Most fun you've ever had giving away money?

[Lady Stash]

One of my favorite parts of living below my means is that I have extra money to give away from time to time.  Or I can meet a pressing need and influence someone's life in a positive way.

I rarely go out to eat because of the cost, but once in a while it's fun to pay for the next few people in line, just because.   I love helping teachers out at my local school via Donor's choose.  It goes straight to the next generation in my neighborhood; there are often matching grants and if you are the largest donor for that item all the kids in the class hand write you thank you notes.  I get a kick out of 30 hand written notes with stick figures thanking me for their science tools or their new books or whatever. Never fails to make me smile.

What's the most fun you've ever had giving away money?

[solon]

So many. I hate to brag, but... oh nevermind, I love bragging:

Gave a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter to a homeless man.

Helped a friend in college with a month's rent.

Visited a restaurant and overheard the hostess talking with a server about not being able to pay rent. Went back later and slipped her some cash.

Young couple at our church facing financial hardship. Sent them $500 cash anonymously. Heard through the grapevine that they were crying about receiving it. (Make somebody cry = awesome)

Another young couple at our church facing enormous medical bills. Sent them $500 cash anonymously. Never heard anything specifically about that gift, but they are well on their way to physical and fiscal recovery.

[Tass]

I don't think I have any good stories, but this is one of my FI dreams. Currently most of my giving is of the online, extensively-researched variety, which I believe in wholeheartedly but isn't exactly "fun" - mostly just increases my junk mail.

This is a long way of saying PTF.

[Psychstache]

A couple of months ago, I was in line at the grocery store. The sweet old lady in line in front of me had her items rung up and bagged, then she handed the cashier her check. The system wasn't processing it. It was a sort of temporary check from a new bank account she had just opened, so their program wouldn't take it. She didn't have any cash or cards to pay. As she started to get upset and anxious, I looked up at the total on the screen. It was like $45 bucks.

The kid behind the register was about to suspend the transaction and move her to the next lane for someone else to handle, but I told him to just start ringing up my stuff and let her go about her day, I'll get this one. The old lady tried to refuse like 5 times, I told her to not worry about it and enjoy her weekend. She almost started crying as she left. The kid behind the counter told me that was some good karma.

Best money I ever spent.

[markbike528CBX]

I gave away 250 billion Zimbabwe dollars last Halloween and Christmas.

50x 5 billion notes.  Real cost ~ $20USD VIA EBay.
Yes, it is cheating, but the notes were once legal tender, and I had lots of fun.
Sometimes I'd note that this is the result of central bankers F-ing up.

Not direct money, but I once invited a beggar to a meal.

[Rosy]

I saved up some extra cash for my trip to Europe so I could visit my niece. We met a couple of times and had a truly grand time. I met her BF and we talked about her future and her finances.
She was about to turn 21 and on the last day I gave my niece 1200 Euro. Her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.
 
I know it will give her a bit more financial security as she just finished nursing school and moved into her first apartment.
She is already much better at handling money than I ever was. A natural mustachian, driven by the need for security, because her mom always ran out of funds before the end of the month - no matter what.

I have no doubt that she will do well and it was a bit of thrill to give her some EF money. Satisfaction - money well invested:)

[Mike in NH]

A couple of months ago, I was in line at the grocery store. The sweet old lady in line in front of me had her items rung up and bagged, then she handed the cashier her check. The system wasn't processing it. It was a sort of temporary check from a new bank account she had just opened, so their program wouldn't take it. She didn't have any cash or cards to pay. As she started to get upset and anxious, I looked up at the total on the screen. It was like $45 bucks.

The kid behind the register was about to suspend the transaction and move her to the next lane for someone else to handle, but I told him to just start ringing up my stuff and let her go about her day, I'll get this one. The old lady tried to refuse like 5 times, I told her to not worry about it and enjoy her weekend. She almost started crying as she left. The kid behind the counter told me that was some good karma.

Best money I ever spent.

We did this once in college for an old veteran, I think he was amazed that the disrespectful young punks could have that much respect for their elders.

Last year Van Morrison came to Boston, and one of my very good friends absolutely loves him but couldn't afford to go. I bought him and his girl the tickets and just said this covers me for every potential gift occasion for the rest of your life. Pure joy spending money on the happiness of others.

[Goldy]

I wouldn’t say it was fun but the most impactful one was paying for an elderly gentleman’s breakfast who had recently lost his pet.  The sadness was palatable, hopefully it brightened his day briefly.  I generally try not to stick around for when they get told the bill is paid for but the gesture did bring the waitress to tears.

