The character trait of generosity is not only relevant to charity, but also to his household members, that he should support them with the blessings that Hashem has given him, and in the way he uses his money, so too Hashem will command his blessing to him, whereas if he is not careful about his own life and that of his household members, Hashem will have no mercy for him. However, these things have no fixed amounts, and each person must act according to his abilities, and if he sees that he ought to spend less, he must spend less, and if he sees that he ought to spend more, he should spend more. Chazal say “Make your Shabbos like a weekday rather than needing help from the creations!”, and if a person sees that he has not got sufficient funds, he may not give charity or spend money on fulfilling the commandments as his life and that of his household members takes precedence. This is even more true if he owes money to another Jew, that he must then be stingy in everything, be it food, clothing or anything else, and live a life of pain until he repays his debtors. In this case it is obvious that he may give no charity, as it would be a sin. The rule is that a person must run his finances in a just way.
