Will $20 Even Be Enough?

_{Kripesh Adwani}

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Fun is different for everyone, and it is usually determined based on the amount of money you are willing to spend and the kind of person that you are.

There are people that their kind of fun is the very expensive kind, where they have to burn large amounts of money before they can agree that they have really enjoyed themselves.

And then, there are those that do not really require much money to have real fun. Just something basic here and there and they will have the time of their lives. And still, there are the ones that do not even require money at all; a good stack of books or litany of good movies to watch will be sure to make them happy.

One is not better than the other, different strokes for different folks. As long as your idea of fun does not affect your source of livelihood or run you into debt, then you are good to go.

Unfortunately though, in my country, having fun is now becoming way too expensive. Even the mere idea of living is expensive. Every single day, even when you are locked tight inside your house you would spend money on one important thing or the other. Not to talk of when you want to use it to have fun. What the money can do will be severely limited.

And for me, because of the kind of work I do, I work every day. Although I work less on Sundays, and sometimes depending on what I choose to do I can decide not to work at all. But every other day, I work. This means that, unlike others, my weekend starts on Sunday morning and ends at night. And this will be if I am willing to not do any work on that Sunday. And considering the fact that I would go to church, it is not farfetched to say that I will spend at least the first half of the day in Church.

And the real fun will begin in the afternoon.

_{Daniel Xavier}

For twenty dollars, I can have quite a time. Presently, dollar exchanges for just about N450 in Nigerian banks. But in the black market, it is N700 (as at the last time I checked). And seeing as everyone else is using that, I will also use that rate. And on that note, $20 will get me N14,000.

Yeah, fourteen thousand naira. That is chump change, right? Because when you think about it, there is not much it can do. Or is there?

Thankfully, I am not the kind of person that requires a lot when I want to have fun. Seeing as it is a Sunday I will be chanced to go out, the first place I would go to will be the cinema. I love going there, there is a different kind of joy I feel watching motion pictures on the big screen with others, I don’t get it when I watch it at home on my TV.

And I always go alone. I don’t know who planted that weird idea in people’s heads that one needs a date to go to the cinema. Why would I take someone along when I know we would not talk for the duration of the movie? And I am the kind of person that loves to focus on my movie, the roof can be burning for all I care, but if the credits don’t start to roll, I am not leaving there. Even if you are there with me, it is very possible I will ignore you until it is over. If I wanted to talk, we would do that on a stroll or over dinner.

It is only a few times I have taken people along, and they are movie lovers like me who love to get immersed in the movie. Thankfully, the cinema is close to my place, so I can afford to go there on a whim and come back late without any issue.

_{Tima Miroshnichenko}

Oh boy… I’ve been digressing.

The trip to the cinema will probably cost me N3000, seeing as they would add popcorn and a soft drink. If the movie is for two hours, sometime around two in the afternoon I should be done. And seeing as most malls also have restaurants, I will go to one and treat myself to a meal. Note that I now have N11000 left with me. If I spend about N5000 on the food, I will be left with N6000.

From there, I will leave the restaurant and still in the same mall, go into the supermarket. I will buy these chocolate biscuits called Fox Cookies. I really love them. At first, they used to be N900, but thanks to the dollar rising, it is now almost N1400. These days, I still try to eat it when I can.

I will buy about two of the biscuit and then the Snickers chocolate bar, also two. I will also buy some small cakes that are usually within the range of N200-N300, I can get about five of them. And finally, I will buy a big bowl of Ice cream for those at home.

Oh, I did not tell you guys I like sweet things too much aii? It is God that will save me.

_{かわい サムライ}

By the time I am done, I will have only about N1500 in my pocket. And that is just over a dollar. On my way home, I will probably eat one or two of the cakes.

When I get home, I will keep my biscuit and Snickers for myself, and share everything else with others. And I can promise you it will all finish that night.

I will be full and when I sleep, it will be with a smile of contentment.

And that is how my weekend of fun will end as I await Monday morning and embrace the new cycle of the work week.

There was a time I used to do all these steadily when everything was cheaper and more affordable. But now, I am even scared of stepping out of the house because of the fear of debit alert. But even at that, the debit will still come to my room and meet me. Is it fair?

These days, when I am not working I just watch movies at home and read books. Sapa, nice one!

But then, what can I say? My hope is that with the new administration that I hope we all vote in a lot of things will change in this country and the cost of living will become cheaper so that ordinary people like us that work so hard to make ends meet will be able to have the basic fun.

_{Andrea Piacquadio}

Thank you for reading. Feel free to drop your thoughts in the comment section below, I would really love to know. Till we meet in the next post.

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_{This post is inspired by the second topic for this week which is Just Twenty Dollars. Feel free to check it out.}

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_{Borderimage credit: @deimage.}