$90 to three folks from Florida, Georgia and Tennessee

From time to time, I receive emails from people who question whether I'm "for real" or if I really do share free money with people who email me. Actually, I get those kinds of questions every single day and it's understandable. It's such an unusual thing for someone to give something away with no strings attached and asking nothing in return. So I really do understand the occasional skeptic.

Now, it's not my obligation to provide proof of my giving. I take people at their word when they say they need money. And in turn, I hope that others take me for my word when I tell them that I am giving money away to people in need.

Well today, for whatever reason, I had a camera with me when I stopped at a post office to drop off 3 letters to some nice people who recently requested some assistance. Xavier from Georgia needed $50. And Danielle from Florida and Rachel from Tennessee will each receive $20. I decided to take a picture of the envelopes before I dropped them in the mail. I've obscured personal details to protect the recipients' privacy.

If nothing else, I hope seeing real pictures of real envelopes going to real people who really need some help will inspire confidence in those who write. Know that even if I don't reply to your email, at least I read it and consider it. And who knows. You may one day see your name here too.

I know that Rachel and Danielle asked for more money than $20 each. But sometimes I am not able to fulfill every request for the exact amount someone asks for. Twenty bucks doesn't go far. But it might be a way to buy a little lunch for a family or some school supplies for the kids. When times are tough, every bit helps, or at least I hope it does.

If you have a request of your own, I'm looking forward to hearing from you. If you don't need help, consider taking the time to help those who are in need. And as always, have a good day everyone.

Another gift for a good person

I'm sending $100 to Val from Colorado. She sent a request recently asking for some help with a doctor's bill. I know that $100 will hardly cover a co-pay for a routine visit to the doctor these days. But my thinking is that a few extra dollars will take some of the sting out of the check up, x-ray or exam bill.

We won't get into the politics of medical care, health insurance and the like here in the United States. Suffice to say, it's not cheap to go to the hospital or specialist whether you have insurance or not. A trip to the hospital for a serious illness or procedure can result in a family going deep into debt in a few short days.

You can make a difference though. If you have a neighbor or friend who is struggling with medical bills, offer to help them out. Even if it's just a little bit, if you can afford it, do what you can to help them. If you can't really afford to pay for another person's doctor bill, consider volunteering with a hospital or medical related charity. Giving up an afternoon of your time to help others is just as good, if not better, as giving money.

Thanks for reading and listening while I climbed up on my little soapbox here. I'll be back soon with more updates. Keep those requests coming.

$50 to three great people

I've selected three nice people this week to each receive $50. In the last month, I've probably received more letters from more deserving people than I have in any previous month of this site's existence. And I'm doing everything I can to respond and give away even more free money than I have in the past. I feel it's my responsibility to do so since the interest is so great.

This does mean that it's more likely than ever that I'll respond to your request. But it doesn't mean that I can help everyone. I've received a few disappointed letters in recent days that concern me. I don't want anyone to leave this site feeling as if their request doesn't matter or that they've been ignored. At the same time, I really can only help so many folks. So angry follow up messages will do nothing to help your cause. If you didn't receive a response, it doesn't mean that I didn't read your letter. I selectively respond to as many messages as I can. But there are not enough hours in the day to write everyone a personalized letter. And I really don't want to use one of those heartless computerized auto responders thanking you for your email. That's not how I run this web site. Everything I do is personal, directly from me, and sincere.

So with those thoughts shared, let's move on to the business at hand. Mel, Rich and Shannon, who are from Ontario, Canada, Michigan and New York, each wrote me a touching, nice letter requesting some help for various reasons. I plan to send each $50 to help out with bills, groceries or whatever their request and need.

These are small gifts. But I do know that they'll be warmly received and I also know that I enjoy sharing them.

If you're interested, please send me your emailed request and I'll do my best to consider you for the next update and gift.

Biggest gift ever - $800 to pay the rent and utilities

I think 800 dollars officially qualifies as the largest gift I've given out on this site in more than four years of giving. I don't share this to brag or to congratulate myself. It's just nice to know that someone is really being helped out in a big way thanks to this web site. That's my whole reason for doing it.

Jennifer from someplace in the eastern United States (sorry, she asked me to keep her identity anonymous) will receive $800 to cover her rent and utilities for the month of September.Times have been extremely difficult for Jennifer and her family and they've struggled to stay in their apartment and keep the lights on.

I've been there too Jennifer. So when I read your letter, it really hit close to home for me.

Jennifer is employed full time. But it's still tough to support a family and make ends meet, especially if unexpected expenses pop up.

I think this gift will give you a little extra footing, Jennifer, and hopefully will get you and your family back on track.

As always, I'd like to thank each and every person who sent their request to me in the past few weeks. I want to reply to all of you. But it's increasingly difficult to reply to every letter. So forgive me if you haven't gotten a personal response just yet. I don't want to resort to sending out impersonal "auto responses" to emails. So I'll simply continue to respond in writing to as many people as possible. And of course, this site's mission to help others and make a few lives a little happier will continue. I hope to continue sharing my good fortune for a long time to come.

