Mini-market: Sotos's Vanishing Budget (1/2)
- Nov 30
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 7
Adventure - The Upcycling Stall Dilemma
Sotos arrived at The Spark earlier than he ever had on a weekend—half running, half stumbling under the weight of two neatly packed boxes. For once, the boxes weren’t full of half-broken gadgets or random street finds. Instead, they held all the things his friends, neighbours, and family friends had donated during their spring-cleaning: plain plant pots, scuffed picture frames, slightly scratched jars, and a wooden jewellery box that needed only a new knob.
To Sotos, it was treasure.
To the community, it was clutter.
To Rudy… it was suspicious.
“This,” Sotos declared proudly, “is the start of my upcycling empire.”
Rudy peeked from behind a stack of frames, blinking slowly—the universal squirrel expression for: We’ll see about that.
Sotos arranged the items across his table. They weren’t junk—they were almost nice. Just tired. A bit dull. But with the right colours and finishes? Perfect.
He opened his backpack and laid out the supplies he’d bought earlier that morning: sandpaper, varnish, glue, decorative paper, brushes, tiny pots of acrylic paint, and a replacement knob for the jewellery box. He lined them up with satisfaction—until he noticed the receipts.
He unfolded one.
Then another.
Then another.
“…Why was the varnish eight pounds?
”He flipped the tiny, curled corner.
“Oh. The hidden fee. Seriously?”
Rudy hopped up beside him and tapped a folded PAYG top-up slip poking out of Sotos’s pocket.
“Not now,” Sotos muttered. “I had to top up again because—okay, yes, I watched too many videos this morning, but that’s not the point.”
He checked his phone balance anyway.
“Oh. Okay. That might actually be the point.”
Rudy gave a soft chrrp, the sound of gentle, squirrel-coded I-told-you-so.
Within an hour, Sotos’s table had transformed into a battlefield of receipts, transaction summaries, and small-print chaos. He perched on a stool in the middle of it, breathing like he’d been trapped in a puzzle game with too many levels.
“PAYG top-up: £5. Then another £5. And another £5? Seriously—how did I burn through data three times?”
Rudy nosed his phone, making the in-game purchase list pop open.
“£1.99… £2.99… £4.99… WHY did I buy all these character skins?! I can’t even wear them!”
He scrolled through his digital statements, squinting.
“The small print is evil. This is villain behaviour. How can anyone read letters this tiny?”
He looked across the courtyard.
Archie was inside the hall helping Ju Won organise donation crates—lining them in neat rows like they were preparing for a museum exhibit. Archie looked calm. Helpful. Capable.
The kind of person who could fix this mess in five minutes.
Sotos straightened stubbornly.
“No. I can do this. I have to do this.”
He grabbed his bag, marched into The Spark foyer to find “cheaper materials,” and came back ten minutes later with nothing but a flyer about recycling and a crushed sense of hope.
Rudy didn’t even need to say anything.
His silence was judgement enough.
Sotos dropped back into his chair, defeated. He stared at the items on his table—realising too late that upcycling wasn’t supposed to mean zero cost. It was about value, not shortcuts.
Rudy climbed onto the table with purpose.
With astonishing skill, he rearranged everything into labelled piles:
NEEDS: glue, sandpaper, replacement knob.
WANTS: fancy decorative paper, ribbon, glitter (so much glitter).
IMPULSIVE: all the in-game spends.
RECURRING COSTS: PAYG top-ups.
SURPRISE COSTS: hidden fees, tax, varnish extras.
Sotos winced.
“That ‘impulsive’ pile… wow. That’s embarrassing.”
Rudy added two acorns for emphasis:
one full and shiny (what Sotos thought he had left),
one tiny and cracked (what actually remained).
Sotos let out a long breath.
“Okay. I get it. I’m in trouble.”
A soft beep cut through the courtyard noise.
A Spark volunteer stood at a nearby stall, holding a sleek handheld terminal with the Spark logo glowing across its screen.
The volunteer tapped it, took a note on a clipboard, and continued quietly—just a routine test.
Sotos drifted closer.
“Is that… the new payment thing?”
The volunteer nodded.
“Early testing. We’re getting ready for the Spark Wallet launch next month.”
Sotos’s eyes widened.
“So… young people will use that?”
“Only here at Spark events,” the volunteer said. “Parents top it up. It keeps things simple.”
They lowered their voice slightly.
“We’ll be onboarding young vendors too. But only the ones who demonstrate they understand their costs. Vendors who can at least break even.”
The words echoed in Sotos’s mind:
understand costs
responsible
break even
Rudy hopped back to his table and pushed the cost sheet toward him—gently this time—placing an acorn in the “materials” column.
Sotos swallowed.
“I’m… nowhere close to breaking even.”
And tomorrow was the main day.
Sotos flipped open his notebook and scribbled frantically.
“Okay… if I repaint four frames tonight… and fix the jewellery box… and sell the pots for three pounds each… That still doesn’t cover varnish. And the brushes. And the replacement knob. And—UGH!”
The numbers refused to cooperate.
Every time he thought he’d found a solution, a cost popped up from nowhere.
Rudy gently rested a paw on his wrist.
Sotos’s frustration crumpled into honesty.
“I can’t fix this on my own.”
His eyes drifted back to the hall.
Archie was now adjusting a banner with Ju Won—still close enough to help, but busy, focused.
Sotos opened his phone and typed:
SOTOS → ARCHIE:
Archie, please come tomorrow. My stall’s a mess and I really need your help. Seriously.
Across the hall, Archie’s phone buzzed.
He glanced at the message and smiled—a small, knowing grin like he’d been expecting this.
He slipped the phone into his pocket.
Tomorrow, he’d be ready.
Key Takeaways
A budget helps you understand where your money really goes
Small purchases matter and can quickly drain a budget
PAYG and digital transactions need attention, these are real spending
Unexpected costs may require changing your plan
Reading small print prevents surprise charges
Breaking even is essential for running a responsible stall
Asking for help is a responsible financial decision—not a failure
Reflection
Think of something you want to create, sell, or run.
Create a simple table with:
Needs (must-haves)
Wants (nice-to-haves)
Hidden costs
Your break-even point
Even a small plan helps you stay in control of your money.
Have you ever underestimated the cost of something you wanted to do or make? What would you check or plan differently next time?
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