This used to bother me when I was about to indulge in something special that was by no stretch a necessity.
I think that if I was perfect, I’d probably forgo a lot of conveniences in my life and put the money to better use by giving it to tzeddakah.
Well, I’m not perfect (yet!) so I started giving 20% maaser instead of the 10% I used to give. I’m not a level where I can live with the bare necesities only, but at least I demand of myself the same generosity when it comes to Tzeddakah.
The best part of getting paid, is that I can cut more maaser checks. I get tremendous pleasure out of it, especially since I know that this isn’t gonna last once I get married and hafta pay rent and food and whatnot.