5 dollar bills

30^th Street Station – Philadelphia, PA, USA  05.22.09

I’m waiting for my train to arrive. The 137 from Boston to Washington D.C. is supposed to pass through Philly and pick me up. I’ve finished every major possible task I could today to make it here on time and Amtrak is late. It’s only 15 minutes, but as they say….time is money, right?

Speaking of money, I was just thinking about what a person can buy for $5 today, in 2009. I handed over $5 for my ride on the SEPTA rail train from Ivy Ridge (approx. 25 mins.) to here and I actually found that to be a really good deal. Public transportation usually is a good deal. $5 could also afford you a quick pass through an automatic car wash or a do-it-yourself project I car wash 2x. $5 bought my teacher friend Jonathan and I a foot long Chicken sub sandwich at Subway just yesterday. $5 also got my car through the Turnpike gates when I took a wrong turn on the 476. $5 is what it costs to get your car out of the parking garage at PCOM, my current school. $5 might get you a 16 oz. brew at a happy hour or a chance to sit in a NYC taxi cab, at idle. $5 will afford you 5 items from a dollar menu at McDonald’s or Wendy’s in the state of Delaware with no tax to pay and all rot gut for the day.$5 will afford you about 30 mins. at a downtown parking meter (maybe). $5 can get you a hotdog and a small drink at a downtown vendor. $5 doesn’t go far on Amtrak, but it certainly helps that Amtrak is cheap…$118.50 round trip from Philly to DC (bought within 3 days of travel). $5 will get you a quesadilla at Taco Bell, but not the “Value” meal to go with it. That’s extra and probably bad for you anyways. $5 will get you 2 pints of Ben & Jerry’s when their on sale at Super Fresh. This happens about every third time I do my weekly grocery shopping.

The Amtrak Train Info board says it’s now 20 mins. late. More time lost, more money, right? $5 will get you 5 shots at a chance to win on a dollar slot machine or 1 shot if you’re a big player. $5 will take care of a good haircut if you’re at a SuperCuts, GreatClips,  or most cheap hair salons. $5 will fill your tank up with about 2 gallons of regular unleaded or diesel (currently). However, summer is coming and this will likely increase in a month. $5 will get you a bag of Swedish fish (just less than a pound), Gummi Bears, and maybe an ice cream cone (without any toppings).

$5 will get you nowhere near what you could get when I was born and absolutely nothing compared to what you’d get a century ago. However, for an honest Abe money note, you might be surprised. It can get you a number of things several times. I think I may carry a wallet full of $5 bills just to feel as though I’ve won or at least bargained for things.