[mm1970]

This is the best thread ever.
I have nothing to add.  I know I've given away money but my memory totally sux.

[Duke03]

Someone I knew from high school got seriously injured while on the job.  He had to spend 3 months in a burn unit.  Long story short someone started a go fund me and people where donating $20 to $50 at a time.  I decided to blow it up and put $1000 in the pot.  His wife called me crying like 20 minutes after the donation saying she couldn't accept that much ect ect.  I just told her not worry about it.  I've been blessed in life and I knew they needed the money at the time.

[pbkmaine]

Oh gosh, so many times. We have funded a lot of classroom requests and it’s cute to see the kids with their new equipment. My two goddaughters were off on a trip to Europe and I gave them each a purse with 50 Euros in it. I took my stepdaughters clothes shopping and gave them each an envelope with $200. It was fun to see how far they could stretch it. My high school carefully packed some of their famous home baked cookies for my husband and I sent them a check for $1,000 just because.

[Dollar Slice]

I had a really elaborate one where I wanted to anonymously give some money to a friend because she was out of work and her pet had a medical emergency. I ended up finding a random Easter card in a drawer (I'd bought it because it was so creepy and weird with a sort of threatening giant rabbit on it, but I'd forgotten to give it to someone), put money in it and asked a friend of mine who lived in another state if they would take it home and mail it for me so the USPS postmark wouldn't give me away. When the friend received it she was so thrilled and confused and baffled, posting on Facebook to see if anyone could help figure out who sent it, etc. I joined in the speculation with red herrings ("wow, if it's an Easter card and you got it in July they must have been planning this for MONTHS!"). I had so much fun with that one and she never figured out it was me :-)

Not fun, but satisfying: the cashier at a convenience store was being a total shit to the customer in front of me, who happened to be a black teenager. Giving him a hard time because he was five cents short and claiming he owed her ten cents from "last time". Not just saying "sorry, you don't have enough money to buy that," but being nasty about it and making sure everyone could hear what was going on. I gave him a quarter I had in my pocket so he could square up with the cashier. The cashier was actually mad at me for doing it and tried to insist that he still owed her ten cents. Another customer joined in on the side of the cashier. I gave them a line about kindness and helping your neighbors and walked out.

[bluebelle]

this thread has made me realize how cynical I am.  I've let the few con artists jade me.  That being said, I am a big believer in charity begins at home and I'm thankful that I've had the cash to bail out family when they needed it.  I loan  money to someone that that didn't expect it but really needed it (I considered it a gift - she paid me back early).

I try very hard to tip wait staff very well (I don't eat out much anymore so this doesn't happen very often).

But I feel very over-run by the sheer number of people standing at intersections with their hands out.   I can't give to all of them, so I've stopped giving to any of them.

I do want to volunteer my time when I'm retired in a few years.   I really want to get involved in youth numeracy programs.   I'm afraid it will break my heart, but I want to help people budget and plan better.

[Sailor Sam]

Funded a surprise technological update for an artist friend.

Helped an internet stranger out of a not-their-fault hole.

Made sure a friend's kickstarter reached their stretch goal.

It's all so fucking delightful. I've never gotten to see anyones face during the surprise moment, but I can imagine it, and it's, well, delightful. Full of delight for me and myself.

[HPstache]

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.

[kei te pai]

We in NZ had a vicious massacre occur in a mosque 2 months ago. I joined with hundreds of thousands of other people, and donated $1000 to the victims and their families. It wasnt fun, but it felt to me like a way to repudiate the message hate and fear. I was glad I could do it.

[englishteacheralex]

I was finishing up an early morning run and a beat up old car pulled over in front of me. When I ran past a desperate looking young woman leaned out the window and asked if I could spare any money.

Huh?

I stopped and asked her to clarify. She told me she was trying to get away from her boyfriend and she didn't have money for the gas to get back to Waianae (very sketchy area a long, long way from Kailua, where I was living at the time). I'm probably just ridiculously naive but I didn't smell danger to myself in the situation--she seemed sincerely distressed.

Hopped in the car and told her to drive to the gas station down the block. She pulled in and I bought her a tank of gas. Then she drove away.

No clue if I got scammed or if I was super lucky not to have gotten kidnapped or something. Seemed legit at the time and nothing bad happened to me. In hindsight I maybe should have called the cops or something.

