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Where’s My Change?

Posted on July 13, 2009 by auburnchick

Today is Monday.

You know what that means!

Shopping with the “Lists” day!

I actually did most of my shopping last week thanks to the Frugal Coupon Living web site.  But, when the lists came out yesterday, I still spent time studying them, clipping coupons, and preparing myself to purchase the few items I had not gotten.

Here’s what my table typically looks like when I’m in the midst of my preparation…

What a mess!  Fortunately there’s a method to my madness, and in the end, it somehow all comes together.

I won’t bore you with the details of my trip to the grocery stores.  I only purchased a few items there, saving roughly $34.  Not bad, not bad.

Today was CVS day.

Now, I want to share a quick tip that my mom told me about yesterday.  You know that you have to use a CVS Extra Care Buck card (regular store card) to take advantage of their savings.  And you know that Extra Care Bucks (ECBs) sometimes print out if you buy some certain items.

Well, did you know that if you scan your card on one of those price checkers that’s on the end of the aisle somewhere in the store, that you’ll get coupons?

When my mom told me about this, I thought she’d lost her marbles.  No offense to her, but she works night shifts and…well, ‘ya know…

Mark one on the board for Mom.  She was right (ok…so it took me until the age of 39 to admit this).

My two coupons were for store-brand items…one of which I used to buy two jars of peanuts!  What a delicious, crunchy treat for my family of snackers.

The rest of my shopping involved the selection of school supplies.  This week, if you buy a 3 or 5 subject notebook (CVS brand), you get a $3 ECB.  So, I purchased one, used the ECB to buy the next one (saving 77% on this item alone), and used the ECB from that purchase to offset the total of my third transaction.

A small aside:  One of my buy one get one free items rang up wrong.  The tag on the aisle gave a price of $1.99; however, the register scanned it as $2.19.  The item was marked wrong on the aisle.  I got the $1.99 (and heard the manager tell another employee to fix the price displayed).  Make sure you pay attention!!  You never know where you’ll lose money!

After all was said and done, I walked away with this nice little haul…

I spent $13.57 on purchases that would have cost $32.40…for a savings of 58%.

One quick little story.

I started my day with $20 in cash.  When I left, I sat in the car a moment to gloat over my savings…and made a discovery.  I only had $2.23 cents.  I thought I was supposed to have more money than that, so I started looking at the receipts and doing the math on my calculator.

I was short $4.20.

I ran the numbers again and got the same result.

I stood up and checked my pockets.  I thought that maybe I had misplaced some of the money.

After checking my wallet, the bagged items (sometimes I’ve thrown change and receipts in there), and the car, I realized that maybe I wasn’t losing my mind.  Maybe I had been shortchanged.

Receipts in hand, I walked back into the store.

Here’s what we (the cashier and I) pieced together.  After ringing up my second transaction, he set my receipt on his register with the intention of tearing off the ECB from the bottom of it.  In the process, he never handed me my change.  At the end of my third transaction, he handed me the receipt from the second one minus the change.

So, with all of my change now in my hand, I left the store satisfied.

I know there will be more sales on school supplies.  I can’t wait to see what I save when they roll around!

Filed under: Saving Money | Tagged: , , , | Leave a comment »

Quickie Prayer Request

Posted on July 12, 2009 by auburnchick

Hi all!

Here’s a quick prayer request for one of my church’s pastors.  About three weeks ago, the plane he was flying crashed because of mechanical failure.

God was gracious and spared his life, but he had some severe injuries that have forced him to undergo a few surgeries.  He’s an older gentleman but a tough guy (and very wise…I just love his sermons).  Pain management has become a huge issue.

I hope you’ll take a moment and say a prayer for him…for the pain to dissipate and for a complete recovery.

Thanks y’all!

Filed under: Christian | Leave a comment »

What is Sympathy?

Posted on July 12, 2009 by auburnchick

Today I heard a wonderful sermon at church.

When I first sat down with the bulletin, I almost cringed when I read what was on it, “Living in Harmony.”  We would be reading 1 Peter 3:8-12:

Why would I cringe, you wonder?

Well…I’m ashamed to say that Chicky and I got into a yelling match on the way to church.  She was so angry that she sat as far over on her chair cushion as she could.

