Dinner and a Show? See a Loan Officer First.

It had been a long week: work, school, our son's rehearsals, our own performances, and battling seasonal health crud. We'd hardly seen the kids. They'd pretty much taken care of themselves for the past week. As a reward to them for being so helpful and responsible, and as a treat for ourselves, we decided to go to a silly movie and have dinner out.

First stop, the movie theater to buy our tickets in advance. For three adults and one child, $33.00! $33.00 for four people to gather with other people in a large darkened room and view celluloid being run past a lightbulb. Buy popcorn and four drinks, and the theater doubles their take.

If that weren't bad enough, we decided to have dinner out as a family. Something we hadn't done for weeks. Since California Pizza Kitchen was walking distance from the theater, we figured that was as good a place as any. Monkey Dude ordered the Thai Chicken Pizza, Spaghetti Bolognese for Avindair, Fettucini Alfredo for Adventure Girl, and some veggie-filled pasta thing for me. Add in four soft drinks. Wanna guess the total? The bill came to over $60.00. With tip, what we would consider a not at all fancy dinner, totaled over $80.00. Tell me that isn't highway robbery.

Granted, the prices were on the menus... I guess none of us thought about it as we ordered. But we'd been there before and didn't have to choke on the bill. No doubt that the prices have gone up. Considerably.

So, dinner and movie out for a family of four was over $100.

It's no wonder that home theaters are booming. Families can't afford to go out any more. When I was a kid, a movie was inexpensive entertainment. (A generation before, for my parents, even more so. Or should I say "less"?) Mom would drop me off at the theater with a friend and about $5. We'd have enough for admission, a drink, and a treat - with change left over. Now, if the kids want to go to a show with a friend, I practically have to fork over a $20. Am I the only one who thinks that's nuts?

Every family has something that they love to do. We are a movie-loving family. It's our thing. But from now on, with very few exceptions, movies are going to be at home, matinee only (because that's expensive enough), or at the cheap $2.00 theater.

Dining out, which had become less frequent as it was, will also become a rare event. Groceries prices have gone up, too, but I can feed my entire family a meal for the cost of one plate at a restaurant. I'd rather sit around the house eating bologna sandwiches with Avindair and kids, playing a board game, than shell out the geld for something like that again.

In fact... that sounds pretty damn good!