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My brother, who divorced last year, has been getting deeper and deeper into debt and was recently laid off. This occurred shortly after we got our federal refund, about $3,000, all of which I already had earmarked for paying down a credit card and completing a home-improvement project. I knew my brother really needed some cash so I discussed it with my husband. We gave my brother $500. Not a loan, a gift. It seemed like a small amount at the time.

Then a big dead tree fell in our backyard. $350.

Then a raccoon made itself at home in our attic. $1,240.

Then some medical bills (which BCBS decided NOT to cover) started coming in. $1,200 and counting.

We are a single-income family. The day my husband's last paycheck was deposited, I paid our bills, balanced the checkbook, and found that we had $33 to last us the next two weeks. Something had to go, and we decided it was our Taurus. We also have a minivan but we own the Taurus outright. The car was nothing but a headache, anyway, and we got $1,000 for it, better than trade-in. This was just two days ago, and I am already beginning to remember how much I hate having just one vehicle.

Charity really does begin at home. Lesson learned.

OUCH...............

We are also a one income family.

Like you we had our federal and state refunds earmarked for a variety of things.....particularly paying down credit cards and finishing the much neded remodelling of the attic......Well it didn't work quite that way.

My husband's car broke down more than 50 miles from home.....I forget exactly what it was, but it was something he couldn't do himself (plus the towing charge would have been outrageous) so it had to go in the garage. And because his car is practically his office he has to have one......but he couldn't use my van because that would leave me stranded and his was going to be in the shop about a week.......so there was the towing bill, the mechanics bill and the rental car bill.......

He used my van to run some stuff to the dump and some other errands and about panicked - we knew I needed new tires, but until he drove it that day, he didn't realize just how bad.......4 new tires.....

Needless to say some things didn't get taken care of.

I had been promised a chunk of chage to buy a couple of outfits and some new shoes.......that's going to have to wait.

We had promised our daughter that when we moved she could have a swing set in our great big yard.......well we moved a year ago.....my clothing allowance paid for the swing set.