I have a policy of almost never giving money to people who ask, but I'll almost always give them anything else they might need. My husband works for the homeless and he's advised me that money is generally not helpful, for all the reasons you'd suspect (substance abuse, chiefly). The tank of gas fell into the "can't really be abused" category in my mind.

Or maybe it was just the endorphins from the run.

[Sultan58]

this thread has made me realize how cynical I am.  I've let the few con artists jade me.  That being said, I am a big believer in charity begins at home and I'm thankful that I've had the cash to bail out family when they needed it.  I loan  money to someone that that didn't expect it but really needed it (I considered it a gift - she paid me back early).

I try very hard to tip wait staff very well (I don't eat out much anymore so this doesn't happen very often).

But I feel very over-run by the sheer number of people standing at intersections with their hands out.   I can't give to all of them, so I've stopped giving to any of them.

I do want to volunteer my time when I'm retired in a few years.   I really want to get involved in youth numeracy programs.   I'm afraid it will break my heart, but I want to help people budget and plan better.

yeah I read an article on panhandlers in a regional paper this past week that profiled 4 panhandlers.....one of them admitted he had a good education. He further stated that he had had jobs in the past that paid 50-60 buck for an 8 hour day in the hot sun...and why would he do that when he could make that in an hour standing on a corner holding a sign.

I had to tamp down the cynicism welling up in my throat.  That said, Ive given to panhandlers and to others anonymously--and wont stop because of one panhandler jerk.

[Freedomin5]

A recent one that happened was at the subway station. DD (age 5) asked me for a dollar for the beggar sitting on the street outside the entrance to the station. I usually use my phone/card to pay for things and did not have $1 in change. As we entered the turnstiles in the subway station, I looked down and there on the ground was $1. DD picked it up and was So Excited that she had a dollar to give away. She held it for the hour-long trip all the way to our destination and then kept it in her pocket for the entire journey back. As we exited the station on our way home, we saw the same beggar sitting on the street. DD happily fished out her $1 from her pocket and dropped it in the man’s box.

Another favorite was helping a friend get ready for his sister’s new baby. His sister is a single mom whose boyfriend told her to get an abortion and then kicked her out of the house when she refused. She went to live with her brother (our friend) two weeks before her due date. They had nothing ready, not even a crib. We ordered everything online and it was like Christmas for them when things started showing up. We went a little crazy — must have ordered several hundred dollars worth of goods (I can’t really remember). Plus a personal gift — What to Expect in the First Year. Our friend read it from cover to cover.

Another favorite was feeding a homeless person. I didn’t have cash but asked him to come into Tim Horton’s with me. I then told him to order whatever he wanted. He ordered one donut and a small coffee. I was like, how is that enough? (But also I was touched that he did not try to take advantage)  And then I told him I was ordering a meal for myself and he should also order one for himself. Basically forced him to spend more money and get more food. Told him that he could save part of it for later if he wanted. But I think the gift he appreciated most of all was when I asked if I could sit with him while we ate and stated that I had some time to kill. And then I listened to his story.

[Abe Froman]

standing up with a loud ... slow ... clap

Great idea Lady Stash !!!

How fun it is to see these ideas. Wonder if this thread could spin into an opportunity for many others to try these pay-it-forward occasions and report back !

My examples are smaller - putting $5 dollars toward the guy(s) behind me in the DunkinDonuts drive-thru or something similar. The best for me was walking into a gas station with my 9 year sold son, buying the coffee for an unsuspecting man behind me in line - and then once we get back into our own car - asking my son what he felt when he saw. Reminds me I need to do more of that in front of my boys.

[Dicey]

Paid for groceries for the person in front of me in line a while back.  He had super healthy food in his basket, was trying to pay with a WIC card (Women, Infant & Children food supplement for the poor) and kept running up against stupid rules like "you're four ounces over the allowable amount for grapes" and "that's not the right brand of whole wheat bread".  The cashier was getting frustrated and the customer was getting embarrassed.  He turned to me to offer to let me go in front of him because there was a line forming behind us.  I handed the cashier cash and told her to just ring him up.  His whole order came to less than $20 and was worth every penny.  It was a solid reminder of how good my life is, plus I got to see his kid gobble grapes as they walked out of the parking lot.

Similar story. Was at the discount grocery store. Young mom ahead of me didn't have enough on her EBT card. I gave the cashier $20 to finish the transaction. I didn't want her or the cashier to have to put anything back.

