Tonight, Lexi and I ran to the store to grab a few items for the week ahead.
If you've had any sort of conversation with me recently, or have read a bit of my blog as of late, you know that we are on a super duper tight budget. Like 2 sizes too small of your favorite jeans tight.
The reason we went to the store was to pick up a few things on sale that went back to regular price tomorrow... one of those being grapes.
So we walk in. And let me pause and just say if you know my Lexi at all, you know that her voice is about 10 times her size. I think it has to do with hearing problems...coupled with an inheritance of loud voices on a certain side of the family (BRUCE.)
But I digress... we walk in, and she has her sale ad in one hand and with her booming voice declares... "There are the grapes. We need the grapes." And yes. We got the grapes because they were 69cents a pound... Then she pointed to the ad and proceeded to say "And we need the blueberries, and the strawberries and the raspberries too." (Sidebar: Lexi loves fruit like the desert loves the rain.) But the blueberries and the strawberries and the raspberries are not on sale, so I simply say...not today.
Yep. Not so simple. Because now we standing in front of the berries. "Here are the berries Mom." And I said, "We can't get the berries today...only the grapes." And then she points back to the ad and says (and by says I mean screams), "BUT THEY ARE ON SALE!"
At this point, I just had to lean down close and say, "Sweet Lexi... I know they are on sale, and I want them too...but they are just a little too much money right now." She looked up and me and said, "So we only get grapes?" And I said, "Yes, we only get grapes." "Okay Mommy" she says.
And honestly, I didn't think anything of it until I was just washing the grapes. The kids are in bed. Curtis isn't home. The house is quiet, and all I could think of was Lexi's sweet little voice asking for berries...but being okay that she only got grapes.
I wish I could give my kids the world. This week, I wish I could just give my kid berries. But tonight, I hope I gave her more than that. Because the reason I didn't buy the berries...the reason we're on this budget in the first place...is to be able to provide for them consistently, to not be in trouble financially, and to be secure in times of crisis. She won't get that now...but maybe one day she will.
Until then, we'll eat our grapes. We'll watch the ads. And we'll get those berries...eventually.
Hello world!
3 years ago
7 comments:
Oh, that is SOOOOO sweet!
You are a good mommy.
Trader joes has their 24 oz blueberries for 5.99 right now. I just saw that in their ad....I don't know if that fits your budget, but that's pretty good for blueberries these days...
(I know it isn't funny, but I totally pictured Lexi and her sweet, loud voice in the quiet produce section and chuckled)
Those really are the toughest lesson. What a good mama.
Good for you...and for the record, she will catch what you are teaching her now eventually. And love you for it.
You're doing a great job Kristi. And you're giving your kids two incredible gifts: the peace that comes from being financially stable - and the ability for them to create that same peace in their own families someday. Keep it up...
The reality of the budget has hit our house also. Since (my) Kristi had Karleigh we figured out how to live on just my salary. It's not fun. I don't get to out to eat everyday with the guys whose wives work, but it's worth it so that Kristi can be home with Karleigh. She made a point of how much we could have saved if we'd lived like this all along- it's nauseating.
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