$125 being sent to Craig to invest in the stock market?! What? Are you kidding??

Well, this one will surprise you folks. Of that I'm certain.

Today's free money recipient is Craig, who emailed me a few days ago and asked for money to invest in a particular company listed on one of the major stock indexes.

Given the up and down (mostly down) nature of the market in the last month, you might think this sounds like a ridiculous idea. Well, I never said your request for free money had to make perfect sense or even be logical. But in all reality, I think that Craig has the right idea.

I don't know a lot about investing. But I do know that the old saying "buy low, sell high" makes a lot of sense. If the market is down and you've had your eye on a particular company that has a good business but whose stock has been hit hard by a volatile market, it only makes sense that you'd want to jump in and buy when the price is at its lowest. Its a good business decision and a smart move.

So Craig, I'm sending you a money order for $125. I'll add your stock ticker to my "watch" list and keep an eye on things to see if you have success with your investment.

For the rest of you, keep those requests coming! Maybe I'll find a little money for you to invest too.

$20 each to four great people who want a little fun money

Well, I just mailed out four letters, each with $20 inside to four different folks who had four different needs for money.

I know $20 doesn't seem like a lot. But I know that if I were to find a $20 bill on the ground, it would still make my day. You can take the kids out for burgers and ice cream and still have enough left over for a movie or two from the Redbox kiosk. Or it could put a few gallons of gas in your tank. You could even just save it for a rainy day.

So Michael - please put this toward the college fund.

Daniel - I hope $20 helps with car maintenance.

Christine - It won't make a whole house payment, but I hope you appreciate just a little help.

Other Christine (ha ha) - School clothes for the kids. This should get a pair of jeans or a couple t-shirts or polos.

See you all in a few days with my next update.

$100 to Eric to help raise money for wounded soldiers

I don't do a lot of charity donations via this site. I tend to prefer to give to individuals who send in their own personal requests for help. But I did receive a request from a person who was looking for money not for himself, but to raise money for servicemen and women injured while serving our country, the United States of America.

Today, I've given $100 to the Wounded Warrior Project via Eric's Warrior Dash fundraiser.

This is a worthy cause and something I'm proud to be able to support. If it so inclines you, consider giving a dollar or two of your own via this link.

Windy spring day - up before the sun and ready to give away money

It's about 5 in the morning where I'm sitting right now, and the wind is really howling outside. On the news, I've seen that some regions of the United States have been hit hard with spring storms. I guess I'm blessed to merely be woken up by noisy wind this morning, and I'll say a prayer for all of those families affected by the terrible storms in the south and east.

Since I'm up though, I thought it would be nice to update this blog so you'd all know I haven't forgotten about you. I've been lazy about posting this year, and finally have found a moment to catch up.

So I'll go to the mailbag and pick a recent message ... today's free money request comes from Mike in Kentucky. He wishes me well and expresses his gratitude for this web site. Mike needs money for bills - a common issue we're all very familiar with. Sometimes day to day expenses can overwhelm us. So to help with his household bills, I'm sending Mike $300. That should go a long way toward making a car payment or buying groceries, paying down a credit card or getting summer clothes for the kids.

I'm not certain what Mike will choose to do with this money. But I encourage him to use it wisely and, one day, pass the gift on to someone else who needs it.

Stay safe everyone. I'll be back soon to share more good news with you.

Woke up early today and decided to share a story with you

I'm not sure why, but I woke up very early today. It's Saturday and I think I'd prefer to sleep in. But here I am, with it still being totally dark outside, and I'm wide awake.

I figured I'd take a few moments to share a story from a week ago or so.

I received a letter from a lady that I'll call Vanessa. She shared a story that is all too common these days. She's lost her job. She's been looking for another one but hasn't had any luck in several months. Unemployment is helping keep the lights on and some of the bills paid. But she has a child who is approaching college age and is considering attending one of several local schools.

One of my goals with this blog is to do just a little bit to make folks' lives better and help make the future brighter for everyone.

While some may not view paying tuition and fees for college as an immediate need comparable to medical bills, groceries and a mortgage, I see it as a way to provide a more secure future for one's self and one's family.

Not everyone necessarily has the skills or the opportunity to go to college. But everyone has the ability to work to make their lives and their family's lives better - whether that's through pursuing higher education, or by taking on a second job to provide a few extras, or through the charity work we do or even just by taking the time to read a few pages from a storybook to your child each evening. No matter our circumstances or the size of our paychecks, we each have the opportunity to enrich lives.

I decided to share $500 with Vanessa as my way of helping her enrich the life of her child.

As I said, providing money for someone is just one way to helping them to a better life. I urge you, no matter your circumstances, to wake up each day and try to find a way to make life better for you, your family and your neighbors.