The Economy? Is There A Lesson We Can Learn?
Posted on Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Money is on everyone’s mind these days it seems. Recently I gave my granddaughter a two dollar bill. I wasn’t sure if she’d ever seen one. Maybe she’d think it was fake. But I guess she spent it.
It was part of the money I got from recycling soda cans. We’ve been giving Morgan that money for years. The first time I gave her the money, I said, “ This is what we got for selling coke cans. ”
She replied, “ I should get the money. I helped empty them. ”
Then I read an article that the two dollar bill is on a roll. In the past four years millions of them have been produced. Historically the $ 2 was used as change at racetracks and other gambling places. Now there is even a $ 2 Bill Project on the Internet that encourages people to request the bills on the second of each month and circulate them. The site states it will make shopping easier and billfolds less cluttered.
It used to be that building projects were discussed in thousand dollar terms; now its millions. There was a recent article where it cost seven million dollars to build a high school football stadium, and that was considered a bargain. I also read where it cost over one hundred million to build one bridge. (Notice I spell it out; I don’t even know how to write it. )
I can remember when a penny was important. Nearly every event, from a parade to a carnival, would have a pile of sand or sawdust where children would dig for pennies. We could buy at least two pieces of candy for a penny.
Nickels meant a lot. They were harder to come by and would buy an ice cream cone. A dime got us a double decker. Needless to say, we seldom saw that much money.
In fact, I was in my teens before I came in contact with folding money. I began babysitting or cleaning houses for $ 1 an hour. Those wages bought lots of clothes, my first experience at earning and spending money.
A friend, Charles Kelley, told how he was given a quarter for the movies. He spent a dime for the movie, a nickel for a bag of popcorn and another nickel for a drink and had a nickel left over.
America had paper money as early as the 1800 s likely. Once there were even solid gold coins. Coins even go back to the Roman Empire. Jesus mentioned the mite. I brought back some mites from Israel. They are worth about 10 to a penny. When we travel overseas I bring back coins from other countries for my granddaughter. We’ve given her money from Brazil, Israel, Canada, England and Ireland.
When Jerry and I got married we were poor. But then, everyone else was poor. Once I asked Jerry to take me to a movie. My young husband never said a word and we headed for the pool hall. He spent lots of time there playing dominoes. So, on that night, I just stood behind his chair and watched him play. After he won a game or two he stood up and shoed me how much he’d won. It was less than a dollar. Then he said, “ OK, let’s go to the show. ” When Jerry started work at Wentz Sonis he made $ 1 an hour. I spent $ 10 a week on groceries. Social Security was taken about of his check, about 2 percent, so we still ended up with over $ 39 each week.
Maybe there is a lesson to be learned in this economic downturn. It teaches the value of a buck.
Editor’s Note: Marie Putman, a longtime freelance columnist for The Rogers Hometown News, is a former resident of Gravette area.
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