Stimulus Tuesdays

Tuesdays are the day to head to any of Carmike Cinemas' 250 theaters. On "Stimulus Tuesdays," all 16-ounce drinks and 46-ounce popcorns are sold at the bargain basement price of $1 apiece. They'll even drown your corn in butter. Can't beat that.

I took the bait this afternoon and invited three young friends to join me for a showing of the Pixar movie Up. Loaded down with our dollar refreshments, we settled in with our 3D glasses. I was surprised that we were shown four previews of 3D movies. I guess this is a trend.

The movie itself was superb. The main character is a 78-year-old man who sets out to fulfill a lifelong dream. I won't say anything else for fear of giving something way. But it has to be one of the best Pixar movies to date - and that's saying something.

Up was definitely worth the price of admission, especially on Stimulus Tuesday.

Penny

Coins Count

When it comes right down to it, ole Ben Franklin was right: A penny saved is a penny earned. True, a penny was worth a tad more in Ben's day than ours, but the premise still holds true.

Coins count. If you've never tried coin collecting (of the non rare variety), you might be in for a surprise. At our house, a change jar sits ready and waiting. All year, we drop change in at the end of the day. A few weeks before vacation, we dump the jar and check the loot. We're usually surprised. We've found as much as a few hundred dollars in there, ready for us to roll and take to the bank to exchange for some paper money. Even if it's just $30, that's lunch money.

As a rule, we don't pay with coins. And in the end, they pay us.

Try it - you might be surprised!

Penny