Author Topic: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?  (Read 12071 times)

Freedomin5

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #50 on: May 18, 2019, 05:20:28 PM »
Given that we are having so much fun donating money, is it worth putting off retirement for? Would we experience more joy later, if we waited until retirement to donate money?

I view giving as a necessity similar to food and housing. Food feeds me physically, giving feeds me spiritually and emotionally. For people to hesitate to give out of worry that it is for selfish purposes, I would say giving is a symbiotic activity. Both the giver and the receiver benefits from the act.

So yes, I suppose giving has put off my retirement date, in a similar vein as purchasing groceries and paying rent have also delayed my retirement.

Along those lines, there are ways to optimize giving, through company matching or through judicious use of coupons.

Freedomin5

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #51 on: May 18, 2019, 05:25:47 PM »
There is a group if expat doctors here who started an organization to bring orphans from other parts of China to Shanghai to get free surgery, which then increases their chance of being adopted. The babies often spend several months here as they often require multiple surgeries and time to recover. The doctors give their own money to rent apartments and hire ayis to care for the babies. I sometimes get coupons from online grocery stores, and I’m usually required to spend a large amount to use the coupon, so what I do when I get those coupons is to buy diapers in the sizes they need. I once got $180 worth of diapers for $90. The store delivered directly to the healing home. It worked out well because I didn’t have $180 worth of groceries that I needed, and the coupons did not go to waste.

exterous

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #52 on: May 18, 2019, 06:43:54 PM »
When I was about 20-21 I was waiting to get my hair cut. An elderly gentleman was walking up to the counter and, while the cashier's back was to him, rummaging around his wallet, pocket and jacket with increasing agitation. When he got up to the counter to pay he started to apologize to the cashier but, having my suspicions confirmed, I got up and walked over and said "I would like to pay for this gentleman's haircut." He started thanking me profusely and tried to give me his phone number and address so I could come collect the money. I told him not to worry and that I was happy to be able to help. We chatted for a few brief moments before I was called back.

After my haircut was over I went up to pay but the cashier told me I didn't owe anything. Apparently a woman had seen me pay for the gentleman's bill while getting her own hair cut and thought it was such a kind gesture that she decided to pay for mine on her way out. In a complete role reversal I asked if they knew the woman or had her phone number so I could thank her. They had never seen her before and she had noted she was just in town for business.

Even many years later I still occasionally think of that day as a pleasant reminder of the kindness of strangers.

DirtDiva

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #53 on: May 19, 2019, 08:35:35 AM »
Hub’s employer interviewed a woman who had terrible front tooth issues and was obviously very self conscious about her smile.  And given the job she interviewed for, it seems unlikely she was in a position to pay for repairs. They ultimately hired someone else, but hubs kept her name. A couple of months later, he contacted a cosmetic dentist who agreed to do the work for free.The dentist contacted her and told her an anonymous donor wanted to pay for her dental work.   We paid about 1k for materials and he fixed her up.  He sent us a picture of the nice result, and she sent us a very nice thank you letter via the dentist’s office.

COEE

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #54 on: May 19, 2019, 08:42:26 AM »
He sent us a picture of the nice result, and she sent us a very nice thank you letter via the dentist’s office.

Yes!  This is the stuff that gives hope!

NV Teacher

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #55 on: May 19, 2019, 12:21:13 PM »
I love this post.  I like to help people I hate for them to know it’s me.

I over heard one of the bus drivers talking about her husband’s terminal cancer situation.  She was fixing the toilet while he sat next to her giving her step but step instructions and how bad he felt not being able to do it himself.  Then she says that it’s too bad he couldn’t tell her how to fix the oven so that she would be able to fix Thanksgiving dinner for family in a few weeks.  I got her address and went to Sears and bought a stove and had it delivered.  The guy at Sears was great and covered the delivery, hook up, and hauled away the old stove for them.  It was their last family Thanksgiving together.

About eight years ago a young teacher at my school was diagnosed with an aggressive type of breast cancer.  She had six little kids and her husband was working at a paint store in a nearby town after they lost most everything in the market crash.  She had to keep working for the income and insurance.  Every other week for the rest of that school year I put $40 in an envelope with a short note of encouragement and left it in her school mailbox.  She is doing well and is grateful to be raising her children.



PaulMaxime

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #56 on: May 19, 2019, 12:27:06 PM »
I fund 529s for my 3 grandkids. I really enjoy sending my daughter a statement once a year.