To sit down and read verses 8 and 9 tore at my heart…

8Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 9Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

However, the pastor chose, instead, to focus on the middle of the verse…”be sympathetic.”

I took a few notes that I thought I would share.

He defined sympathy as the ability to see beyond yourself to others…to be able to feel the pain of others.

Seeing beyond ourselves is difficult and counter cultural in this “me” world we live in.

I was surprised to hear him say that it doesn’t come naturally.  It is something we must learn and, in turn, teach our children.  He likened it to taking your children with you when you shop and adding a few extra cans to your buggy to later give to a food pantry.  By encouraging our young ones to send a card, flowers, or even balloons to a sick friend, we’re teaching them how to be sympathetic.

My pastor told the congregation about how touched he was when he learned that two girls in his first period high school class sent a single white rose to his father’s funeral.  That flower was intended for my pastor, who wasn’t a Christian at the time.  He later discovered that the girls were Christians, and he said it was one of many contributing factors that led to his conversion.

The pastor talked about how sympathy is a fundamental human need.  I think that this was a point we can all identify with.  Life is filled with hardship, and we all go through suffering.

It was my pastor’s third main point that brought tears to my eyes. He explained that Jesus is the full expression of God’s sympathy toward humans.

Time and time again, Jesus felt sympathy (and acted on it) during his ministry here on earth:

Matthew 14:14
When He went ashore and saw a great throng of people, He had compassion (pity and deep sympathy) for them and cured their sick.

Matthew 15:32
Then Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, I have pity and sympathy and am deeply moved for the crowd, because they have been with Me now three days and they have nothing [at all left] to eat; and I am not willing to send them away hungry, lest they faint or become exhausted on the way.

God’s sympathy eventually led to the ultimate act of compassion…death of His son…so we wouldn’t have to endure the forever suffering of hell.

I was blown away by the message.  I was challenged as well.  There are two main lessons here.

One: How to I imitate the actions of Jesus.  No, I’m not going to climb on a cross.  I’m not worthy.  But I need to choose to be more sympathetic.  Sometimes it’s easier when it’s something major, like someone losing a loved one.  But what about the times when I hurt my children’s feelings and don’t seek to smooth things over?  What about when the Mr. is sick, and I can’t take the grumpiness and do not respond kindly?

God, Himself, set the example that I am to follow…

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (Amplified Bible)

3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of sympathy (pity and mercy) and the God [Who is the Source] of every comfort (consolation and encouragement),

4Who comforts (consoles and encourages) us in every trouble (calamity and affliction), so that we may also be able to comfort (console and encourage) those who are in any kind of trouble or distress, with the comfort (consolation and encouragement) with which we ourselves are comforted (consoled and encouraged) by God.

Two: How do I respond to God’s gift?  I have a relationship with Him.  I accepted His gift of salvation the day after my senior prom.  However, I need to get on my knees more frequently than I do and confess my weaknesses and sins to him.  I need to thank Him more often.  And I also need to spread His Word as much as I can.

The question begs to be asked…

How will YOU respond?  Friends…do you have a relationship with the Lord?  Please, don’t ignore His gift.  I wonder…how would you respond if your own children were facing a life of condemnation, and you offered yourself in their places.  What if they rejected your offer?

Please know that throughout the week, I pray for my friends.  I pray for your well-being, concerns I’ve heard you express, and most of all for your salvation.

We sang the following song this morning.  I love it because the message speaks of being nothing without God.  It is only because of His grace and ultimate sacrifice that I am who I am.

Bebo Norman – Nothing without You

Take these hands and lift them up
For I have not the strength to praise You near enough
For I have nothing, I have nothing without You

Take my voice and pour it out
Let it sing the songs of mercy I have found
For I have nothing, I have nothing without You

Chorus:
All my soul needs
Is all Your love to cover me
So all the world will see
That I have nothing without You

Take my body and build it up
May it be broken as an offering of love
For I have nothing, I have nothing without You

All my soul needs
Is all Your love to cover me
So all the world will see
That I have nothing
But I love You

With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my mind
With all the strength that I can find

Take my time here on this earth
And let it glorify all that You are worth
For I am nothing,
I am nothing without You

Filed under: Christian | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

Shredding Away the Past

Posted on July 11, 2009 by auburnchick

The other day, when I reorganized the closet, I found a shoebox that contained canceled checks from 1997-2003.

