Day 7: Final tally!

Today's "adventure": Jury duty. Last time I pulled jury duty, I totally zoned out for the entire day. I went to the courtyard of the courthouse, laid on the grass, and napped the day away, at least when I wasn't catching up on all the Glamour and Cosmopolitan magazines that I had in my "don't have time for" pile. Not one person was called to jury that day.

Today, I decided to take care of an annoying yet pressing issue: Online traffic school. I brought my laptop along precisely for that reason. I hunkered down and prepared for the worst. I read the lessons, and when I took the tests, I found myself literally snickering out loud at some of the questions and answers. Example:

(Cue Final Jeopardy! theme)

Which of the following is an unlikely alternative to driving?
a) carpooling b) walking c) riding a bike d) flying a hanglider

and

The Designated Driver Program is an anti-___ effort.
a) IUD b) UID c) DUI d) DIU

How about:

Drinking and driving at any age is ________.
a) A very wise thing to do. b) Legal if supervised. c) Illegal d) Legal

Last one:

When you are crowded by a tailgater you should…
a) allow extra room between your car and theirs. b) pull over and let them pass, then tailgate them. c) hit the gas to get ahead. d) slam on your brakes.

SERIOUSLY?! My 12 year old could pass this course without reading even ONE lesson. I felt like a creeper, hidden in the corner of the jury waiting area, stifling my giggles as I read these totally moronic quiz questions. Pure comedy. (Do I need to publish the answers to the above quiz questions?!)

Now, as for the budget... I've been paying far better attention to where my cash goes, to the point that I'm actually planning ahead these days. With only $25 to dole out, I really have to ponder where to allocate those precious few bucks. I knew that having jury duty meant I would have to eat at the cafeteria or a local restaurant. With only $6 remaining to spend, I figured I'd be chowing down a Happy Meal or a couple of 79-cent tacos.

I was paging through a coupon book that I have, and I ran across a page that I had totally missed out on for months. There was a coupon for a TOTALLY FREE Famous Star from Carl's Jr. Wooo hooo! Amy = SAVED! I drove over to CJ's on break, ordered my burger, but also got fries and a drink (both small!). Total: about $3. See, planning ahead kept me from going over $25. Yes, I DID IT! Or so I thought...

Like kids do, my son announced at 7:30 that we had to buy slacks, a long-sleeved button-down shirt, and a tie for graduation tomorrow. Fine, these things happen but... We were headed to THE MALL, the place where numerous bad financial decisions are made every day. The place where Cinnabon calls to me, even from the opposite end of the building. I hadn't eaten dinner, and even worse, we went to the store located right next door to those delicous, cinnamon-y treats!

Apparently, it was calling to CJ, too. While standing in line to buy his clothes he said, "Can I go to Cinnabon?" Mildly panicked, I declined. He added, "I have my own money." In that case, go crazy, kid! He even got me a fork so I could have a bite - what a sweet heart! <3

So, 7 days have passed and I only spent $22! Since a new week begins tomorrow, I decided to roll the $3 over. I'm gonna need it! This week includes: my kid's graduation (Fancy dinner at a restaurant? We haven't decided yet...), family visiting from out of town, a Disneyland trip planned for Monday, a birthday bash at a bar on Tuesday, another trivia night on Wednesday... I'm exhausted and BROKE already!