In the 90s I was a child and saw a movie that resonated with me. I always thought it was called “Mad Money”… but that’s a completely different film.
I can’t remember the whole plot, but it centres around a little girl from a poor family, set in the 40s or 50s , who’s invited to another child’s birthday party but can’t go as her family is too poor to afford a birthday gift. I remember the family was very poor as the girl (or her father) complained they had to eat bologna every night for supper. Anyway, the mother had stashed a bit of money away in a jar over the years for a rainy day, (a bit of Mad Money?), and decided to use it to buy the girl a new party dress and a gift for the birthday party. I don’t remember much else.
Does any of this sound familiar?
Maybe:
Little Heroes (1991).
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104739/