The Difference Between "No Problem" and "You're Welcome"

This morning, I was talking with my family about giving service and receiving thanks. Usually, when I receive thanks for some service I did for someone, I say "no problem." Sometimes, I say "you're welcome" instead. These two phrases are often used interchangeably, but I believe that there is a difference, and I usually try to say the one I really mean.

When I say "no problem," what I mean is that the service I gave was no big deal, not for me, at least. I'm an able-bodied young man, so it's usually no problem for me to help others. However, sometimes, the people I help need a lot of help. Sometimes, it is a sacrifice to help them, even for me. In those cases, I usually say "you're welcome" rather than "no problem," because even though the service requires a little bit of sacrifice on my part, the recipients of the service are welcome to my help.

There are some times when the service I give isn't exactly "no problem," and I don't feel that the recipients are freely welcome to my service, but fortunately, such instances are few. Usually, the service I'm asked to give is either relatively easy or for the benefit of someone who deserves it. I can almost always honestly say either "no problem" or "you're welcome" when I'm thanked, and I almost always try to use the phrase that's most appropriate for the service I gave.