Early on in my marriage, we were young and poor and my car broke down...a friend paid to have my car fixed and would not take money from me. When my sister, a few years later had a small child and was having money problems, my husband and I put money in an envelope, explaining that it wasn't a loan...to just pass the thought on when she could....my sister is the greatest proponent of it and regularly just sends sums of money off to her nieces and nephews when she sees that they need it.