Yes, Virginia, I know that you’ve been asking a myriad of questions over the past few months.
Despite the economic downturn, it is still possible to go grocery shopping with $1 in America today. Believe me on this one.
On Sept. 29, 2008, when the stock market tumbled more than 777 points, I was riveted with anxiety. I was not around in 1929, but in my mind’s eye, I conjured up people forming long lines at soup kitchens, begging for bread.
I wondered what jobless mothers and fathers, with multiple children to feed, were going to do. I wanted to help people the best way I knew, but how? When? And where do I begin?
It didn’t help that I was nearly run over in the post office parking lot earlier that day when an irate driver barked expletive-laced orders to pedestrians and other drivers from his Mercedes Benz.
Shortly thereafter, he alighted from his car and apologized most vehemently for his surly behavior. He was reacting from the loss of his investments, totaling in tens of thousands of dollars. I told him I understood his outrage, but that all is not lost since he still has breath in his body.
That’s when I decided to get back to basics. I wanted to test the purchasing power of $1 in America today. Two years ago, I received a $1 bill as a gift, and two weeks later, I was able to make $140 profit on it. I later gave back the proceeds to the donor.
I strongly believe that $1 in America is still powerful in our waning economy. You can still do something tangible with it.
To prove my point again, I decided to test its efficacy. At about 3 a.m., I dashed out to a whole foods discount store in Federal Way. The coolest thing about this place is that you can buy as little as one teaspoon of say, sugar, to as much as 100 pounds. There is something to fit everybody’s budget — from the pauper’s son to the rich man’s daughter.
Among some of the items I purchased were oatmeal, flour, rice, sugar, coffee, honey, cornflakes, rice cereal, peanut butter, cocoa, broccoli, grapes, string beans and pancake mix. I even bought pet food items for Tabby and Rover. Pretzel sticks and candy also made the list, for good measure.
When it was all over, I walked away with 41 items for $1. My mission was accomplished. Talk about feeling powerful! I felt as though I could meet face to face with that bronze bull on Wall Street and topple him with just a pinky finger.
I proved again that a dollar can stretch and still do wonders in America today — if you know just where to go. And to boot, it can get your creative thoughts running on overdrive. This makes me very hopeful.
Yes, America the Beautiful is alive and well! No other country in the world could make something like this possible. All we need to do now is count our blessings, and when possible, reach out and grab them.
The biggest joke among my family and friends these days is for me to read out these grocery items, then ask them to give an estimated cost. I’ve even offered to give other people coveted prizes if they could guess the price, and to date, nobody has come close.
To reward the cashier for putting up with this experiment, and for her great sense of humor and patience, I planned to give her a $100 tip. But after consulting with her managers, they declined the offer, not wanting the story to be linked in any way with clandestine promotion on their part.
Let it be known that this is not a joke. I have the receipt and some of the purchased items to back up my claim.
So, Virgie, this is all I have to say for now. But in the meantime, I ask you to spread the word to all of your friends on Main Street reeling from the negative effects on Wall Street. Assure them that they, too, will laugh again — because a buck throughout these trying times might very well be more valuable than you once thought.
