By Cholntz E. McGee

Every little thing I do these days costs money -- about $30 to be precise. While it doesn't seem like much, it sure does add up.

The simplest, most trivial of activities used to cost $10, $15, $20. And I'm not talking in a parental "when I was a boy, we had to walk to school in four feet of snow" distant memory kind of way. This was just a couple years ago. Has inflation caught up to our generation, or is it simply that everyday activities are getting marked up significantly?

Going out to eat with a date at a gourmet dining establishment like The Olive Garden will easily cost $30. Better load up on the all-you-can-eat breadsticks and salad to get your money's worth. These restaurants should not be charging $14.95 a plate for quality that's only a couple notches above fast food.

Don't feel like filling up on greasy goodies at Tchotchke's? Why not cook up a nice meal for two at home? How about pasta primavera? A dish like that should cost $12 to make, right? Try $30 after you've bought some fresh veggies, pasta, oil, cheese and other ingredients. Worried about carbs? Meat ain't cheap, either, unless it's in a can labeled Purina.

A trip to the movie theater to see the latest summer blockbuster with a significant other should cost no more than $15 -- with popcorn. But with tickets hovering around the $10 mark and a bucket of popcorn costing upwards of $7, expect to drop at least $30 to wash down that delicious butter-flavored topping. The only way to save a couple bucks is to go to the matinee weekday show (as if you could get out of work before 5 p.m.) or first weekend showing (at 9 a.m. on a Saturday. Joy.). Better yet, wait until it comes out on video, and buy some no-frills popcorn and cola at Costco.

What is up with gas prices? It used to cost around $12 to $15 to fill the gas tank of a compact car. That was way back in, oh, 2002. Now, it's at least $30. Strange how gas was cheaper when we were at war with Iraq.

If you need an oil change in a jiffy, that's not $16 anymore. Get ready to shell out another $30.

Forget to feed the parking meter? Rarely will you find a $10 or $15 ticket anymore. Try $20 - $40 for a simple parking violation.

Missed a payment on your credit card? Late fee's gonna be $29 - $35.

Feel like a big shot and want to buy a round of drinks for you and your buddies? That round of drinks for three buddies and yourself can easily cost $30. Whatever happened to $2 for a beer?

With all of these "frivolous" $30 payments, it's easy to see why twentysomethings have difficulty saving money, or worse, why their credit-card debt mounts.

Part of the problem may be a loosely created budget. Probably because it was created a couple years ago, when incidentals were cheaper. Couple that with the convenience of charging something on a credit or debit card, which makes it easy to lose track of what was purchased and how much was spent -- until the bill arrives a month later.

Add in the seeming innocence of a $30 purchase (what's $30 here and there?). And, of course, the lack of awareness of products and services costing this amount, and you've got a recipe for financial crisis. All because you wanted to impress a woman by ordering the Taste of Italy dinner.

So what to do?

1. Try to buy things with cash. A $30 purchase is much more dramatic when it leaves you with $7 in your wallet. You'll start making better decisions such as, "I can wait to see Mr. and Mrs. Smith until it comes out on DVD."

2. If you don't have cash on hand, use the debit card. Seeing a barrage of $30 hits to your bank statement will also make you take notice.

3. If you're using credit cards for all these purchases, pay them off sooner rather than later, or charge them on the card that has the lowest interest rate.

4. Get frugal. Instead of buying Lucky Charms, buy Magic Stars. Instead of The Olive Branch, eat at Ray's Pizza. And follow your grandma's lead: clip coupons.

5. Find cheap or free forms of entertainment. These include hanging on the porch with friends, going on nature walks, sneaking into movies, playing board games and having sex. (Note: Hatch does not condone illegal activities, but c'mon, $10 to see a movie, no matter how short Jessica Simpson's shorts are, is a rip-off.)