Date: 2008-06-20 11:35 Subject: thefridayfive Security: Public Current Mood: restless

I haven't done one of these in a long time.

1. Did you get an allowance as a kid, and if so, how much was it?

When I was about six, I got twenty cents (about a dollar in today's money)--A nickel of that went into the piggy bank, another nickel into the collection plate at church, and the remaining dime usually went to the candy store. By the time I was old enough for a raise, my parents switched to a paid-chores system (that made prison wages seem like backdated CEO stock options).

2. How old were you when you had your first job, and what was it?

Thirteen: People brought newspapers to the local high school for recycling one Saturday a month. My job was to unload the papers from their cars into a semi trailer. If you were lucky, they came bundled, and the driver would help. The worst was when it was over 100F, a Cadillac drove up, the driver sat in the A/C, and popped the trunklid remotely, to reveal the trunk completely full of loose paper. Rainy days weren't too unpleasant, but the work was smelly and dangerous.

3. Which do you do better: save money or spend money?

I save money more consistently than I spend it well, because the savings all comes out of my paycheck before I have a chance to squander it. reillye has done a good job of throttling back my dumb spending.

4. Are people more likely to borrow money from you, or are you more likely to borrow from them?

Neither, as long as you don't count trivial stuff like me getting the pizza this time and you getting it next time. I learned long ago that "lending" money in moderate amounts (under $1000) falls under the "never bet more than you can afford to lose" rule, and as such, I usually consider loans like that to be gifts, and anything that's repaid is "found money".

5. What's the most expensive thing you've ever bought?

My house, natch. Other than houses and cars, our biggest purchases have been improvements to the house, like the new kitchen in 1999.