11:09 p.m. - 2004-01-06
Spare change
Sitting on the corner of my desk is a small purple hippo. His name is Horace, and he has a little slit in his back. In his tummy are the beginnings of a dream.
I made a decision the other day. I am going back to Disneyland in 2005 with Raisin. Both of us are looking for jobs right now, which is not particularly conducive to saving money for a none too cheap trip. But I still have some money kicking around, and I've made the executive decision that the spare change and small bills that are just going to get spent on random assorted crap are better off in Horace. I've closed him up and put a post it note on the bottom telling me that I'm not allowed to open him up until my birthday, at the beginning of March. My goal is to have $100 in there by then. The great thing about Canadian money is how fast the change adds up, and I think it's perfectly do-able to end up with $100 in two months. Then, I'll take out the money, count it, take it to the bank, and start again. I won't open up Horace again until the Raisin's birthday this time - not until September. That's six months to save. Six months should be more than enough time to save up another $200 in loonies and toonies and the occasional five dollar bill. And then, I'll open it up, take it to the bank, and start again. I may have to empty him at some interim point - he's not that big and I'm not sure he can hold $200, but I won't count the money until the Raisin's birthday.
$300 will pay for the park pass. It will pay for two or three nights in the hotel. It's a step in the right direction - a step towards taking another trip like the best trip of our lives. That week in May is still haunting both of us. We can't stop thinking about how much fun we had every single minute we were there. So, instead of crying over Disney music and sniffling over commercials, I'm doing something about it. Horace and I are going to save up enough money, one day at a time.
So if you have any spare change, I am happy to accept it.
