"We gave aid to another country?! What about OUR problems?!"?

I hear this complaint all the time, from all kinds of people. But I’m never entirely sure what people mean by it. So now’s your chance to explain it, if you’ve ever said it.

To what extent should we give aid to another country’s people? Is it alright in small doses; do these kinds of statements only come out when we’ve given too much?

To what degree would “our problems” need to be fixed before we can start giving aid to other countries? Is it realistic to expect things to be fully “fixed” here? If not, is giving aid to other countries ever justified?