How Much is Too Much?

Hey everyone, long time no see. I'm working on a simple social project after doing some reading, and needed input from various sources.

Here's the scenario:

You meet a bum. He asks you for spare change. You obviously have it, but how much is too much?

To put it simply, if someone randomly asked you to give them free money, how much is too much for you to spare?

Now, to avoid error in my documentation, we're going to say in this scenario you're not entirely broke, but you don't have a whole lot to spare. Let your mind place a value on how much you have in your pocket (please don't use how much you currently have ). After you figure that out, please vote, and if you wouldn't mind specifying your point of view, I'd appreciate it!

The concept here is to determine an acceptable amount to give away for free when asked.


Edit: In the poll, please choose the value corresponding to the amount you would give.

 

Anything over 2 bucks.

 

Right within a dollar for me.

A dollar doesn't do much for me but does a whole lot for a homeless person.

 

Interesting, so you associate a value based on the individuals current situation? I mean, if it weren't an evidently homeless person, and they asked you for $1, would you still do it?

A college student outside of a cafe doesn't have any money for a morning latte as s\he forgot their money in business and economics class. So they've reverted to begging passerby's "Hey, I don't have my money on me, can I bum some money from you so I can get a coffee?"

Does that affect the value you'd give them? Sure, $1 to a homeless person, but what about this douche who drinks lattes?

 

I usually give them a dollar if I have a spare one on me.
Anything above that is too much.

 

Inevitably $1 does nothing for me, if someone needs a dollar and i happen to have one on me i have no regret handing it out.

100 people asking me for $1 is entirely a different story.

 

Would you say anything less than $1 would feel like too little then?

That's a question of exposure then. I'm sure if 100 people knew you'd give away $1, while it may not mean much, they'd all ask for it. But you'd agree then that the scenario determines your willingness to give away money?

 

depends on where you live...


Are we talking rural or urban here?

 

I wouldn't say its too little, anything at all is help.

All depending on how much money I have/need.

 

Wouldn't give anything.

I'd tell them to go to the Salvos.

 

If by asking does the individual asking for the dollar need or not need it determine my willingness to hand a dollar, no it doesn't.

To addition what you said; Perhaps this person needing a dollar needs it because they forgot their money at home, they just paid off a parking ticket and didn't have enough left afterwards, they have a sick relative they are paying for in the hospital and simply don't have the money for a coffee, food, etc.

 

Hmm, location hasn't been mentioned yet. Interesting position. Why does location affect your donation? A dollar has the same value all across the US, while rates for interest and housing may be different, most product is sold at an understandable amount. Transportation may be involved, but in most cases, it's about purchasing product.

Yeah, that's a good point. So you draw between not being able to, to however much you can spare on the spot?

A lot of people do that, it's acceptable that you earned your money and they should too. What if your money could save their life? Just to be overly dramatic.

Sure, the situation can be very dynamic. They don't usually give out their life story when bumming, just an amount and a reason occasionally. So, all a stranger would need to do for you is walk up to you and ask "Can I have some money?" and you would give what you can spare, regardless of situation or appearance?

 

I analyse the bum before giving him anything. The majority of bums I will not give a penny. Usually bums are bums because of poor decisions in their life, however if I can somehow tell a bum doesn't deserve the life he has I would probably give him a dollar. If a drunk bum asks me for something I completely ignore them.

If someone looks like they are about to die I would probably give them something.

I have only dealt with bums in Toronto. So you kind of learn to just ignore the majority of them.

 

Well, this changes the scenario a bit.

If someone approaches me and says "Can I have some money" it gets under my skin a bit, there are a selection of other ways to ask, basically what i'm saying is that if someone approaches me in a rude demeanor i'm simply going to reject them.

If someone approaches me "Miss, or excuse me do you possibly have a dollar i can have, borrow, or use" if it is in a nice manner, i have no problem giving out what little money I have on me.

However, rarely do i keep money on me for obvious reasons (living in LA).

 

That's fair, I believe. Thanks, your input has been of great assistance .

 

Honestly, I would just glance at them and keep walking, unless they confronted me in a more dramatic way.

 

Mate, if he was close to dying (or badly injured etc), then I would tell him to go to the hospital.

Doubt a dollar or two would do much in that situation.

'Bum' seems a little harsh.

 

I was going by what OP refers to them as

 

Not to sound uneducated or low class, but I would just throw what I have in my pocket, which would be around 10-25 cents in nickels and pennies.

 

Really depends on the situation at hand, but..$0 for me. The $1 I give to a "bum", in the end, is only delaying the inevitable, and really doesn't solve any problem in any sort of long run.