Please determine if IATA  


I am an assistant marching band director at a school which I am a first year teacher. The band director, who is a second year teacher, said I think we (him and I) should get the staff members gifts as a Thank Yous!! Great idea... but I have a few problems.   


One, I was told at the beginning of the season from the school admin I was going to get paid 4k. However, like the little bambi I was (probably am), I didn't ask for this in writing. So I was recently called into the office so they could tell me, just kidding, here's 2k. Meanwhile, the director makes 14k for essential the same job responsibilities because we are both young and trying to figure things out. Two, while I cannot confirm I believe the staff makes about the same as me (2k) despite having less responsibilities. Three, there are five of them and two of us. Therefore to get them each something of value we will likely have to pay a pretty penny. Four, I have a buttload of student debt. Yes, that my bad and I know that is a personal problem but I am trying to remedy that with the next point. Five, I am on the path to FIRE, which means I save every penny outside of rent and home-cooked, coupon-clipped food. Thus paying $50 (which I think might be optimistically low) is absolutely heart-wrenching to me. To be honest, I don't think I have even spent that much on my boyfriend of three years (no worries, he hasn't on me either, we like it like that). Six, a first year teaching salary is okay, but nothing too fancy.   


WIBTA if I said no?