53¢ and a flag of New Zealand

My 16-year-old niece is a slob. Even more than me, and that's saying something. Her parents decided her room was sliding from "messy" into "fire hazard," and decreed that she must clean it up (or is it "out"?) this weekend.

She recruited her 9-year-old brother to help. He was thrilled because he is seldom even allowed in her sanctuary, much less invited into it. They worked together for hours and reportedly came up with bags of things to be discarded. When I spoke to him last night, he breathlessly told me how he had been paid: he could rescue any one thing he wanted from her castoffs, he could keep any money he found on the floor, and he could have 30 minutes of her evening Internet time.

"I got 53¢ and a flag of New Zealand!" he exclaimed. His joy was infectious.