She and her husband are really bad with money so I hope it teaches them a lesson about saving and investing but I don't think the message necessarily gets through but at least the next generation will be able to get through college without debt.


slipslop

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #57 on: May 19, 2019, 03:38:39 PM »
A friend of mine was going back to college to complete a BA with the goal of getting a higher paying job. At some point he lamented on Facebook the expense of the books as being an obstacle to completing his degree. It felt great being able to send him a check to cover a few semesters worth of books as my wife and I are huge proponents of education and rooting for him in every way.

E.T.

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #58 on: May 20, 2019, 06:07:29 PM »
From time to time I'll leave the quarter in the cart at Aldi!

Haha I have been so grateful for the quarter fairies from time to time at Aldi's. I always forget to have change!

This is a fun thread. I like to give but I usually never tell anyone about it. Something about giving for giving's sake I guess and not wanting to puff my already silly ego. I do have a favorite though and I don't think I've ever shared it with anyone. Seems nice to write about it on a semi anonymous forum. 

In college, scholarship students like me got put on monthly installment plans for anything not covered by grants and loans. If you missed a payment you could be dropped from your classes that semester, which could make it very hard to graduate especially since they wouldn't refund what you'd already paid for. One month, I was at the registrar's waiting to pay and overheard a student stressing trying to get the registrar to give her more time to meet that month's payment. I just so happened to have lucked into an extra part time job and had my first month's paycheck uncashed. I signed it over to her that day and never mentioned it again, since I knew that I'd be in the exact same straights if I hadn't gotten lucky. I was so proud when we graduated together a couple years later, she was a total kick butt engineer and I'm sure she went on to do great things.

Nederstash

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #59 on: May 21, 2019, 11:58:14 AM »
I love this thread, it's given me quite a few ideas. Giving is one of the most fun things you can do with money. Apart from buying your own freedom, of course.
 
Most fun: team Starkid (who made the Very Potter Musical series + 9 other musicals, all fantastic) recently had a kickstarter for their 10 year anniversary. Dropped $550 on that (500 euro). Not that they needed it, they raised 547,000 dollars with 11,700 backers. Biggest theatre kickstarter of all time. Their initial goal was 155,000. Still dropped the money on it because they're totally awesome and their new musical is looking great! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7q9Zc95XBo

techwiz

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #60 on: May 21, 2019, 01:14:51 PM »
My favorite is giving a "large" amount of money for a kid at a roadside lemonade stand and ask them to make sure fill the cup all of the way to the top.  Something like $5 when the cost is $0.50 .  Eyes usually get really big.  I do this because I love to encourage entrepreneurship, but I also remember it being a huge deal when someone did this once for my roadside lemonade stand as a kiddo.

I have done this too. To this day I still remember the one time as a kid running a Kool-Aid stand at the end of our laneway trying to earn money for something and a big rough looking biker stopped his motorbike got off walked over and than drank all of my Kool-Aid right from the pitcher and then handed me a twenty. Best day ever for my Kool-Aid sales!
 

BECABECA

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #61 on: May 21, 2019, 01:32:38 PM »
I love this thread! We donate every year to GiveWell’s top charities through our Donor Advised Fund, but while that’s absolutely the most efficient giving we do, it’s not most fun. A few fun stories come to mind:

I had just started my first job after college. I was approached by a homeless couple outside of a McDonald’s who asked me if I could buy them a hamburger. I didn't want to support McDonald’s so I offered to instead buy them some groceries at the supermarket across the parking lot. We chatted while they picked out fresh ingredients to make sandwiches and fruits & veggies for snacks. It didn't cost much, probably only $20 but they were very thankful and I was happy to see them have some nutritious food for the next couple days. And I got to hear about some of their adventures.

Shortly after we bought our first house, we were chatting with our good friends about first time homeownership and the conversation revealed that they had run up a bunch of credit card debt on building supplies when DIY finishing their basement. While the supplies were a good investment that enabled them to add sweat equity to their house, they were sick now with the realization at how much those debts were going to cost them in interest, and how many years it would take them to pay them off at the exorbitant interest rates (above 15%!). We had the cash to pay off their credit card debt and let them pay us back at the same interest rate as our savings account, so that’s what we did. They were so relieved to have a path forward to be rid of the debt in less than 2 years and we were happy to help friends along their path to financial responsibility.

markbike528CBX

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #62 on: May 21, 2019, 04:43:09 PM »
.......other quote snip------
I have done this too. To this day I still remember the one time as a kid running a Kool-Aid stand at the end of our laneway trying to earn money for something and a big rough looking biker stopped his motorbike got off walked over and than drank all of my Kool-Aid right from the pitcher and then handed me a twenty. Best day ever for my Kool-Aid sales!