[EscapeVelocity2020]

I have never had a bad experience giving away money, but my wife usually gets the lion's share of moments to give.  One sad one was that our maid service in Dubai were not allowed to keep the extra dirham my wife gave them even though they were severely underpaid.  It was considered charitable that we employed maids even though my wife did most of the cleaning at home.  She also gave a pair of sandals to the lawn guy and his boss took them (and the bottle of water).  I was approached in Sharjah by a woman in a hijab (I think it was a woman) holding out her hand.  It was so unusual and uncomfortable that I walked away, only to find out later that sometimes police dress up and try to catch people giving to beggars - it is forbidden by Sharia law!

And in Norway there really is no charity.  They look at the American customs of tipping and charity drives as unnecessary since social programs take care of all of that.  So it is interesting, in a way, how much charity figures in to American life  - lots of great opportunities and deserving people, but also sad that it is so prevalent.

[FreelanceToFreedom]

I have a weird one. I donated not money, but airline miles...

I worked with a charity called Miles4Migrants to fly a family of Syrian refugees to be reunited with already-settled family members in Europe. It cost me $0 out of pocket, just a ton of miles that I had earned from credit card churning.

So essentially I got to help drastically change the lives of a family in need, and Citibank picked up the tab! And the charity did all the hard work with visas and such.

[rothwem]

How has nobody made a stripper joke yet?

[2sk22]

One of my favorite parts of living below my means is that I have extra money to give away from time to time.  Or I can meet a pressing need and influence someone's life in a positive way.

I rarely go out to eat because of the cost, but once in a while it's fun to pay for the next few people in line, just because.   I love helping teachers out at my local school via Donor's choose.  It goes straight to the next generation in my neighborhood; there are often matching grants and if you are the largest donor for that item all the kids in the class hand write you thank you notes.  I get a kick out of 30 hand written notes with stick figures thanking me for their science tools or their new books or whatever. Never fails to make me smile.

What's the most fun you've ever had giving away money?

Inspired by your example, I just gave some money to a special-ed teacher in my town today via Donor's choice. I love this idea.

[redhead84]

When my 17 year old niece saved enough money to purchase her first car, I sent her $200 with a note telling her how proud I was that she saved this money, and that I wanted to make sure she has some savings in the bank if the car needed any repairs. Her family has never had a lot of money, and financial responsibility is not a lesson that she learned at home. I thought it would be fun for her to see another reward for saving. Also, I was pretty confident that the beater car she bought would probably need repairs sooner than later.

[Tass]

I have a weird one. I donated not money, but airline miles...

I worked with a charity called Miles4Migrants to fly a family of Syrian refugees to be reunited with already-settled family members in Europe. It cost me $0 out of pocket, just a ton of miles that I had earned from credit card churning.

So essentially I got to help drastically change the lives of a family in need, and Citibank picked up the tab! And the charity did all the hard work with visas and such.

Looking into this now, thanks. I'd love to donate the chump change miles Frontier keeps reminding me are going to expire, but it looks like you have to donate enough to cover an entire flight. Makes sense, but still too bad. I'll keep them in mind in the future.

[Dicey]

I didn't have time to write this one up earlier. One year, I decided to augment my giving. I earmarked $1k, to be given in $100 increments to anyone, for any reason that appealed to me. The kid selling bullshit stuff for his school that I didn't want or need, but I loved his enthusiasm got the first $100 check, payable to his school. SIL's breat cancer marathon? Check. Neighbor who hand wrote ask letters for her favorite charity in her beautiful penmanship? Yup. Overweight customer who asked for $1/lap for a walkathon - I told him I'd pledge $100 no matter how many laps he did if my boss (his pal) would match it. Boss did, but was kinda fake-pissed* at me. Too bad. Cousin who works for a national [disease] nonprofit? Yup. Friend of friend who was doing a marathon for her beloved cause? You got it. I actually started to look forward to the next ask instead of dreading it. At the end of the year anything left was added to my usual suspect's donations.

I did this for a few years, when I lived on a strict budget. Now that I'm FIRE, I pretty much donate to whatever I want. Today I have a luncheon for one charitable cause, then a fundraising dinner tonight for another. I will attend both with an open mind and checkbook. I look forward to each event.

*My boss was inconspicuous about it, but was in fact, quite wealthy, which I had sussed out on my own. Therefore, I had no qualms about issuing this challenge. In fact, it made it extra fun. The customer never forgot. Bonus - customer lost quite a bit of weight preparing for the walkathon, for a double win.

