My Friend

My long time friend lives in a Group Home because she is unable to live by herself.  We met a long time ago when she became part of the church music group.  We have been friends since, although there was a period of three years when I lost touch with her.  She was in a nursing home and it took me some time to catch up with her.  Every couple months I treat her to lunch and then we wander over to the grocery store.  She buys chips and soda.  I treat her as she has a cash flow problem.  I have to set limits on how much money I spend, as she has no natural inhibitions.  Lunch is not enough.  Pop and chips are not enough.  She wants to add  a word search book.  It's very frustrating for me, because no matter what I say, the conversation comes back to haunt me.  Once, I told her before lunch my day's budget, and the entire conversation was about if she had  an inexpensive lunch that she could then buy the chips and soda.  Yesterday, she talked about how she needed a word search book as she is supposed to rest her knee more.  She will tell me that she is depressed and that we should go out.  She is a good manipulator.  I don't want to hurt her feelings but I don't want to feel used either.  I need to stand firm and once she has spent the budget for the day, not buy her anything else....even if she is disappointed.