We only seem to be able to do it unconsciously. Dropping the loose change into the charity jar at the convenience store. Telling someone to keep the change because the untoward jingling in your pocket may disrupt the afternoon staff meeting. As soon as we start thinking about making a donation, we start thinking of reasons not to do it. Money's too tight at home. The person to whom we'll give it will spend it unwisely. The buck in the envelope is just a drop in the bucket. Oh, Lord, the problem's so big and my wallet is so small. The modern reflex seems to be that the worst thing we can do for a problem is to "throw money at it," even though very few problems ever get solved for free."

Instead of doing this charity thing willy-nilly, plan ahead and treat your charitable giving as if it were a bill.

Thanks for writing!

Two Cent