Sometimes they'll frown or shake their heads, hoping for a sympathetic reaction, but remember: "An excuse sounds best to the guy who's saying it."
An Excuse is not a Reason ... and it's their Reasoning, not their income, that's the problem.
-- -- --
Budget Me This
Let's say your take-home income, after taxes and withholdings, is $2000 per month. A quick peek at your Budget looks like this:
Mortgage/Rent: $600
Utilities: average $250
Groceries: $450
Insurance: (all) $300
Property Taxes: $150
Credit Cards: (minimum payments) $200
Sound good so far?
Sure it does, except that the total spent so far is $1950 ... and we haven't even started tacking on all the "other necessities" (like internet access, NetFlix, dining out or weekend shopping). And there's nothing left over for savings, either.
No wonder folks say they can't afford to tithe: they're out of money before they're out of month. So what's the solution when you "can't afford to tithe"?
A Two-Step Program
Step 1: Pray to God, and ask Him take control of your finances.
Step 2: Move tithing to the top of the list ... and calculate your God Goes First Budget from there.
But what about my standard of living? How will I pay my bills? I'm not gonna work like a slave for nothing, just to scrape by in life.
Hint: Instead of concentrating on a standard of living as your #1 priority, focus instead on Serving God, and make Obeying Him your only priority ... and see if a change of heart doesn't induce a change of finances. Besides, about 95% of the world lives with lots less than what you've already got.
If you're still having trouble taking the first step, remember that your eternal life was paid in full at a price ... and Christ didn't use a revolving account or Easy Terms to do it.
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