How much do you give away per year?

[msomnipotent]

I very rarely give money. I think the only times I gave cash in the last few years is when one of the animals shelters I support needed money for emergency surgeries. I think that giving time or goods is better, because money tends to slip through fingers. Most of my focus goes to my sister's students. A surprising number of them don't have winter coats (in Chicago) and wind up missing too many days. And then there is the Christmas presents, and the school supplies. Her class gets bigger all the time. I'm hoping her new school doesn't have as many students. I also donate a lot to animal shelters. I buy discounted gift cards for office supplies, and buy extra Sunday papers when there are good coupons for pet food. I also donate a lot of things for their annual garage sale.

[disneysteve]

I think that giving time or goods is better, because money tends to slip through fingers.

As an executive board member of a charitable organization, let me respond to this.

It's great when people give money.
It's great when people give time.

Take away either one of those, however, and we wouldn't be able to function.

Our annual operating budget is $1.5 million. No matter how much time our members devote to volunteering, if they stopped giving money we'd have to close our doors. If they only gave money, we'd also have to close our doors because there wouldn't be anybody to do all of the work that needs doing. We can't run on just volunteerism. We can't run on just money. Both are necessary for the endeavor to work.

[GoodSteward]

Giving creates blessings

I have been looking for a place to go for support, and to help keep my mind focused on getting out of debt completely and saving money. I hope I found a good place here. I enjoy Dave Ramsey, but don’t agree with everything he encourages, nor do I always agree with his attitude that borders opposite of humility. His strict baby step philosophy can leave too many holes for people to fall through IMO, and should have some give to people’s situations (such as an efund being closer to 2-3k minimum if the income allows). Some of those holes I have fallen through myself.

I pastor a church as well as work a secular job, and I can say that without people’s giving I wouldn’t be able to pastor, or at least not very easily. So, to those of you here who give to your churches, thank you. You are helping the ministry to reach others who need Jesus.
I will share this only because this is anonymous. I feel God should always get the glory.

Personally, I give 10% gross to tithes, and I try to give to other needs as well above that. I did figure it up one year and I was giving a total of around 15-18%(can’t fully remember) but have since had to back it down some to make sure I was taking care of everything else needed. The bible has a lot to say about money in general and really encourages giving freely. I have found that by having a generous heart, God proves his generosity as well. Recently, I felt led to help a couple different people who were in serious need. We didn’t really have it to give, but we felt we needed to help. Soon after, completely unexpectedly, God supplied us with the money needed to pay off a recent remodel that was put on a 0% card. Our debt was thousands more than we gave between the other two things, and that is only one story I have about God’s giving back. I find giving only makes your life that much better. Not to get more from God, but because giving keeps creating blessings when given for the right reasons.

As for Bible history, I will just add that tithing was going on before the Law of Moses, and Jesus brought it up too in the New Testament a couple times. Therefore, it isn’t locked down to just the Jews, or the Law of Moses. It was defined in the law, but the idea of giving God 10% was going on well before this. This is why I feel it is still relevant today.

As for the age of the earth, the bible dates add up to be a little less than 10,000 years, but it’s hard to know for sure. It isn’t really crucial to salvation anyway, so I wouldn’t get worked up over it. If it mattered that much God would have made it clearer.

[AJ444]

We have a line item in our budget (5% of total budget in 2016) that goes first to family/friends in need with the remainder to go to secular charities like Doctors Without Borders and the American Red Cross. Our wills have 50% going to family and 50% going to secular charities. I won't contribute to organizations that also have an agenda to proselytize.

[TexasHusker]

I have been looking for a place to go for support, and to help keep my mind focused on getting out of debt completely and saving money. I hope I found a good place here. I enjoy Dave Ramsey, but don’t agree with everything he encourages, nor do I always agree with his attitude that borders opposite of humility. His strict baby step philosophy can leave too many holes for people to fall through IMO, and should have some give to people’s situations (such as an efund being closer to 2-3k minimum if the income allows). Some of those holes I have fallen through myself.

I pastor a church as well as work a secular job, and I can say that without people’s giving I wouldn’t be able to pastor, or at least not very easily. So, to those of you here who give to your churches, thank you. You are helping the ministry to reach others who need Jesus.
I will share this only because this is anonymous. I feel God should always get the glory.

Personally, I give 10% gross to tithes, and I try to give to other needs as well above that. I did figure it up one year and I was giving a total of around 15-18%(can’t fully remember) but have since had to back it down some to make sure I was taking care of everything else needed. The bible has a lot to say about money in general and really encourages giving freely. I have found that by having a generous heart, God proves his generosity as well. Recently, I felt led to help a couple different people who were in serious need. We didn’t really have it to give, but we felt we needed to help. Soon after, completely unexpectedly, God supplied us with the money needed to pay off a recent remodel that was put on a 0% card. Our debt was thousands more than we gave between the other two things, and that is only one story I have about God’s giving back. I find giving only makes your life that much better. Not to get more from God, but because giving keeps creating blessings when given for the right reasons.

As for Bible history, I will just add that tithing was going on before the Law of Moses, and Jesus brought it up too in the New Testament a couple times. Therefore, it isn’t locked down to just the Jews, or the Law of Moses. It was defined in the law, but the idea of giving God 10% was going on well before this. This is why I feel it is still relevant today.

As for the age of the earth, the bible dates add up to be a little less than 10,000 years, but it’s hard to know for sure. It isn’t really crucial to salvation anyway, so I wouldn’t get worked up over it. If it mattered that much God would have made it clearer.

I agree with much of what you state. However, with regard to a tithe, according to the Law of Moses, this was actually 23.3 percent of CROPS or LIVESTOCK, and it was essentially the tax system for Israel. I can explain this further if necessary. NEVER is the tithe connected to currency, although folks were permitted to sell livestock for currency to offer if they needed to for convenience sake. Furthermore, the 23.3 percent of crops and livestock was MANDATORY, not optional. The only people who didn't pay were the Levites (priests and government officials) and the poor.

Post Christ, giving is to be "as a man as purposed in his heart" (NOT some arbitrary percentage). There are no more crops or livestock tithes. Giving is to be done cheerfully and without compulsion.

I personally like the give 10% save 10% ratio because 1) I am giving approximately what I am saving, and 2) It forces me to rely on God rather than myself for my income needs.

I've never gone to bed hungry, that's for certain.

[disneysteve]

I personally like the give 10% save 10% ratio

The problem with the "save 10%" advice is that it simply isn't enough. Someone who only saves 10% of their income during their working years is not likely going to be able to maintain their lifestyle in retirement. They'll be far better off than most Americans, since most don't save that much, but they'll probably fall short of meeting their needs.

[TexasHusker]

The problem with the "save 10%" advice is that it simply isn't enough. Someone who only saves 10% of their income during their working years is not likely going to be able to maintain their lifestyle in retirement. They'll be far better off than most Americans, since most don't save that much, but they'll probably fall short of meeting their needs.

I disagree.

It is not how much you invest, but rather how well you invest.

A fellow can sock away a paltry $2000 a year starting at age 23, and if he can average 12% annual return, that's over $2 million at age 65.

12% or more is readily achievable, but you can't take the mutual funds and ETF route.

I have saved approximately 10% a year, and I retired with two debt-free businesses and about $800K in real estate equity at age 46. I got my first job after college in 1989, age 23, and my annual salary was $16,500. I don't know what my average annual return-on-investment has been in that 23 years, but it had to be far, far north of 12%. And I kissed several toadies along the way.