[chicagomeg]

I've been making loans on Kiva.org since 2006. I've now loaned to 76 of 77 available countries. These days, I don't add much new money except when a loan comes up in one of my last countries, as those seem to go quickly (must not be the only one working on this goal!). I have deposited $966 over the last 13 years and used it to make $3,125 in loans. I withdrew some money in college when I was super broke but mostly relend the money when it comes back to me, or donate it to Kiva if I'm too lazy to find a loan I'm interested in & a lot of money has piled up. It's a really neat way to make a difference, in my opinion.

[solon]

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?

[chicagomeg]

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?

Personally, I try to strike a balance. I budget about $100/month for charitable donations, which really isn't that much, but seems to be a lot more than most of my friends do. It's enough to keep me connected to organizations I really care about without slowing me down a ton.

[Tass]

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 give now despite being nowhere near FI, but as mentioned above, it's not exactly "fun" giving - more of a sense of fulfillment and pride. It is enough to slow me down by a few years, but I think it's worth it.

I also worry - and I'm sorry if this brings down the tone of the thread, which I do genuinely love - that after a certain point, a love of giving is really a love of exercising power. Maybe that's not a bad thing, to relish having the power to help someone in need - as long as it never ventures toward reminding the person in need that you have power over them.

Not accusing anyone here - I know a lot of you specified that you give anonymously - just musing on the subject.

[Lady SA]

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).

[COEE]

A weekend ago I had the following conversation with my daughter (8 yo):
DD: Can I pleeeeeasse have $5 [whining and annoying voice]
Me: I might just give you $5 if you ditch the whining and annoying voice.
DD: Can I please have $20? [In a normal conversational voice]
Me: [Big belly laugh while handing over a $20]

Damn smart kid.

[davisgang90]

I'll relate one fun story.  My wife and I were out to a fancy dinner for our anniversary.  We saw a couple obviously having dinner before attending her prom (he was a newly minted Sailor in his cracker jack uniform).

At the time I was still active duty Navy and will always have a soft spot for the men and women in our armed forces. 

We had our waitress find their waitress and we covered their whole meal plus a very good tip for our partners in crime. 

The couple told their waitress they wanted to meet us and thank us, but we said no way, needs to stay a secret. 

[EscapeVelocity2020]

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?

Personally, yes.  I enjoy my work and get paid more than enough for it.  I enjoy helping others and financial help in the US is deeply appreciated.  So I can't imagine a better use of my time right now.

[Loren Ver]

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?

Personally, yes.  I enjoy my work and get paid more than enough for it.  I enjoy helping others and financial help in the US is deeply appreciated.  So I can't imagine a better use of my time right now.

Giving was part of the budget before FIRE, and when we built our FIRE budget, I kept the numbers the same.  DH made a probing comment about it in the past, but now he knows that it is highly linked to my happiest me.  If DH hadn't been so flexible on it with out leanFIRE, I would have worked longer to make a stand along charity fund. That would have been an interesting work year :).

Also- I second Kiva.org.  I love helping people reach their business dreams globally.  I never had the drive to be a business owner, but I applaud people that do.

[use2betrix]

Last week my wife and I were at a Mexican restaurant and there was a very young boy refilling everyone’s fish and chips. He was working his butt off. I called him over and secretly gave him a $20 bill.

That’s typically the scenarios in which I will give away money.. Occasionally to friends with justified gofundme’s.. cancer funds.. etc. A lot of those seem to be garbage, but happy to help contribute to justified needs.

I don’t typically give people on corners money, except for those that are clearly mental ill.. I feel especially sorry for those folks, our country has poor systems for the mentally ill with family unable to help support them.. Many end up in jail because of it (which might honestly be better conditions than those of the homeless sometimes).

[scissorbill]

From time to time I'll leave the quarter in the cart at Aldi!

[Psychstache]

From time to time I'll leave the quarter in the cart at Aldi!

[Firehazard]

Not a big one, but it made me feel good at the time:

My husband and I always go out to lunch on Christmas Day.  One year we were at Denny's and witnessed another table giving our very sweet waitress a hard time, bitching and complaining about everything under the sun, they actually had her in tears.  We left her a $100 bill wrapped in a $1 bill as a tip for a $15 meal.   After that, we started doing it every year, just for fun, unless we got a really cranky server.  Then we just pick a family from another table and quietly take care of their bill at the register before leaving. 