I wanna be that biker!  I'm not that big, but I can look pretty scruffy.   I think I've already drunk the Kool-Aid of this thread :-)

mrs sideways

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #63 on: May 21, 2019, 10:05:18 PM »
Sent a big chunk of money from our DAF to DonorsChoose, giving us a bunch of "credits" that we could spend on classroom projects. We finished up or completely funded half a dozen book projects for needy schools, stayed 100% anonymous, and had a blast doing it. I think I could spend a million dollars on that site if I had it.

Step37

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #64 on: May 21, 2019, 11:05:42 PM »
I forwarded a friend in need the $700 etransfer that I received for doing what was a pretty easy online focus group (somewhat on company time). He was very touched and it felt good to help.

Mostly posting to follow (mine wasn’t particularly fun or anything;) because I love reading these stories and I think I’ll get some good ideas to supplement my regular monthly donations.

Abe Froman

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #65 on: July 17, 2019, 05:53:43 AM »
Posting to follow. Keep em coming.

calimom

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #66 on: July 17, 2019, 10:35:28 AM »
My eldest DD was very involved in the drama department at her high school. They planned a big several-day trip to a well known Shakespearean Festival where they'd get to see numerous plays, meet actors, have backstage tours. To defray the cost of the trip, which covered bus/dorm/meals/tickets, the group had a few lackluster fundraisers like a car wash and a bake sale. The OOP for each student defending would be $350. My DD told me about one of her classmates who'd been in tears because her family could absolutely not afford to send her. This young women was a promising actress, had the sweetest voice and it seemed so unfair to me she couldn't attend.

While I could easily afford my own child's fees, it was at a time when tossing around extra hundred dollar bills was not a daily occurrence. But in any case, since I'm such a pushover, I went to the drama teacher to pay for both, but under the condition that the deserving girl never knew the source of the funds. The kids went to the trip, it was amazing for them, and my DD reported her friend was thrilled at the chance to get to go when she thought it would never never happen.

SwordGuy

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #67 on: July 17, 2019, 10:53:05 AM »
... only to find out later that sometimes police dress up and try to catch people giving to beggars - it is forbidden by Sharia law!

My wife teaches Islamic history and based on what I've learned from her and other reading on my own, that sounded just plain wrong.  The very opposite of the truth kind of wrong.

So I looked it up.

Here's a discussion on it:

https://islamqa.info/en/answers/104781/beggars-to-which-should-we-can-and-which-should-we-refrain-from-giving-to

In short, it *IS* wrong.   

There may or may not have been a city ordinance against begging, but that's got nothing to do with whether giving to beggars is against the Islamic religion.  Same as here in the US and Christianity.



cookielover

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #68 on: July 18, 2019, 12:12:12 AM »
This is a make-you-feel-good thread!

I go to see the same hairdresser for many years and I leave very generous tips. I usually give cash directly to the hairdresser.

About a year or so ago I forgot to bring cash so I had to add the tip to the bill and paid with my credit card when I checked out. After I got home, I got a phone call from the hair salon and the girl at the desk said that I mistakenly left an extra 0 on the tip.  I explained to her that it was not a mistake.

My kids heard the conversions I was having on the phone.

We had a good laugh after the phone call.

familyandfarming

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #69 on: July 18, 2019, 07:40:22 AM »
I like to buy grocery store cards and give those out. Practical and helpful!

A Fella from Stella

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #70 on: July 18, 2019, 08:11:14 AM »
When my kids also chipped in.

leonblack

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #71 on: July 18, 2019, 08:28:08 AM »
I was working part time during college tutoring student athletes. Not a ton of money for these checks. Maybe $70 or so.
Towards the end of a few semesters, I would take the last paycheck of the school year and blow it on booze for my friends and I to split.

I've left a lot of used skateboard decks and gear at skateparks when I no longer can use them. Always weird/cool to see other people pick it up and take it home.

I qualify for a lot of focus groups and may comp my friends on dinner if we're out. I always treat this as extra fun spending money.

Good thread!

golfreak12

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #72 on: July 18, 2019, 09:55:03 AM »
DH and I paid for our best friend's honeymoon!
For context, this has been DH best friend since they were both 5, the three of us were all roommates and best friends through college, he officiated our wedding and married us, and now he found a really lovely lady to add to our best-friend group, she fits in like a charm. However, they live in a slightly depressed area and don't have the highest income, and were planning on drastically cutting their plans for their honeymoon to make things work financially.

