A number of signs in my life have recently pointed to automatic charity. That is, essentially making it just as much of a priority to systematically give back as we do to saving for our own personal futures. Several devotional readings and verses in the Bible over the past month or so mentioned the value and virtue in tithing. Reminders from Special Olympics Indiana were arriving in my email, on social media, etc. And, the most obvious of these “signs” was that I literally read it in David Bach’s book, The Automatic Millionaire. He speaks on the power of contribution and how it should be one of the ultimate goals, if not the ultimate goal of building wealth; I concur.
Money is a complicated topic to many. It can cause stress or happiness, contribute to or destroy relationships, and set up or ruin futures. For me, I have struggled with my relationship to money; maybe you can relate. I’ve always wanted to earn and save enough so that it never impacted my relationships. I’ve found that while it was a good goal in theory, it is not possible in reality. Money will always impact relationships in one way or another, and that’s okay. I’ve also found myself overextending with how much I spend on certain things in the name of “living a little,” or doing something nice for my wife. Personal finance is a nuanced topic that carries several negative connotations, but I’m finding that giving back is the best way solve many of the problems associated with it.
After reading David Bach’s book, and considering the other “signs” that I should be doing more to give back, I went and setup an automatic contribution of $25/month to Special Olympics Indiana. It’s funny— even writing the amount to share with the public felt a little intimidating. Food for thought: why is it so taboo? Why do we all care about that type of thing? Anyway, for me, $25 is not a lot, but I’m also not in a spot with a ton of extra to spare. My objective is to start here and reevaluate once every six months or so, ultimately contributing more and more.
My takeaways are as follows:
I immediately felt amazing for giving to a cause that I am passionate about.
I don’t miss the money that I was previously using for who-knows-what.
My relationship to money already feels better.
I’ve found that I feel significantly better about “guilt-free spending” each month, knowing in the back of my mind that some of my money is automatically going to a good cause. There’s just something about splurging a little bit without that contribution piece that I feel was contributing to more stress around money. My suggestion for you, whether it’s $5/month or $500, is to do the same. Pick your favorite cause or charity and automate it. So far for me, the results have been wonderful.
