We can't possibly make wise decisions until you understand what your finances are.
More moments · 10
Ep 54Don't just use a spreadsheet. Live in it, or a $75 shortfall becomes $300Alan Rosenstock
▶0:48
Don't just use a spreadsheet. Live in it, or a $75 shortfall becomes $300
Ep 54He borrowed $100 from Yankel to pay Chaim, then from Chaim to pay YankelAlan Rosenstock
▶0:58
He borrowed $100 from Yankel to pay Chaim, then from Chaim to pay Yankel
Ep 54He brought his 14-year-old daughter to translate while he asked for charityAlan Rosenstock
▶0:52
He brought his 14-year-old daughter to translate while he asked for charity
Ep 54We didn't send our kids to camp. My wife ran Camp MommyAlan Rosenstock
▶0:48
We didn't send our kids to camp. My wife ran Camp Mommy
Ep 54The bar mitzvah boy says 'today I am a man.' He's not, and here's when you areAlan Rosenstock
▶0:55
The bar mitzvah boy says 'today I am a man.' He's not, and here's when you are
Ep 54She lost her house and her husband, then sent me $10 cashAlan Rosenstock
▶0:56
She lost her house and her husband, then sent me $10 cash
Ep 54We flew to Israel with a crockpot and a week of frozen dinnersAlan Rosenstock
▶1:25
We flew to Israel with a crockpot and a week of frozen dinners
Ep 54The Gemara says your income for the year is set. Rashi's first comment is a warningAlan Rosenstock
▶0:50
The Gemara says your income for the year is set. Rashi's first comment is a warning
Ep 54You may never say a word about money, but your kids feel it in the airAlan Rosenstock
▶0:40
You may never say a word about money, but your kids feel it in the air
Ep 54Every Jew is rich, right? True or false?Alan Rosenstock
▶1:02
Every Jew is rich, right? True or false?
Try this · top 3
Quotes
“It's okay to just be a regular person. It doesn't diminish who we are.”
Alan Rosenstock
“They have to know how to live in an Excel spreadsheet.”
Alan Rosenstock
“Highest level of charity is finding someone a job.”
Alan Rosenstock
“You must take responsibility for your life.”
Alan Rosenstock
“I drove out to Long Island today not to address the wallet, but to address the mind.”
Alan Rosenstock
“Try to find your strength and see if you can lend it to the community.”
Alan Rosenstock
“You either going to have to bring your income up to meet your lifestyle or bring your lifestyle down to meet your income.”
Alan Rosenstock
“It's no different than oil in a car. It has to be there. It doesn't have to be the focal point.”
Alan Rosenstock (on budgeting)
“You may never say a word about money, but they feel it in the air.”
Alan Rosenstock (on children in a home under financial stress)
Takeaways
1 Jewish poverty is real, even in booming communities like Monsey, where the cost of living keeps rising faster than salaries.
2 The average person Tomchei Shabbos meets who is in trouble from credit cards owes about $60,000-62,000.
3 People get there two ways: living carefully but not earning enough (paying tuition and groceries on credit), or keeping up with the Joneses.
4 The core problem he sees is 'fiscal denial': pushing hard decisions off to tomorrow. Tracking income and expenses is the fix.
5 His story of a struggling single mother who brought three months of bills in a shopping bag, holding a store-bought coffee, sums up how many people don't know where their money goes.
6 Divorce and broken families add a painful layer: he regularly gets calls about mothers and small children with nowhere to live.
7 Tomchei Shabbos grew from dropping food boxes at doors into job placement, computer courses and more, with a budget over $10 million. It helps only people who are doing all they can.
8 Budgeting can be fun: his family ran 'Camp Mommy' instead of camp, carried a car fridge with cheap drinks, and took frozen crock-pot meals to Israel.
9 Everyone can give: he keeps a $10 donation from a widow who lost her house under his keyboard as a reminder.
10 He came to share a message, not raise money for his own charity: help the people in your own community with your money or your skills.