We love these people like siblings, and they are financially smart, they just don't have a lot of resources in the first place. In contrast, DH and I make $250k per year combined and live on $45k. So DH and I just looked at each other when they mentioned that plan off-hand and we both had the same thought that we telepathically communicated to each other: we can pay for that. I whipped out my checkbook and said "$3000 should about do it", scribbled it out, and gave the slip to his shocked fiancee. They initially refused to take it, and threatened to shred it, but we insisted it was our wedding gift and promised to not get them any other gifts. These people are lovely and deserve an incredible honeymoon so we were happy to pay for it and give them a needed financial break.

Another thing we have done is give each of our younger siblings $500 after their HS graduations, and $1000 after college graduation (to help with security deposits on apartments, etc). DH's family is from a rural area and doesn't have much money to help their kids launch, and my family is not quite so desperate but also not rolling in the dough. So, we figure DH and I got incredibly lucky and can use our cushy position to help give our younger sibs a nice boost/security. There are 4 total younger siblings, all of which are still in college so we are saving up that $4k to give to them later (it's a surprise).

My favorite so far !!!!

golfreak12

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #73 on: July 18, 2019, 10:17:16 AM »
- I was at a Wendys a while back and 2 young black kids around 9 yrs old were in front of me. They were ordering some stuff and I see both of them had $5 + change out counting when what they ordered so far was close to $10. I just told the cashier I would pay for the meal. It felt like when I was that age and I got $5 and figuring out what I can/can't buy at the convenience store. I don't think they ever had someone paid for their meal before.
- I was at the red light and I see this old man walking down asking for money.(I never give money in these situation unless my wife tells me to). I didn't think twice about giving but I glanced to the corner of the street and I see an elderly woman in a wheelchair. I figured it was his wife. I pulled out $20 and gave it to him and I can see the joy in his face. He took off and went straight to the woman in the wheelchair and pointed to the direction of my car. I then saw him pushing her away presumably to go get some food. That really brought a smile to my face.

I like giving when its unexpected. I don't like people coming up to me asking for money. Its a turnoff.
I like giving people who are disabled cause I know they can't help themselves or I like giving to people without boing asked.

Bobberth

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #74 on: July 18, 2019, 10:22:52 AM »
Does voluntarily not receiving money count as giving money away?

In 2015, my wife and I decided to take one of our apartments and offer it to the refugee relocation organization for St. Louis. I got a call on a Wednesday that a Syrian refugee family would be there on Thursday. After about 4 weeks of wondering if anything was going to happen, that was all the notice we had and they didn't even know anything about the family. It ended up being a family of 6. 2 boys and 2 girls. The youngest, about 15 months old was born in the refugee camp in Egypt as they fled Syria pregnant with 3 kids. We sent out word through our networks to collect household items, clothing and furniture they needed. The Dad got a job working at an Arabic owned gas station and after a few months they asked if we could lower the rent. I discussed it with my wife as we were already offering below market rent. We did. They owned a cafe back in Syria and were excellent cooks. It was a love/hate relationship picking up the rent. I loved it because they always wanted to feed me wonderful food and tons of drinks. The bad part was it took at least 2 hours to collect the rent each month. They invited our family over to experience their celebrations and we invited them to our house for Thanksgiving. They had another daughter. It was great to see their children get better at English. And then the Mom caught on and we put Google Translate away. Finally the Dad got a different job where he interacted with English speakers more and started to pick it up better. I paid Dad to help me work on my other properties so they could earn extra money. 

With their cooking skills, they purchased equipment and set up at fairs to sell food. We were at one fair and even though there were a dozen food vendors in a small area, and 2 were by restaurants, they had the longest and most consistent lines for their food.

Last month, 51 months after stepping on US soil for the first time, they purchased a piece of it. A 3 bedroom, 2 bath house in the suburbs with a good school district. The American Dream.

It's been a great experience being a part of their coming to America story. We're mixed on what to do now. We would gladly do this again with a new family but due to our unfortunate administration's choices, not many refugees are coming over now. And we **could** get double the rent we were receiving by charging market rate.....

Master of None

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #75 on: July 18, 2019, 10:53:23 AM »
Does voluntarily not receiving money count as giving money away?

