Generation NeXt Parenting: More Money Talk

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

More Money Talk

Everyone has a few things they spend a little too much money on. Mine is clothes and books, but not in that order. The worst is when they're on sale. 75% off gets me every time. Or like my husband says, "Men may pay twice as much for something they need, but women pay half as much for something they don't need."

But I'm determined to stick to our budget. When it came to grocery shopping I figured out two weeks of meals and made a list. I stuck to the list and the budget.

Things were harder when I took my grandma shopping. She needed "lunch out" with me, which also is known to include a trip the mall. Since I don't NEED any new clothes, I made a mental note that I needed to stick to my goal of not spending money (not to mention sticking to the budget). Would you believe my favorite store had a HUGE sale? Lots of really cute clothes for great deals.

I'm proud to stay that while grandma found two sweaters, a blazer, and a robe, I walked out empty handed. (Actually, I was carrying grandma's bags, but you know what I mean.)

It was tougher than I thought, and I'll admit I was a little bummed. I would have been FINE if I hadn't entered the store, but I had . . . And there were many things I wanted. Many things still hanging in the store and not in my closet.

The cool thing is what happened next. Out of the blue a friend dropped by with awesome hand-me-down, brand name clothes for my daughter. (She loves them.) Also, I had a friend tell me that she owed me more meat because she overcharged me. (I had purchased some of her homegrown pig.) Then I had an editor tell me he's reusing some of my already written articles for a regional publication and he wants to pay me for reprint rights (with no extra work!). Not bad.

All that to say, I didn't give in to my whim of buying things just because, and God proved He can provide in unexpected ways.

Now THAT is cool!

1 Comments:

At Tuesday, 17 October, 2006, MizB said...: You're an inspiration to me, Tricia! I need your resolve! ;-)

I've been trying to stay away from the Goodwill store uptown... they've got this deal where, if the date stamp on the back of the price tag is 2 months old (example: for October, if it said August) you get the item for 50% off.... and if it's 3 months old or earlier you get 75% off! It's a GREAT deal, and I always find too many things that I like. ;o) I got a dress there, last year, that I paid only $8 for, and it still had the original store's price tag on it... which said $69.99!!! What a deal!

I, too, am a sucker for clothes & books (and definately not in that order!).... and you can add shoes to that list. ;o)

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parenting advice for Gen Xers

: Name: Tricia Goyer; Location: Little Rock, Arkansas, United States

Tricia Goyer is the author of thirty books including Songbird Under a German Moon, The Swiss Courier, and the mommy memoir, Blue Like Play Dough. She won Historical Novel of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from ACFW, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer's Conference in 2003. Tricia's book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion in 2005. In addition to her novels, Tricia writes non-fiction books and magazine articles for publications like MomSense and Thriving Family. Tricia is a regular speaker at conventions and conferences, and has been a workshop presenter at the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International Conventions. She and her family make their home in Little Rock, Arkansas where they are part of the ministry of FamilyLife.

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