I've Been Buffaloed!

So Z has been telling me for ages that he has $24.41 in his coin jar.  I keep promising him I will take it to the bank to have it turned into dollars.  This has been going on for over a month now.

So yesterday I take the boys to Target to get underwear and socks (waaayyy too exciting, I know).  Z starts in that he wants a Star Wars Lego set.  I remind him that he has no more money in his allowance envelope since he spent it all at the rock shop a few weeks back, but I do owe him $10 for this week's allowance, minus $2 for savings, giving him a grand total of $8. Not nearly enough for the Lego set he has in mind. He reminds me that he has $24.41 in coins and if I will front him the money I can keep the coins.  I really don't mind buying Legos because I think they are just about the perfect toy (except barefoot in the middle of the night), so I agree.  He picks one out, asks if we are going straight to pay, then proceeds to nag me for the next 10 minutes as I drag him over to get R some underwear and then through the Christmas decor just because I want to.  As soon as he gets home he builds it and then of course tells me he wishes he had another Lego set. 

Fast forward to 10 minutes ago when I decide that I will take his change jar and add it to mine.  I look in, and it is quite full...of pennies.  Then I remember that some time last summer he showed me how to make my money "bigger" by putting the penny half way in, so the automatic counting mechanism goes off, then pulling it out to do it over and over again.  I tried explaining how it didn't really work because he really still only had the one penny.  He seemed to not get that at all, I decided it was hopeless and we moved on.  Until this afternoon.  Looking at this large pile of pennies (and a few Costa Rican coins) I use my exceptional reasoning skills and conclude that there is no way he has $24.41.  Being bored and a huge procrastinator, I decide to add them, one by one, to my magical coin counting jar.  Yeah, I feel smart.  I'm writing this with coin blackened fingers and I'm just over $3 richer. 

Of course I'm not going to say anything.  Money is still pretty much lost on Z.  But you bet your bottom dollar that I won't fall for that again.