$2.61

There was $2.61 left on the Wawa gift card I got for Christmas. I got gas and had a little bit left on it. I put it in the glove compartment, intending to use the balance later.

On my way out of the parking lot, I saw a guy with a cardboard sign. "Homeless. No job. No car. Six-year-old girl in my care." I briefly thought of giving the gift card to him. Maybe he could have bought a sandwich with it. By the time the thought formed, I found myself pulling out of the lot, on my way to spending a Target gift card on clothes I needed but could live without.

That $2.61, really nothing to me, could have made a dent in someone else's hunger. But where do you draw the line? Paying a little over the minimum on my credit card is a drop in the bucket but giving that much cash to somebody truly unfortunate could make a huge difference. How wide can you open your heart before it becomes irresponsible?

A few days later, I used that $2.61 to top off my gas tank, buying less than a gallon. The gauge barely nudged.