When I started this post. I had to think of a title. And it popped into my head, "We are so spoiled!" And I think it is perfect for this post. The lesson at the end may not be what you predict.
Here is my story.
It begins last Monday. (It is now Saturday)
Monday morning comes and I am in the office with my husband and he tells me his plans of the week and tells me he is going to pick up a check for half the money for a project that he will be doing over the next two weeks (starting yesterday, going through this coming Tuesday). It is a BIG check. He also announces that our landlord has texted him reminding him that we need to leave him a check for our rent for this month. We don't really have the money, but with this first half of the money for the project we can pay it but then will need to come up with more money to pay for the materials for the job later this week. We "gamble" and I write the check, hoping that others will pay us and we can cover our expenses for the project. Fast forward to yesterday, (Friday). No real money has come in all week and we have been living on next to nothing saving for him to pay for the materials for the project. Yesterday was also "pay day" for our workers. One is my son, who can wait on his money. Another is a friend of his who won't pick his check up until he works again on Tuesday. But the third is a guy who we need to pay so he won't quit on us. I go to our PO Box and say a little prayer that there is a nice sized check in there. Nope, nothing.
I go to our "stash" of cash in the house in hopes that my husband put a bit in there. Nope.
I look at all our bank accounts and start to add the pennies in each account. Yes, some have pennies in them. They aren't going to add up to $50. This isn't going to cover a $325 paycheck.
I notice that my daughter has $400 in her account. This is her hard earned money she has saved from working this summer. I very humbly ask if I can borrow some of it until Dad gets paid for the job he is doing. She gladly says yes.
Lesson #1: I am humble, so humble, and feel horrible that I have to ask. She is happy to help. She is proud that she has the ability to help us short term. I am so grateful for her.
We cover the paycheck. I go through the house to see if there is anything we can sell and possibly have a yard sale on Saturday, but I have nothing of real value nor do I have enough to even lure people to our house to even look at our junk.
In the process, I do have a lady who wants to buy a textbook I have had up online for sale for months. She pays me to ship it to her. I get $16.50. It goes straight into our bank account.
While looking in our garage for stuff to sell, I notice (well it is hard not to notice) all the aluminum cans we started collecting months ago to recycle. They aren't crushed and they are quite numerous. I announce that we are going to take them to a recycling center and turn them in for cash. I pile them all in my car and head to the recycling center. $9.60 later I decide it was not worth it to collect them for so so so long. However, now I have $26.10.
A few days before, my daughter asked if she could have a few friends over on Saturday night for a spaghetti and gelato party. They had all gone to Italy together and wanted to get back together and reminisce. No problem then, but problem now! I need some food for this party.
All my $26.10 will have to go towards #1. shipping the textbook which will run me about $5. and #2. Groceries for this party. Take the postage fees out, I am left with $21.10.
I come home yesterday evening and am ready to cook dinner of which no one "wants" what I had planned. It was STEAK! But no one wanted it. They wanted something else. So I gave them a choice of having a breakfast for dinner night. I had all the ingredients for that. But noooooo....
My youngest wanted corndogs and tater tots, which we had. {check}
My husband wants PIZZA! Ugh! I dig through and find a can of tomato sauce, we have cheese and I have a package mix for pizza dough. He really wanted me to cave and say we could order pizza but I held my ground and fixed him homemade pizza with salami, ham, and onions on it. He had the choice to put Italian meatballs on it too but he chose to opt out. {check}
Lesson #2: We are truly spoiled. We don't always want what we had planned, but with my food storage (as measly as it is right now), I was able to give my family what they wanted without having to spend any money.
I still have that $21.10 and will use it in a little while to purchase just a few things we need for dinner tonight. Hamburger meat, tomatoes, spaghetti noodles (I can't believe we are out but we are). We will make homemade garlic bread and my daughter made gelato last night in preparation for tonight's party. I might even splurge on some antipasta if I have enough money left over.
We will be fine even though we don't have any money for a few days. We have gas in our car, food at home, and love in our hearts. The girls who are coming over tonight will never know how little money we have or how little money we spent on their enjoyment. It doesn't really matter.
Lesson #3: If your family is "spoiled" like mine, you have to be a bit extra vigilant to make sure you keep stocked up on the things they love. If you do, then you will never feel like you are poor.
The job will be finished on Tuesday if all goes as planned and we will have lots of money back in our bank account. Some of that money will go into our emergency fund to start building that back up too.