Do you remember writing checks for the grocery store, doctor’s office, and hair salon?  Those were the days before debit cards.

I thumbed through the checks before feeding them through the machine.

Memories rushed to mind.

One check was for Chicky’s gymnastics lessons.  She made it through one round before deciding it wasn’t her thing.  Chicky has always been active, and you have to wait a long time for your turn on an apparatus.  She did look cute in her leotard though.

I saw a check for her first travel soccer club.  Oh boy, the angst we went through the first year she tried out (at the ripe old age of eight).  We sat in the car in the rain and waited for the coach to post the roster.  We rejoiced when we finally read her name and treated ourselves to dinner out.

Another check was for the baseball league that Rooster played for.  He has always been an adorable child and was even more so in that uniform.

I remember the last season he played.  His team was, in all essence, the Bad News Bears.  On paper, they stunk.  But something funny happened as the season progressed.  Those little guys gained confidence.  With the Mr. pulling pitching duty (it was Little League coach pitch), Rooster’s team made its way through the playoffs and beat the #1 stacked team.

As everyone knows, although those teams are supposed to be formed via a draft, politics wins out, and a super-team “magically” appears.  Rooster’s team beat THE team in a thrilling game that kept us all on the edge of our seats and left us without our voices and new friends as we hugged everyone around us when the last runner made it in.  Such a fond memory…

I smiled when I saw the checks for my former nail salon.  We didn’t have much money since I was a stay-at-home mom, but the Mr. allowed me a small indulgence…my bi-weekly nail appointments.  I had a standing appointment that coincided with the Mr.’s payday.

I loved my technician.  She was a sweet girl who executed her craft well.  She rarely let me do anything that would make me look trashy, keeping my nails medium-length.  She did allow me a bit of fun sometimes…snowflakes at Christmas, orange nails with Halloween decals in October.  It used to drive the Mr. insane.  It was my way of throwing off my serious side.

Interesting, too, was the sight of the checks used to pay various bills…phone, cable, car, and utility primarily.  Most of the bills have increased over the years, and a couple of others have gone down.  Gotta love inflation (not)!

Checks to the doctor’s office made me smile as I remembered the practice that took care of our family.  The Mr. and I saw the male internist, and the kids saw the female pediatrician.

A funny moment happened one Sunday at church.  As we got up to leave at the end, I saw both doctors sitting beside each other  and thought to myself, “How wonderful that one invited the other to church.”  What a way to share the gospel with a co-worker!  As we chatted with them, we discovered that they were married!  The wife had kept her maiden name, so we had never made the connection before.  We had a good laugh at that.

My cell phone check of $48 plus change reminded me of a time when I used my phone simply to make calls, and I didn’t talk on it all the time!  Only business people had Blackberries.

Checks to the elementary schools had notes indicating field trips, school supplies, or fund raisers.  Ahhh…I did love their elementary school.

The kids’ teachers were wonderful.  Rooster benefited from having an older sister as Chicky “auditioned” teachers.  As each one passed muster, I added her to my list of requests for the boy.  He followed in her footsteps, and we were blessed to be with each teacher twice.

The barbershop checks bring to mind a poignant memory.

One day, I took Rooster to get his hair cut.  Chicky went with us.  On the way, the kids and I somehow got on the topic of the Challenger tragedy.  I have absolutely no idea how our conversation turned to this.  I told them how I had been in high school when it happened, and we were all glued to the television in the school library.

As Rooster sat in the chair getting his hair cut, a TV played overhead.  The news was on, and it was doing a live telecast of the reentry of the space shuttle Columbia.   We, along with millions of other people around the world, watched in horror as the shuttle disappeared from view, and the newscasters reported that the shuttle had broken apart, killing all inside.

The timing was eerie given the conversation in the car only minutes before.  I was not a news junkie and had not been aware that the shuttle was landing that morning.

One small box of checks.  Seven years of memories.  Another fun trip down Memory Lane.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , , | 3 Comments »

Free Slurpee Day!

Posted on July 11, 2009 by auburnchick

Today…July 11th…is Free Slurpee Day!  Head over to your 7-Eleven and take advantage of this offer!

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

More Shopping Savings and a Neat Treat!

