Ward believes that it's time to provide Beaver with an allowance, since Beaver has been asking for a dollar here and a dollar there without any overall oversight on how much money is going out. The latest request by Beaver was to join a record club at 87¢/week. Ward wants Beaver to itemize his weekly spending, so that they can come up together with what is a reasonable allowance. Despite Beaver's initial budget being far above what Ward had in mind, they come to an agreement on an amount within which Beaver will stay. Beaver takes his money management seriously, even not letting his mother or Wally get away with a cent. However, that 87¢ to the record club is first and foremost in Beaver's spending. By the end of the first week, Beaver is well within budget, a fact about which Ward is proud. However, Beaver, despite Wally's warnings, may be caught in a longer term financial crunch by not reading or paying attention to the fine print.
—Huggo