Grace, our mother, while forced to pinch "centavos" for most of our stay in Mexico City, would always wait for her alimony check to come in at the end of the month, then she would turn around and tell us kids, "come on, we are going to Woolworth's". It was her way of treating her kids to a little something other than the house staples of beans and rice. She had a deal with my brother Dan and myself, in that she would buy us one treat and "one of anything, as long as it wasn't too expensive (that would have to wait until Christmas)".
I always got me a Banana Split or a Root Beer Float, and a Beatles 45 RPM, Dan would get Ice cream as well, and a Doors 45 RPM, plus we got to run around the store, gawking at all the new stuff. That's how we both built up our record collections.
Later on, when Woolworth turned out to be too passe, she would switch to "Window Shopping" down San Juan de Letran, the clothing district in Downtown Mexico City. She would take all of us kids, buy us street "Golosinas" and we'd walk for hours up and down the streets of downtown, looking at clothes, shoes, electronics, toys, books, records, and whatever was on display in a window. As much as I hated the walking, the trips were always free entertainment and we bonded as a family.
To this day, when I find myself looking through a shop window, I am reminded of the fun times we all had wearing out the soles of our shoes. Thanks Mom. Love ya!