Posted on July 10, 2009 by auburnchick

Oh you guys…I am really hooked to this coupon/savings thing.  I know these posts get long, but if you read through them, I just know you’ll learn some things, and I hope you’ll be inspired.  So read on!

My mother-in-law…Queen of Couponing…sent me the link for a free site…Frugal Coupon Living.  The site owner puts out weekly lists as well.  Although her lists aren’t color-coded and don’t indicate if items are at rock-bottom prices, she does provide some gems.  The wonderful thing about her site is that she posts weekly sales immediately after the items go on sale; whereas, the Grocery Game doesn’t post its lists until Sunday, when the coupon supplements come out in the paper.

Regardless, I found some real nuggets in her posting this week, and armed with coupons, I headed out to Publix.

Now, a red light automatically goes off when you’re buying five items, and you hand the clerk ten coupons.  I had two coupons per item – a store coupon along with a manufacturer coupon.  This is allowed in couponing.  It’s called stacking.

I should have known something was up when I watched the clerk pull on rubber gloves.  Ok…I can understand that.  She works in an industry where there are a lot of germs exchanged.  But let me tell you…it was a foreshadowing of the inspection I was about to receive.

She scrutinized every coupon I presented.  At one point, I had to admit defeat when one of my mfg coupons was emblazoned with a Target logo.  Shame on them for doing that because Publix wouldn’t accept both that and my $1 Target coupon.  They considered both store coupons even though one was cut out of the Sunday paper.  Whatever.  It was only $.50.  Annoying, but I’ll live.  They did let me use the $1 Target coupon, so at least it was something.

Several of my items were moneymakers…a term that refers to items, when combined with coupons, resulting in the store owing you money.

Yes folks, this is allowed as well.

I bought a small can of tomato sauce for $.89.  I had a $1 coupon for any size of said can.  That put me ahead by $.11, which I figured would help me pay for the Mr.’s expensive toilet paper ($6.35/pkg).

I had two coupons for frozen waffles, which are on sale for 50% off.  $2.79 – $1.40 instant savings – $1.50 coupon printed online – $.25 Target coupon (my store accepts competitor store coupons) = a credit of $.36…more for me to apply toward the rest of my bill.

The cashier was livid by this point.  She wasn’t going to give me the full value of my coupon, even though the store gets reimbursed the full coupon value!  She called the manager over, and the manager took my side.  I got the full value, as I should have.

You can imagine the cashier’s ire when she then encountered two $2 coupons off of ant spray.  Regular price was $3.89…making this another moneymaker.

I did have to pay a bit for my toilet paper, and I also had to pay a little for the package of batteries…even after the two coupons I used. But, after a bill that totaled $21.47, I walked out of there only spending $4.97.

Now, I was in for a little treat (and it’s not the treat I’m referring to above).

When I got home, I opened my package of batteries.  You see, I had noticed that the AA packages had $10 worth of Proctor & Gamble coupons inside.  I wanted to see if they were on items I use.

Folks, I found a $1 mfg coupon off of the Mr.’s toilet paper!  And it wasn’t stamped with Target’s logo!

Guess what I did.

Yep…I drove right back to the store and told them I’d just found the $1 mfg coupon.  Without blinking an eye, the very nice customer service representative gave me my refund.

That brought my final total spent to $3.97.  I had saved 82% today.

I LOVE days like this!

On the way home, I ran to Walgreens to take advantage of a Ben & Jerry’s B1G1.  Their pints are usually $4.79 per item.  I had a $1.00 off of two, making each pint $2.08.   I wound up saving 57%.  Was it a necessary item?  No.  But the kids sure will enjoy it!

For fun, I’ve created a spreadsheet so I can track my savings.  I thought I would keep a running total somewhere on my blog (I’ll try to stick it in the sidebar).   I had to total this out without my very first grocery trip because the Mr. has the checkbook, and I can’t find the receipt.  Since June 30, when I started “The Game,” I’ve purchased items worth $394.09.  I’ve saved $241.44, resulting in a total actual spending of only $152.65 out of my pocket!  That’s an overall savings of 61%!!!

Are you fired up yet?  I know I am!

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , , , | 2 Comments »

More Than a Ball of Yarn

Posted on July 9, 2009 by auburnchick

I am subscribed to the True Woman ’08 blog.  If you’ve never visited, I encourage you to do so.  It is dedicated to educating women about their proper, Biblical roles as wives, mothers, and daughters of the King.

