In modern usage, the practice of charity means the giving of help to those in need.

In theory you need the money. Other people need it. So charity means poor people giving money to poor people? It probably means 'giving to people who need more than you'.

I remember living dollar to dollar. It was not fun. At that time, I still gave a significant amount of money to charity. Usually because I was too lazy to put a hold on the payments, so I just made do without the money every month (it amounted to less than 50$ so that's not too too much).

At the same time if you don't want to give to charity nobody can make you. Another meaning of the term is that charity is something YOU decide to give. You can't impose a person to commit acts of charity -- it then becomes cohersion (or another buzzword that I am using to make the person who frowned at you seem more deviant than she really is).

Regardless I don't randomly give money to people or buy things to be charitable. Ever. My charity is self contained and tax deductable. Hence it's not really charity either :o