Friday, March 13, 2009

What can $5 buy?

Other than a Subway $5 footlong? I don't have an exhaustive list, but I know that five dollars can buy a lot when you are careful and frugal. My husband and I used to have a "10 times" rule when we were (really) poor students--everything really costs 10 times more than what it says. For example, that CD may "only" cost $10, but that is like $100 when you are a poor student. And the reverse is true--it may only be $5, but that is like $50!

Which is why it is SO aggravating that I cannot find the five dollar bill I received as change at the grocery store yesterday. I don't know if the cashier did not give it to me, or if I dropped it on my way out. It was early evening, I had both (tired and cranky) kids, so though I did make sure my coupons cleared, I did count my cash and I THOUGHT I saw the cashier pull out a five dollar bill, I have no idea where said bill is.

And there goes fifty dollars!

1 comment:

  1. I'm sorry, but I can't help but laugh. I know exactly how you feel, and you two put it into words perfectly. It may be "just $5", but when you are poor it really does seem like $50!

    I think it works the opposite way as well. Earlier last month we were really in a bind, like we were out of food, and just a couple days away from payday. (I don't mean out of food we would eat, I mean we were out of rice, bisquick, everything!) I decided I would probably be disappointed, but that I would check my "stashed money" places just in case I forgot about something. And sure enough I found a twenty, and it felt like $200 at the time. (It made us sing the song from the movie "Oliver", "Food Glorious food!" *smiling*)

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