“It wasn’t until I became a stepmother and started homeschooling Lobo’s boys that I started to really think about the value of a dollar. Whether financially comfortable or not, up until then I bought what I wanted when I could or needed to, maybe grumbling a little about price increases or vacillations (milk and gasoline seem to be the favorite targets) but not thinking about the underlying issue: was I really getting what I perceived to be value for the amount of FRNs I was handing over? In trying to teach them basic economics, I stumbled upon my own ignorance. And now, while it may appear that in some areas I’m spending more than before, that may be because of the observer’s focus on the dollar cost rather than deeper value.” (10/13/08)