Posthumous charities are the very essence of selfishness, when bequeathed by those who, when alive, would part with nothing.

Generosity that begins only when you no longer need the money is a thin kind of generosity. The gift is real and the giving cost nothing, since it was made at the one moment when holding on had become impossible. That is worth noticing without being harsh about it, because the same instinct works in smaller ways: giving away what you have finished with, offering help once it is no longer inconvenient. Cost is what makes a gift mean something to the giver.

Give one thing this month while you would still rather keep it. Notice how that feels compared with clearing out what you no longer want.