My kids are doing Activities this week.
They have to take a packed lunch and a change of clothes (for the
journey home, don't ask) with them every day.
The lockers are only big enough for one rucksack each and cost 20p a
pop. They told me they need four 20p coins each day, because they take
a locker each in the morning (costing two 20p coins), open the lockers
at lunchtime, remove their packed lunches and put the rucksacks back
in at the cost of another two 20p coins for the afternoon.
By force of habit, I applied a few minutes thought to this and told
them that they would actually only need three 20p coins each day if
they used one locker for each rucksack with their changes of clothes
and then put both their packed lunches into a third locker.
At lunchtime, they could open the third locker, remove their packed
lunches, chuck away the wrappers and the plastic bag they carried them
in and hey presto. 20p saved. It's not the money, it's the principle,
I told them. You've always got to try and beat the system.
They wouldn't accept this logic at all. Her Indoors took their side
and gave them four 20p coins as per usual.
Ah well.
