Extra Credit

A harried dad carried a bunch of bananas to the register at the Eastport Market.  “How much are these with the tax?” he wanted to know.

“There isn’t any tax on food in Michigan.”

“OK, how much are they without the tax?”

“$1.48.”

“This is going to be hard,” he said, trudging off toward the dairy case.

Another tale of layoffs and retrenchment in the family budget?  Hmm.  Over in frozen foods Mom and two boys were deep in conference.  “Fudge bars,” said one of the boys.  “We need fudge bars.”

“That might make it go over,” warned Mom.  “Then you’d have to put something back.”  Hmm.  

Conferences continue.  Eventually the whole family assembled at the register with a loaded cart.  An explanation was forthcoming.  

Dillon Thompson is a sixth-grader at Cherryland Middle School. He could earn extra credit if he completed a practical assignment in domestic management: Plan a sleepover for a group of friends and buy all the snacks for the evening—plus the makings of a healthy breakfast—for an amount between $47.00 and $50.00. Math skills. Planning and management. Nutrition. Thinking it through. Yup. Good stuff.

The fun part of the assignment was picking out the pizza, the fudge bars . . .  The breakfast looked good, too.  Bacon and eggs, juice, that bunch of bananas.  Dillon’s brother Logan, a third-grader at Lakeland Elementary School, was an enthusiastic assistant in the selection process.  

The pesky part was keeping track of the money.  Mom was in charge of an approximate running total, but what with Dillon and Logan dashing off in opposite directions in search of snack perfection and Dad awash in estimates of produce poundage, it was a challenge.

The moment of truth was at hand.  The stash was sorted into two piles: the keepers and the candidates for elimination. Subtotals were struck at strategic times.  “OK, put that in.  OK, that one too.  Looks like we’re going to make it.  Yes!”  $48 bucks and change and Dillon was victorious.

Dillon and Logan with provisions for a multitude: Plenty of snacks, a good breakfast, and change from a fifty.