In 2015, my wife and I decided to take one of our apartments and offer it to the refugee relocation organization for St. Louis. I got a call on a Wednesday that a Syrian refugee family would be there on Thursday. After about 4 weeks of wondering if anything was going to happen, that was all the notice we had and they didn't even know anything about the family. It ended up being a family of 6. 2 boys and 2 girls. The youngest, about 15 months old was born in the refugee camp in Egypt as they fled Syria pregnant with 3 kids. We sent out word through our networks to collect household items, clothing and furniture they needed. The Dad got a job working at an Arabic owned gas station and after a few months they asked if we could lower the rent. I discussed it with my wife as we were already offering below market rent. We did. They owned a cafe back in Syria and were excellent cooks. It was a love/hate relationship picking up the rent. I loved it because they always wanted to feed me wonderful food and tons of drinks. The bad part was it took at least 2 hours to collect the rent each month. They invited our family over to experience their celebrations and we invited them to our house for Thanksgiving. They had another daughter. It was great to see their children get better at English. And then the Mom caught on and we put Google Translate away. Finally the Dad got a different job where he interacted with English speakers more and started to pick it up better. I paid Dad to help me work on my other properties so they could earn extra money. 

With their cooking skills, they purchased equipment and set up at fairs to sell food. We were at one fair and even though there were a dozen food vendors in a small area, and 2 were by restaurants, they had the longest and most consistent lines for their food.

Last month, 51 months after stepping on US soil for the first time, they purchased a piece of it. A 3 bedroom, 2 bath house in the suburbs with a good school district. The American Dream.

It's been a great experience being a part of their coming to America story. We're mixed on what to do now. We would gladly do this again with a new family but due to our unfortunate administration's choices, not many refugees are coming over now. And we **could** get double the rent we were receiving by charging market rate.....

I'm not crying...You're crying!!! Seriously though. What a beautiful story. Thank you for sharing.

nessness

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #76 on: July 18, 2019, 11:12:21 AM »
"Fun" isn't the right word for this, but DH's relative recently passed away in his early 30s from a terminal illness. His parents didn't have any money for a funeral, and they and other relatives were holding car washes and bake sales to raise money. DH and I paid for the remaining balance for the funeral, plus gave his mom a couple hundred extra to spend on herself, since she'd barely even slept the last several weeks that he'd been on hospice. It felt really good to be able to take that source of stress off their plates while they were dealing with their grief.

dignam

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #77 on: July 18, 2019, 11:24:05 AM »
Occasionally I'll pay for someone's items in the cashier line.  Usually it's local PD officer or the like.

Last week my gf and I witnessed a hit and run accident.  Unfortunately for the offender, I have a dash cam with wonderfully crisp 1080p; the responding officer now has the clip of the accident.  We stopped and stayed with the lady that was hit; her car wasn't worth much so probably totalled.  She was incredibly grateful that we stopped until the cops got there.  It was REALLY hot that day so my gf ran across the street to the gas station and got her some ice water.  Some pedestrian witnesses walked over and were amazed that we stopped and had footage of it.

That's probably more along the lines of a civic responsibility, but felt good nonetheless that we were able to help her (and the cops for that matter).

SteadyDoinIt

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #78 on: July 18, 2019, 01:41:48 PM »
From time to time I'll leave the quarter in the cart at Aldi!

This is a fun thread. I like to give but I usually never tell anyone about it. Something about giving for giving's sake I guess and not wanting to puff my already silly ego. I do have a favorite though and I don't think I've ever shared it with anyone. Seems nice to write about it on a semi anonymous forum. 


I feel the same, but for the sake of spreading good vibes, I'll share a couple.

I agree with some posters that beggars can sometimes be pushy and out for the wrong reasons, but 1) it's not my place to judge, 2) everybody has a story, and 3) I feel like the ones with good hearts sometimes get the short end of the stick because of the few bad apples.

This past Thanksgiving, my wife and I bought an extra turkey, gravy, stuffing, potatoes, green beans, and rolls, whipped it all up, portioned it out into ~15 servings, and drove around the city passing out plates to the homeless on street corners. Seeing their eyes light up was priceless. We are making it a yearly tradition.

Another time, there was an older homeless guy that would hang out near the grocery store where we shopped. After seeing him a few times, I decided to bring him all of our leftovers one night, and sat there hearing his story for around an hour. Turns out, he spent most of his life well-employed, with a wife and family. He was very candid in saying his life fell apart when his wife had unexpectedly passed away, and he had taken to the bottle to kill the hurt. I believe he was equally grateful to have a meal as he was to have a chat. I'll never forget that guy.

No matter the price, small gestures like these are always worthwhile.


SwordGuy

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #79 on: July 18, 2019, 02:15:27 PM »
Does voluntarily not receiving money count as giving money away?

