. I continue to play around with my phone and taking pictures.
Dad had a busy day at rehab Sunday. First I showed up with my fruit salad and tea, then my younger half-brother came all the way from New Jersey with his pickles and liverwurst, and then my sister showed up. When it was just me and my brother, I decided it was a good time to suggest that when he went home, we should have an aide come to his place a few times a week, mainly to check in on him. To my surprise, he agreed that would be a good idea but he wasn't sure he'd be going home at all. He said he's planning on living until Jan 1 but not after that.
For someone who's planning on dying, I'm not sure what the significance would be to hold out until Jan 1.
He seems to be doing better now with the flu and pneumonia behind him (no phlemy cough today), but mobility-wise, I think he has a way to go. Maybe it's this that has him thinking so darkly. He really does enjoy the fruit salads I've been making him, the tea, the food my brother brought. So I plan to keep that up as one small way to remind him that there are still things in life he can enjoy. I worry about him.
Now to change the subject: Without getting too personal, how much do you donate throughout the year? What do you feel is a reasonable amount, either in terms of monthly contributions or an annual percentage of your adjusted gross income? I would like to make my contributions more automated and more intentional, and ideally, make a fixed dollar amount each month to different nonprofit groups.
I also make non-tax-deductible political contributions and am mulling over what ratio of charitable to political contributions I should make. I foresee my political contributions ramping up as we approach the mid-term elections and then maybe stopping. These elections, if they go our way, can really make a big difference in curbing Rump's ability to get stuff done.
December 31st, 2025 at 01:17 am 1767143847
As for charity, it depends on what they are needing, I have 3 ways that I donate and it depends on how much money I have "spare or budgeted" throughout the year.
1. backpacksfor SAkids, this started off making backpacks for foster kids so when they went to a new home they had some new clothes/toy/toiletries etc (age appropriate) as soon as they got their...they then expanded to teens living on the street making backpacks for them and then added a few years later Starting kits...these have all the basics that you need when you leave a DV situation, because you leave with nothing and it is hard to afford even the basics like plates/kettle/toaster etc...so when they are needing things they let people know (100% of everything goes to the families) and people donate what they need, they are big enough now to get grants and people fundraise for them as well. They also do a christmas gift one which I will either just send them money or I will do the 5 month layaway and drop them off.
I also support Hutt st - they provide warm showers/meals/lockers etc for the homeless so we usually do the same thing each year for them.
2. Each christmas we will donate to the food bank near us, our vet has a dog & cat rescue places that they collect donations for so we usually buy for that...it depends on what they need, sometimes its food/bedding/toys etc.
3. I always ask any homeless person I see if they need any food/drink...have always done this and always will...want them to feel seen and I hate the thought of people being hungry in our country.
I never donate to political parties and never will...but in our state you can't donate to political parties anymore since july this year...to make it fair for all candidates...I love our elections they start and finish in a few weeks here not forever like your candidates and president...so they dont really campaign that much and we see who is out and about during that time between elections not just at election time...because it shows that they care for the community not just an election...they also live in the area so know them pretty well and they attend many things in the community just to attend not because they have to
December 31st, 2025 at 05:03 am 1767157437
This year I've given regularly to my church & that's about it. But I do give my time away (I have more of that than money at the moment), and that included time to a non-profit children's organization and time to a non-profit civic organization.
December 31st, 2025 at 05:57 am 1767160655
As for donations, I feel as though the specifics of each cases matter to me more than the specified amount per se. I've donated anywhere from Ukrainian refugees, to medical bills for surgery, to wheelchairs for children, to more kids wanting to going to special olympics summer camps.... So, hmm, I don't honestly know how much I donate at any one time. There is technically no set amount, just so long as it's a good cause I can understand and invest in... though of course I am also not rich or anything, so there is a soft limit in terms of how much I can afford to help out at any one time.
Another very pretty picture of birdies! Thank you for sharing.
December 31st, 2025 at 11:33 am 1767180820
I give most often to Donors Choose - they are education based - teachers submit projects and you can give any amount towards any project. Often they have matching gifts.
I also give to food banks.
I don’t have a set amount or schedule.
I give a lot to political candidates. I feel that with better government we’d have better social programs.
I don’t mind paying taxes, but I’d rather it go to food, education, healthcare, infrastructure and not to bombing people, rounding up immigrants, and the huge amount of grift we are seeing now.
December 31st, 2025 at 04:30 pm 1767198633
Note that in 2026 but not in 2025 there will be an "above-the-line" charitable deduction of $1,000 for Single ($2k MFJ) for those who do not itemize on their tax returns. So you would be better served by doing a 2026 than a 2025 donation in terms of tax efficiency. Then in 2030 after your half year birthday you will be able to do Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) from your IRA, which are the most tax-efficient means of gifting for most people. I haven't added up my charitable gifting, though I will be tracking in 2026, but it's about 2.5% of my take-home income. My political gifting was about another 0.7% of my income this year and probably double that in 2024, with more giving as elections near.
December 31st, 2025 at 08:35 pm 1767213303
Did, thanks...I was just reading about changes in charitable gifting starting next year. And thanks for giving me a ballpark as to percentages. Memorygram sounds great.
January 1st, 2026 at 01:38 am 1767231503