S/o how much money you make- tzedaka

Log in / Sign Up

List of Forums + New Post Recipe Box Usergroups Following My Posts Bookmarks

Private Messages Advanced Search Rules New User Guide FAQ Advertise Contact Us

Forum -> Household Management -> Finances

View latest: 24h 48h 72h

amother

Bisque

Fri, Apr 27 2018, 12:21 am

The thread on how much money you make got me thinking about tzedaka and what percentage most people give of their income to charity.

Can you list your income and what percent of it goes to charity?

I feel like based on the charity we give people expect our income to be much higher than it is.... and it really isnt.

amother

Goldenrod

Fri, Apr 27 2018, 2:29 am

We make about $65K annually. We give about 20% ("chomesh", 1/5) to tzedakah.

It may be counterintuitive, but it seems to help our bottom line, so we haven't stopped.

amother

Salmon

Fri, Apr 27 2018, 7:28 am

Our income varies from year to year but we give 10 percent to tzedakah.

amother

Bisque

Fri, Apr 27 2018, 8:27 am

Our income is around $180k and we have charity commitments this year of around $50k .

amother

Salmon

Fri, Apr 27 2018, 8:43 am

what does charity commitment mean? That's a lot of money to have "committed".

pause

Fri, Apr 27 2018, 8:48 am

We give ma'aser of the money we actually get. IOW, job-related expenses get paid first and then we take off ma'aser which is 10% of the rest. This is what we were told by our Rav.

Last edited by pause on Fri, Apr 27 2018, 8:49 am; edited 1 time in total

amother

Bisque

Fri, Apr 27 2018, 8:48 am

amother wrote:

what does charity commitment mean? That's a lot of money to have "committed".

It means we already committed to this amount this year, and it is taken off our credit card in monthly payments for a couple of different causes.

I know it's a lot- but there is so much need out there.

We do hope that our income is going to go up shortly.

amother

Salmon

Fri, Apr 27 2018, 8:57 am

got it. you might want to ask your LOR about giving more then chomesh.

amother

Peach

Fri, Apr 27 2018, 9:31 am

We make 200k gross, 150k after taxes and insurance. According to our Rav, anything above the school's minimum tuition can be considered maaser. For us that comes out to 15k plus we give another 5k or so to other places.

amother

Bisque

Fri, Apr 27 2018, 11:19 am

Are we the only one surrounded by family and friends that need financial help?

amother

Goldenrod

Fri, Apr 27 2018, 11:25 am

Wow, amother bisque. That is beautiful. May Hashem make it easy for you to see the promise that tzedakah is repaid manifold. Your family and friends are lucky to have you.

pause

Fri, Apr 27 2018, 12:12 pm

amother wrote:

Are we the only one surrounded by family and friends that need financial help?

That's considered tzedaka! A lot of our tzedaka is to private people who need help because I feel like that money gets well-spent. As opposed to shuls, organizations, etc.

amother

Bisque

Fri, Apr 27 2018, 12:52 pm

pause wrote:

That's considered tzedaka! A lot of our tzedaka is to private people who need help because I feel like that money gets well-spent. As opposed to shuls, organizations, etc.

I know, I was wondering about those that their tuition is part of their maser/ tzedaka and they then only have minimal amounts to give....

In one month alone:
One neighbor living without a basic appliance cuz of lack of money so we chipped in to replace it.
We just learnt about A family friend whose business is in the dumps and while it is being worked on has no food on the table....
People marrying off....

amother

Lavender

Fri, Apr 27 2018, 1:13 pm

I used to make $65 a year and after speaking to my rav about it, we saved most of maaser in a separate account to cover the rest of tuition after the break, should we be unable to cover. We had been saving like that since we got married.

Then I finally stood up to the abuse my dh put me through, and ended up on my own with three kids. That amount tided me over for a few months, after I left my high stress job to attend to my family needs.

Now, I am building myself back up financially, and I don't give maaser. My day to day expenses are covered by kind people in the community. I can't wait for the day when I can give a Chomesh.

My dream is to, one day, live a life of bringing light to the world. When people come to my home, or interact with my family, I dream that they leave us feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. I used to think I needed a big home with hachnosas orchim suites, etc.

Now, I turned inward, and realized that I don't even have to have a penny to my name. I can work on it right now, from where I am.

So, I give tzedaka in a different way. I focus on making me full enough that when I meet people, they leave me feeling good about themselves, and their problems don't seem as daunting to them.

I hope that my tzedaka counts upstairs like I gave real money. I hope that one day I can.

amother

Chocolate

Fri, Apr 27 2018, 1:15 pm

amother wrote:

You possess an extraordinary amount of resilience, strength, spirituality and goodness! I envy you.

byisrael

Sat, Apr 28 2018, 1:37 pm

10% + - usually about 12%

Page 1 of 1