In 2015, my wife and I decided to take one of our apartments and offer it to the refugee relocation organization for St. Louis. I got a call on a Wednesday that a Syrian refugee family would be there on Thursday. After about 4 weeks of wondering if anything was going to happen, that was all the notice we had and they didn't even know anything about the family. It ended up being a family of 6. 2 boys and 2 girls. The youngest, about 15 months old was born in the refugee camp in Egypt as they fled Syria pregnant with 3 kids. We sent out word through our networks to collect household items, clothing and furniture they needed. The Dad got a job working at an Arabic owned gas station and after a few months they asked if we could lower the rent. I discussed it with my wife as we were already offering below market rent. We did. They owned a cafe back in Syria and were excellent cooks. It was a love/hate relationship picking up the rent. I loved it because they always wanted to feed me wonderful food and tons of drinks. The bad part was it took at least 2 hours to collect the rent each month. They invited our family over to experience their celebrations and we invited them to our house for Thanksgiving. They had another daughter. It was great to see their children get better at English. And then the Mom caught on and we put Google Translate away. Finally the Dad got a different job where he interacted with English speakers more and started to pick it up better. I paid Dad to help me work on my other properties so they could earn extra money. 

With their cooking skills, they purchased equipment and set up at fairs to sell food. We were at one fair and even though there were a dozen food vendors in a small area, and 2 were by restaurants, they had the longest and most consistent lines for their food.

Last month, 51 months after stepping on US soil for the first time, they purchased a piece of it. A 3 bedroom, 2 bath house in the suburbs with a good school district. The American Dream.

It's been a great experience being a part of their coming to America story. We're mixed on what to do now. We would gladly do this again with a new family but due to our unfortunate administration's choices, not many refugees are coming over now. And we **could** get double the rent we were receiving by charging market rate.....

I'm not crying...You're crying!!! Seriously though. What a beautiful story. Thank you for sharing.

What a wonderful American story.   Thanks!

Fishindude

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #80 on: July 18, 2019, 02:30:27 PM »
I've given pretty significant sums of money to several different friends who were dealing with health problems within the family and it was obvious they could use some help.

SwordGuy

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #81 on: July 18, 2019, 02:50:41 PM »
Don't know which was more fun, I enjoyed them all:

Gave most of my mom's stuff to my relatives and her caregivers.   

Gave several thousand dollars to the lady who helped out my mom with keeping her house in order.

Had a coworker get fired due to being backstabbed by the sociopath boss that later tried to get me fired.   I hired him to dig a French drain for my house that I had intended to do myself.   Grossly overpaid him so he had enough to tide him over before his new job kicked in.

I've hired folks to do other things I could do for myself just to help them out, provided they are trying to help themselves.   

Let a young couple move into one of our empty apartments free of charge to help them relocate and get their financial house in order.

Pretty much anything we don't need we just give away.  We used to be poor and remember what it's like to score a really useful find.



oldladystache

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #82 on: July 18, 2019, 06:49:28 PM »
The hardworking old guy at the stable who cleans my horse's pen every day is almost certainly badly paid, based on my limited knowledge. He does a good job and always says hello. Other than that he has very little english.

A few months ago on a whim I handed him a $5 bill. It felt so good I gave him a $10 a month later. I've given him $20 a month for the past couple months. Only problem is I'm afraid he'll come to expect it. But I plan to keep giving it to him so I guess that's OK.


Wilson Hall

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #83 on: July 22, 2019, 11:41:17 AM »
I've given pretty significant sums of money to several different friends who were dealing with health problems within the family and it was obvious they could use some help.

I've done a bit of this in recent years, including some anonymous donations to friends' online fundraisers. After I sent get-well gifts to a couple of sick friends whom I haven't seen in years, I could tell by their responses they were deeply touched.

What an inspiring thread this is!

hudsoncat

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #84 on: July 22, 2019, 12:26:15 PM »
The best money I ever spent was for a young man who used to work for my husband. The job was low skill, low wage. He worked hard, worked smart. My husband tried to promote him, but was unable because the young man didn't have a high school diploma. After talking with him, we found out he dropped out of HS in March of his senior year due to family reasons (So close!). He had been studying on and off for his HS equivalency, but the test was $100. This young man was married with a kid and he just couldn't see spending $100 on that when the family could use it, especially if he failed. He didn't want to risk 'wasting' money.

I know the people who run the tests in my town, so I went in and paid it. Had them call him, set up the test time, and tell him it was paid through a scholarship fund. He went in, took it and passed. Since then he has moved up, makes more money, just bought a house. We're so proud of him! It was so rewarding to get get his excited phone call and hear the pride and excitement in his voice.

