Dear Mary: I had a girlfriend stay with me for two weeks. I spent $1,200 during her stay, which included food, restaurants, transportation and entertainment. In all, she spent $30 at the most to reciprocate. Now that I've gone through it, what is the right way to have a guest long term, financially speaking? What is the protocol of the guest and the hostess? Please educate me. -- Gladys, e-mail

Dear Gladys: Wow. When can I come? Seriously, I'm stunned. I've visited friends and have had friends visit me. When I host, I make sure guests have nice accommodations, good coffee in the morning and maybe an occasional home-cooked meal. I've done airport runs, as well, but that's it. I'm going to guess that neither of you expressed your expectations for her stay. Are you sure she expected you to pay, or were you just quick to pick up the tab?

In the future, here is what I would suggest: Talk details before she or anyone else arrives. (You should expect to have friends crawling out of the woodwork once talk of your generosity gets around.) Say something like: "We could take a day and go to Catalina Island. I don't know how much you have budgeted for your vacation here, but that day would run about $100." Clearly, you could have avoided footing the bill had you communicated about money ahead of time.

Dear Mary: I am a stay-at-home mom. We've been tracking our expenses, and we consistently use $500 to $600 a month of our savings to stay afloat, which we do not want to continue doing. Do you know of any legitimate work-at-home options for me, in which I could earn that amount without significantly increasing other household expenses, such as gas, clothing, etc.? You've recommended at-home customer service jobs, but these are not an option for me because there is no high-speed Internet available in our area. -- Jessica W., e-mail

Dear Jessica: In the past, I've shared lots of ideas for earning money at home, but you are right; most require a computer and high-speed Internet access. So I am going to toss your question out to our vast audience, asking those who have solutions for you to come to my blog, www.MoneyRulesDebtStinks.com, to share their ideas. I have a feeling that you're going to get lots of ideas, so clear the decks. You just might be setting up a home business very soon.

In the meantime, I suggest you read the brand-new book "Hired @ Home: The Christian Mom's Guide to Working From Home," by Sarah Hamaker. The author has tons of ideas for ways to make money from home, and the book is packed with the information you will need to set up your own business.

Do you have a question for Mary? E-mail her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. Mary Hunt is the founder of DebtProofLiving.com and author of 17 books, including "Debt-Proof Living." To find out more about Mary and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
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