A Buck a Week

The term "allowance", or its linguistic equivalent, has a universal meaning for children the world over. Almost every parent bestows an amount of money upon their child at particular intervals, the most common being once a week. Motives vary; some do it with a view to establishing fiscal responsibility at a young age or as a reward for chores completed during the week. I would imagine, however, that most see it as a means of putting an end, however brief, to the incessant and desperate strings of "Can I have? Can I have? Please, Please, Please" that flare up at every stop in a supermarket or convenience store.

My folks definitely fell into that category. In fact, my sister and I receiving an allowance at all only came to be from something of a "Keeping up with the Jones'" stimulus as our interacting with other primary schoolchildren made us realize what we had been missing out on. They conceded, and my sister and I anxiously awaited the appointed Friday to receive our first allowances.

I was handed a one dollar bill. So was my sister. You could cut the anti-climax with a dull butter knife.

At first, I thought this was to be a graduated-scale kind of arrangement. You know, I'd receive more maybe at the start of the next school year. I'd only have to endure a short period of being the light-load one of my friends on our weekly jaunts to the corner store. Only a matter of time until I didn't need to nurse my Lik-M-Aid and Big League Chew so as to not deplete my sugar booty before they did.

It never happened. My pittance stayed just that until I got my first paper route at 13, at which point in fact the weekly allowance came to a stop entirely. It was somewhat an issue of contention - I distinctly remember lying to other schoolkids when they asked how much my allowance was. The shame I tell you.

The thing is, in our increasingly expensive world I imagine a great many of you have self-imposed "allowances" in much the same way I have needed to enforce them upon myself. I have a fairly rigid number to which I am "allowed" to spend every two weeks in order to steer well clear of mortgage, student loan and car payments, bills, groceries etc. In much the same way I hoped for the two-buck stipend all those years ago, I'm hoping this new allowance can be discarded sooner rather than later.

For those similarly restricted and needing to furnish a new home, I sincerely recommend a visit to www.cymax.com. Cymax is where the ease and convenience of online shopping is paired with competitive pricing that is as hard to beat as the hilarity of an 11-year old trying to sit still after six pieces of licorice, a can of Jolt and a bag of sour soothers.

Should you be at the point where it's just wrong to rest your new Nakamichi components on the same cinder blocks that have constituted your stereo stand for years, an Ameriwood 3-shelf Audio Stand is a budget-friendly choice for your living area.

What about the bachelor who feels a need to leave his dorm-days behind him and actually folds his laundry now? He is certain to appreciate the value of a Venture Horizon Nouvelle Drawer Chest, with ample garment storage for a single individual and priced just right to not to impede on the sanctity that is ordering pizza three times a week.

Many of us are not exactly thrilled that the computer is no longer exclusively for mindless surfing and red-eyed Diablo and Warcraft sessions. While you're peeling the Green Day and Offspring stickers off the laptop before bequeathing that Pentium II dinosaur to your cousin, take a moment to consider a Prepac Sonoma Computer Desk for your new desktop. It's light on the wallet and up to the rigors of daily life as your new workstation.

I remember my Uncle once telling me that my parents had an "overly-Protestant work ethic." Man, he wasn't kidding.