Black holes (financial version)

I just love going to the dentist (quoth she sarcastically).  First they poke me in the gum, then they "drill for oil," :), then they empty out my wallet.  Though we consider ourselves fortunate to be among the few who  have dental insurance, there's often a difference of hundreds of dollars between the fees that we pay and the amount that the insurance covers.  This is particularly true for those like me who have delusions of royalty and are constantly in need of a crown.  :)

Then there's the joy of belonging a synagogue with fewer than 40 dues-paying members.  Long gone is our big building, which accommodated hundreds, but our current much-smaller building was built because we then had a congregation at least four times our current size.  Now, when the roof springs a leak, the synagogue's bank account hemorrhages, and we simply don't have enough bandages to stanch the bleeding.  :(