13 Things Obama's $13 Stimulus Will Buy You

By Nikki Schwab, Washington Whispers 

It's one of the most heralded benefits of the $787 billion stimulus bill: Taxpayers will get about an extra $13 a week in their paychecks starting this spring. So, with spring break and the summer tourism season coming, we did a little snooping around Washington to see just how you can spend that cash. And, as you can imagine, we found it won't go very far. For example, even though it's restaurant week here in D.C., you won't be able to afford lunch or dinner at the featured restaurants. And if $13 can't buy you a discounted meal, then what can it buy? In our search, we tried to focus on things President Barack Obama and the first family might buy. So, here's our list of what $13 could buy the Obamas:

1. Six bottles of Obama's favorite Black Forest Berry Honest Tea.
2. Four bags of Planters Trail Mix—Mixed Nuts & Raisins, one of the president's favorite snacks.
3. Four pocket Constitutions purchased at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center gift store.
4. A White House toiletry kit including one roll of White House toilet paper, a White House tooth brush, and one White House bathroom cup purchased at AMERICA!'s Spirit at Union Station.
5. One Obama Paper Dolls book and an American Presidents coloring book at the National Museum of American History gift store.
6. One bottle of Presidential Hot Sauce on sale at Making History, a gift store in Union Station.
7. One White House bookmark from the White House Historical Association.
8. One small cheese pizza from Italian Fiesta Pizzeria, the Obama's favorite pizza place in Chicago.
9. One ticket to see the Chicago White Sox play in the upper reserved section of U.S. Cellular Field from Stubhub.com.
10. One cab ride from the White House to the U.S. Capitol.
11. One necklace from J. Crew, a favorite shop of the Obama girls.
12. Either one cocktail or the cheapest dessert—Melanie's Petit Fours—at Equinox, where Barack and Michelle Obama have dined.
13. A used copy of The Audacity of Hope.

What $13 doesn't buy you: a new copy of The Audacity of Hope, any type of Nicorette Gum that the former smoker chews, or clothes from J. Crew for the girls.

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