[Warlord1986]

I recently visited some friends in another city. One of them is in her sixties, her husband just got through with cancer treatments, but is still weak and not in good health. He can’t eat solid food and has to drink Boost, which is pretty pricey. She’s the quintessential Mawmaw, but she’s not very financially savvy. He hasn’t been working because of cancer, and she runs the local consignment shop (and used to run the local food bank. Not a high earner). I had some errands to run, so we made plans to meet for dinner later.

After my errands I stopped by Publix, where I had no business being, but stopped on a whim. There were two packages of Boost for half off. I bought them. I also stopped by the movie theater and got her a gift card, because man does not live on Boost alone, and I thought a movie would make them happy. I also picked up dinner. The whole thing cost $50.

[dcsaver]

Your stories have inspired me. I'm going to look for someone to give to today.

[Dicey]

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?

Pre-FIRE, I gave more time than money, because that's what I had. Post-FIRE, I give money and time. Yesterday, I blew off the wrap-up meeting for last month's major fund raiser for the Library so that I could attend another fund raiser for a group that's building housing for the homeless. And I also attended a luncheon in support of the Arts. At that event, I volunteered to proofread and edit the caterer's menus. English is not their first language. They're a scrappy start-up company and I'm happy to be able to use my proficiency* to help them. I have helped them in the past, but it's time to ramp it up a bit. In between these things, I planned a luncheon for an Art Appreciation group that I belong to that's just for fun. No fundraising is allowed at all, but I do the hospitality for the group. Yup, it's fun and I've made lots of friends through these activities. I like feeling connected to my community.

*Proficiency is kind of a funny term. I speak only one language. They speak five. They were working for another catering company and decided to set up their own shop. They are hard working and make great food. When I hired them for an event, I noticed their menus were poorly written. Turns out they hired someone to help with menu writing who clearly took advantage of them. I can fix that for them with just a few hours of my time. In turn, when I need a great caterer for an event I'm planning for the fall, they will make sure I will be able to provide great food for my guests and stay on budget. Sweet.

[Freedomin5]

There’s a group that rescues women from the sex industry and then teaches them to make jewelry here. DD and I each bought matching bracelets from them. They were expensive and I rarely wear jewelry, but it was for a good cause. Another family (DD’s friend) could not afford the jewelry and the friend was crying, so I ended up giving her my bracelet. And then within a few days, DD lost her bracelet. So now we have no bracelets. Oh well, at least we were able to support a good cause.

[Dicey]

There’s a group that rescues women from the sex industry and then teaches them to make jewelry here. DD and I each bought matching bracelets from them. They were expensive and I rarely wear jewelry, but it was for a good cause. Another family (DD’s friend) could not afford the jewelry and the friend was crying, so I ended up giving her my bracelet. And then within a few days, DD lost her bracelet. So now we have no bracelets. Oh well, at least we were able to support a good cause.

When I lose something, I always hope it's found by someone who enjoys it as much as I did ;-)

[Gin1984]

I've given to planned parenthood given the recent law change.

[Sailor Sam]

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've got a two point answer for this one?

1. I've definitely delayed financial independence due to my level of donations. I've purposefully never tracked a lifetime total, but I estimate that I've contributed 40-50k during my lifetime. At ~10k/year, for another 8 years, I'll easily reach $100k in lifetime donations. I find that very satisfying, but not particularly fun. It doesn't make me grin, but it does satisfy my personal code of moral behaviour.

2. I do find the 'one-off' donations do tend to be fun, but I'm not going to put off financial independence for the sake of the thrill.

[ysette9]

I've given to planned parenthood given the recent law change.

This. I started giving monthly to PP and the ACLU after the last presidential election.

[COEE]

I enjoyed sending a fat check to a group that helped me during a period of unemployment.  The new company matched my contribution also!

I enjoyed giving a little extra money to my daughter's piano teacher to help with the scholarship fund she had established.

I enjoy leaving large tips for exceptional service.  Often 50-100% of the bill - or more if I feel like it.

I'm currently thinking about sending a check to a organization that I was associated with when I was in high school, in memory of the teacher that helped start my career.

We also give a little to the homeless shelter in our community every year.

Story:
A while back I saw a young man pushing his beater of a car down the street and he was stuck in a busy intersection.  He was out of gas and was late to his girlfriends OB appointment.  He was obviously in a real bind (prego GF was sitting in the front seat).  I was able to help him get his car to a safe location, and he asked if I could help him push it to the gas station.  Unfortunately, I had to keep moving on my own things.  Instead, I handed him ~$40 so that he could get a gas can full of gas to bring back to the car.  His jaw dropped to the ground.  He couldn't believe that someone would help him like that.

That one felt REAL good.