Our advice columnists have heard it all over the years—so we’re diving into the Pay Dirt archives to share classic letters with our readers. Submit your own questions about money here . (It’s anonymous!)

Dear Pay Dirt,

We just had a big wedding and our baby’s first birthday celebration. It was great to do a big party with friends. I’m struggling, though, because I’m surprised at how little our guests gave, and I’m feeling guilty about that. Generally, I’ve always heard you give $100 to $125 per person, particularly if you’re drinking and eating (we had an open bar).

However, many people we consider good friends gave … much less. A few didn’t give at all. Getting about $100 each would’ve covered the cost of each person at the wedding. Of course, if they didn’t have the money, we’d

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