I stopped giving to most panhandlers when someone kept asking me for just " a couple bucks to take the bus home " . Like are you seriously riding the bus here every day to get enough money to ride the bus home? I stopped almost completely when I was headed to work in the early morning and a bunch of people climbed out of a van with California plates and got pissy with me as I was leaving because I wouldn't give her a cigarette. They're never around in the winter. I throw a dollar in the instruments case if they play good music and are respectful. That just might be the softy in me though.