We now continue to provide scholarships for other students when the testing folks call and say they have a student who is ready to test but can't afford it. It's not much, but I know having a HS equivalency is so important for job and education prospects. I only hope all the students have had as much success as that young man since earning their equivalency!

Tass

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #85 on: July 22, 2019, 01:52:25 PM »
That's incredibly inspiring, @hudsoncat. I just had a young friend get her HS degree (late) after having been mostly left to fend for herself by her homeschooling family, and it was such a big step for her.

CharlesBronzee

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #86 on: July 23, 2019, 07:54:00 PM »
As I get closer to FI, I find myself being more generous with tips - and not just when I get exceptional service.  Even just above average service gets a very nice tip from me now.  The smile on the person’s face when they see the tip is so worth it.  :)


NV Teacher

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #87 on: August 09, 2019, 11:35:15 AM »
I paid off the outstanding lunch balances from last year so that kids can start the year and not have to eat the crappy lunch they serve to kids that owe for lunches.

Epor

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #88 on: August 09, 2019, 01:24:56 PM »
I paid off the outstanding lunch balances from last year so that kids can start the year and not have to eat the crappy lunch they serve to kids that owe for lunches.
What do you mean? Kids that have some lunch balance from previous school year gets singled out and cannot use the cafeteria like the other kids? Or cannot eat anything but the basic peanut butter & jelly sandwich? That is depressing.

I'm going to look into my kids school and find out how that is handled.


NV Teacher

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #89 on: August 09, 2019, 02:41:50 PM »
I paid off the outstanding lunch balances from last year so that kids can start the year and not have to eat the crappy lunch they serve to kids that owe for lunches.
What do you mean? Kids that have some lunch balance from previous school year gets singled out and cannot use the cafeteria like the other kids? Or cannot eat anything but the basic peanut butter & jelly sandwich? That is depressing.

I'm going to look into my kids school and find out how that is handled.

Kids that reach a certain amount of money owed on lunches get the sandwich/milk/fruit lunch rather than what is listed on the menu.  I teach at a low income school and this year 100% of the students will be getting free lunch but the central office powers insist that any balances from last year be paid or they will be stuck with the sandwich option.  The crazy thing is that it's all bad food but the sandwich is definitely the worst. 

Warlord1986

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #90 on: August 11, 2019, 05:22:54 PM »
The best money I ever spent was for a young man who used to work for my husband. The job was low skill, low wage. He worked hard, worked smart. My husband tried to promote him, but was unable because the young man didn't have a high school diploma. After talking with him, we found out he dropped out of HS in March of his senior year due to family reasons (So close!). He had been studying on and off for his HS equivalency, but the test was $100. This young man was married with a kid and he just couldn't see spending $100 on that when the family could use it, especially if he failed. He didn't want to risk 'wasting' money.

I know the people who run the tests in my town, so I went in and paid it. Had them call him, set up the test time, and tell him it was paid through a scholarship fund. He went in, took it and passed. Since then he has moved up, makes more money, just bought a house. We're so proud of him! It was so rewarding to get get his excited phone call and hear the pride and excitement in his voice.

We now continue to provide scholarships for other students when the testing folks call and say they have a student who is ready to test but can't afford it. It's not much, but I know having a HS equivalency is so important for job and education prospects. I only hope all the students have had as much success as that young man since earning their equivalency!

Sounds like that $100 improved his life by leaps and bounds. Kudos to both of you!

LaineyAZ

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #91 on: August 11, 2019, 09:20:49 PM »
Got a windfall of $500 earlier this year, and gave it to my son and d-in-law during her unpaid maternity leave.  They weren't desperate but the loss of her income for 6 weeks was going to have an impact, and I think I helped soften it.

I've also given a bit of extra cash to servers and others, especially around holiday times.  I don't eat out much so I can afford to add a little more on the tip which I think is much appreciated. 

And like others, I am enjoying this thread and am inspired by the stories.

ghsebldr

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #92 on: August 11, 2019, 10:09:33 PM »
I was walking towards a drug store in a strip mall when I noticed two Washington State troopers walking into the Subway, I followed them in and walked around the line of customers to the cashier handed her $20 and told her it was for their lunch. Walked out past them and never looked back.
  I've always been a sucker for our local homeless shelter and also our food bank but after donating and volunteering at the food bank once a week for a year I noticed it's the same people every week. On occasion my job was to offer the dry goods and many times I had people refuse the rice,beans or pasta saying they got those yesterday or the day before at another food pantry. I've become a little jaded by that and now like to look for people that are actually in need and that don't look like a small cash infusion will go to their next tattoo. Our senior centers manager is a great source for those in our community that could use some help with a utility bill or some pet food.

