TGIF-Remember the Budget

TGIF: Remember The Budget

         “Mom I’m so bored,” my eight year old cries, “Will you take me and my friends to see Spiderman at the movies?”

         “Okay,” I answer while trying to pay bills on my computer, "When does the movie start?”

         “In thirty minutes,” he answers still with a whine in his voice.

         I immediately shut down the computer and tell Dylan to make sure it’s alright with his friends’ parents.

         He returns to say, “Their Mom says it’s alright, but she doesn’t have any money.” I turn to him with a look that Medusa couldn’t hold a candle to. He looks back at me with the biggest blue eyes that always make me say yes.

         “Alright Dylan, I’ll pay for it all,” I responded, sincerely. Little did I know what 'it
all' consisted of.

         “Okay kids let’s go or we’re going to be late,” I chime eagerly to get their money
spending bottoms in the car.

         We arrive at the theater to find a line you would expect at Disneyland. We wait and wait...until we finally get our tickets for a total of $18.00. Since we live in a very small town, I always escort them to their seats and pick them up when the movie is over. Everybody knows us and they have three emergency phone numbers for 'just in case'.

         The ushers inform us that we need to hurry, the seats are filling up fast.

         “Mom we need pop-corn, sodas, and candy,” my kids inform me with desperation.

         “Okay,” I reply as I take orders from the four boys that total up to $27.50. I finally get them seated with all their goodies, and remind them not to go outside the theater until I return. I walk out the door feeling like Mary Tyler Moore when she throws her hat up into the air. 2 1/2 hrs. of freedom!

         I go to the grocery store and rush to get the necessary items for their friends to
spend the night. I only buy necessities like soda, ice cream, frozen pizza and a bottle
of vitamins.

         I rush home to straighten up the house, so it will be nice and clean for them to mess up.

         It’s now time to pick them up and I arrive just as they’re coming out of the theater. “Did you guys enjoy the movie?” I ask.

         “Yea, it was great,” they reply in unison “But we’re hungry.”

         “Okay I got some groceries and I can fix...,”that’s all I get out of my mouth.

         “No, we’re starving. Can’t we stop at Burger King...please?”

         “Alright,” I answer thinking what a push-over I am. We pull into Burger King and they order as if they haven’t been fed in a month. I get to the window of thedrive-through to pay.

         “That will be $17.98,” the cashier says. I pick up my wallet which is now very light as Dylan asks, “Mom what are we going to do tomorrow?”

         I turn to the cashier and ask, “Do you accept Visa?”


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