DR. WALLACE: What can I do if a friend invites me to a birthday dinner and I have limited funds? I have been invited out to a local restaurant to attend a 16-year-old's party by a friend that goes to my high school, but I don't have a lot of money right now. Maybe she can and will pay for my dinner, but I can't pay for hers, so I'm worried I might be embarrassed if they think I'll be paying for everything. — Friend With a Tight Budget, via email

FRIEND WITH A TIGHT BUDGET: For this type of an invitation, you can assume that you will have to pay for your dinner and others will pay for their dinners.

But on the off chance that other people show up and leave prior to the bill getting paid, you may end up needing additional money to pay for that or a bit of dessert.

The safest play for you is to be upfront and explain that you'd like to attend and will start saving up money to pay for your own meal. Ask the host if it's OK for you to "go Dutch" to this event, which is code for "everyone pays for their own expenses only."

If you are unable to confirm this, it's fine to thank the host for the invitation to attend the dinner and send a card in the mail with your regrets that you will not be able to attend.

In any event, I commend you for thinking this issue through well in advance. Planning ahead is a good and valuable trait; continue to exercise it across all aspects of your life.

MY SISTER'S FAKE BOYFRIEND

DR. WALLACE: My sister's boyfriend is a big phony, and she does not see it! He's always telling tall and untrue tales, and she seems to hang on his every word while she bats her eyelashes. It's sad how gullible she is. He goes on and on with his "stories," and she just soaks it all up and buys all of his lies.

How can I get her to see the light and dump him? — Worried Big Sister, via email

WORRIED BIG SISTER: Unfortunately, your sister will likely have to learn this information on her own. Your opinion on this subject is quite likely to be poorly received.

This is your sister's relationship, and you should stay out of it directly, but I do have an alternative for you. If you have absolute proof of some of this guy's lies, see if you can have this information given to one of her good friends. This way, a warning might be heeded. A warning from an older sister might trigger rolled eyes, but a warning from a trusted close friend may have a better chance of being taken seriously.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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