Happy Little Chipmunk

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #93 on: August 11, 2019, 11:36:50 PM »
PTF...

When DH received a sizable inheritance from his step-dad, we gave a big chunk of it to his younger brother and younger brother's wife even though they didn't know the step-dad. (DH & Brother have different mothers.)

DH and younger brother had the same father who had passed several years earlier. Their father didn't leave much beyond bills and memories and a small piece of property.  Younger brother and wife are great people with small kids and fewer assets. We told them that this was the bequest their dad would have wanted them to have, if he had been able to give it.


SwordGuy

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #94 on: August 12, 2019, 07:32:25 AM »
  I've always been a sucker for our local homeless shelter and also our food bank but after donating and volunteering at the food bank once a week for a year I noticed it's the same people every week. On occasion my job was to offer the dry goods and many times I had people refuse the rice,beans or pasta saying they got those yesterday or the day before at another food pantry. I've become a little jaded by that and now like to look for people that are actually in need ...

Isn't it possible that they actually did get those products at another shelter and they are being considerate of the scarce resources you have?   They have enough of those products and want others to get some?

RyanAtTanagra

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #95 on: September 09, 2019, 03:11:38 PM »
I get to add to this thread with something from today.  I have a friend that's a single mom, already has a hard time making ends meet, they've been living in a small 1br apt and she's been trying to find a reasonably priced 2br to move to.  She finally found a perfect place that's not much more than she's paying now, but she was one month off on when she thought her current lease was up.  So she was all set up to start the process and realized she would have to pay double rent for a month, or forego her deposit, neither of which she can afford.  She talked to her landlord and he refused to budge.  She's had a rough year and was on the verge of tears.  Without saying anything I venmo'd her enough to cover her last month's rent.  She messaged me saying now she really was crying but for a better reason.  Best money I've spent this year.

calimom

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #96 on: September 09, 2019, 06:37:30 PM »
I get to add to this thread with something from today.  I have a friend that's a single mom, already has a hard time making ends meet, they've been living in a small 1br apt and she's been trying to find a reasonably priced 2br to move to.  She finally found a perfect place that's not much more than she's paying now, but she was one month off on when she thought her current lease was up.  So she was all set up to start the process and realized she would have to pay double rent for a month, or forego her deposit, neither of which she can afford.  She talked to her landlord and he refused to budge.  She's had a rough year and was on the verge of tears.  Without saying anything I venmo'd her enough to cover her last month's rent.  She messaged me saying now she really was crying but for a better reason.  Best money I've spent this year.

I have a huge internet crush on you right now, @RyanAtTanagra . What a wonderful thing you did.

ender

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #97 on: September 09, 2019, 06:45:33 PM »
we anonymously gave around $75/kid to all the families in our church who have adopted kids.

Was around $4k total, well worth it. Adopting is way harder than our meager money can account for but hopefully those families felt blessed and encouraged.

SwordGuy

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #98 on: September 09, 2019, 07:11:33 PM »
we anonymously gave around $75/kid to all the families in our church who have adopted kids.

Was around $4k total, well worth it. Adopting is way harder than our meager money can account for but hopefully those families felt blessed and encouraged.

Good for you!    People who adopt are heroes.   Thanks for helping out the kids and their new parents.

WSUCoug1994

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Re: Most fun you've ever had giving away money?
« Reply #99 on: September 09, 2019, 07:18:37 PM »
My maternal grandfather was MMM all the way.  He lived in a town of less than 800 people, he was the local dentist (only one in a 100 miles radius) and didn't use a line of credit in his entire life.  He was also the Mayor lol.  Paid for his house, cars and everything else with cash.  Never had a credit card or a loan in his life.  He spent very little and trusted a financial planner in the "big city" to manage his finances.  He never really looked at his balances and just assumed that his guy was doing the right things.  He never withdrew from his investment portfolio in his life.

Every year during the holidays, he would drive to the "big city" and at the local "retail outlet" he would walk in and spend $5000 paying off the toys that were on layaway.  I actually think he thought he was Santa.  There has been noise in recent years of others doing similar things at Walmart or whatever but he had been doing this for over 40 years.  I have kept up this tradition in his honor as he passed when he was 97 years old.

Fun fact - I took over his finances as the end was drawing near as his executor.  Turns out he had stock piled about $8M over the years.  When I told him how much money he had he insisted that we go to the drive-in in town and celebrate over "soft serve".  I will never forget him.