I strongly agree that you need to put your own needs first, and think that your level of comfort with your savings and ability to withstand foreseeable challenges is a key input. My go-to in general, is that the standard advice of keeping 3-6 months of expenses is a reasonable goal—so you can and should give, but until you have saved that much, you should at least be splitting your excess funds between savings and charity. (And the reason most people don’t manage this has a lot to do with lifestyle choices and failure to manage their spending—not just not having enough income. Normal people never have enough money to do everything they’d like to; set your expectations clearly and work to avoid the hedonic treadmill!)
I strongly agree that you need to put your own needs first, and think that your level of comfort with your savings and ability to withstand foreseeable challenges is a key input. My go-to in general, is that the standard advice of keeping 3-6 months of expenses is a reasonable goal—so you can and should give, but until you have saved that much, you should at least be splitting your excess funds between savings and charity. (And the reason most people don’t manage this has a lot to do with lifestyle choices and failure to manage their spending—not just not having enough income. Normal people never have enough money to do everything they’d like to; set your expectations clearly and work to avoid the hedonic treadmill!)