Today’s post really hit home with me.  If you’re into fiber arts, you’ll especially appreciate it.  Even if you’re not, please go read it.  You won’t be disappointed.

Filed under: Christian | Tagged: , , , | 4 Comments »

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Posted on July 9, 2009 by auburnchick

My closet-cleaning chore led to an unexpected trip down memory lane when I discovered a VHS tape in one of the boxes.

At first, I gave it a cursory glance and started to close up the box.  However, I decided to take a closer look and discovered writing on the sleeve…”Graduation.”

Ok.  Think now.

VHS tape.

Graduation.

Could we be talking my graduation?  Especially when I was looking at the spines of my high school yearbooks, which were packed in the same box.

I almost ran to the living room, where our VCR is located.

I called the kids in and told them that I thought we were in for a treat.

We were.

It WAS the video from my high school graduation!

Folks…you don’t know how big this was.

You see, just last week, my sister had pulled out a video from when our children were toddlers.  She called me, and we laughed as she told me how twangy her voice was.

We grew up in the Heart of Dixie…LA.  No, not Los Angeles but Lower Alabama where twangy is the only speak you speak, so to speak.

What strange timing that I would find this video shortly after her own last week.

The kids knew that I was Salutatorian of my class…hence Your’s Truly had given a speech.

We sat in anticipation.

The first chuckle came when the kids saw me begin the short walk to the football field.  My hair was almost the same as it is now…a lot blonder (naturally) but just as curly and long.

I watched the camera pan out to my classmates.

Oh gosh…I got a little emotional here.

Chicky commented that it was weird to see me at that age.  I reminded her that I was only six months older, on that tape, than she is now.

Weird.

We skipped to my speech, and that is where the fun began.

Folks, the sound of my voice came as a shock.

Oh sure, nobody likes to hear themselves talk, but this was something else altogether.

My voice sounded like a cross between Scarlett O’Hara and Melanie Wilkes (from the movie Gone With the Wind, if you’re not familiar with these names).  It was higher pitched and syrupy.  My words flowed in the gentle southern drawl that melts like butter.

The kids and I spent a few minutes laughing hysterically.  I actually had to pause the tape.  When I started it again, I sat, mesmerized, by…well…me!  Although I remember giving that speech, it just didn’t seem like me.

The speech seemed to go on forever.  Bet you’re not surprised about that.  Go ahead and laugh.  I know you want to.

Some things never change.

I watched the rest of the graduation.  It didn’t take long because there were only 18 of us. Eleven of my classmates went to school together from first through twelfth grade.  Small schools=small classes.  It’s hard to believe that graduation was the last night we were all together.

We were a close bunch that laughed together and fought together.  We cried together when one of our own shot herself (we like to believe it was an accident) when we were in the eighth grade.  She lived across the street from the school, and we heard the gunshot.  It was a sad memory that was recalled when, during the graduation ceremony, we paid tribute to her.  We were blessed to have her parents attend that night.  Seeing their faces as they accepted a plaque from us really touched my heart today.  I still visit her grave when I’m in town.
As the tape ended, I felt a sense of melancholy.  I wasn’t ready for the reminiscing to end just quite yet.

I began to thumb  through the yearbook from my senior year.  I recalled the heartbreak and joy that were a part of that year.

It was the year I grew in confidence.  I played an active role in many clubs…editor of the yearbook, president of the Pep Club, and Vice President of the Beta Club.  I saw the picture of the girls basketball team.  I was a member of the team benchwarmer.

The Senior Who’s Who was fun…I got Most Studious (no surprise) and Most School Spirit.   I was pleasantly surprised to see myself holding the first place trophy I won during the State Typing Division 2 Tournament.  I won it typing on a dinosaur…an old manual typewriter!  My right arm was strong with the hours I spent throwing that carriage return.

My trip down Memory Lane was wonderful…especially since nobody in my class arranged a 20-year reunion.  It gave me time to reflect on my classmates and the affect they had on my life.  I fought with some, “liked” others (wink), and confided in a few.

These were long-ago memories brought out from the closet of my mind.  It was a welcome respite from my day of work.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , , | 2 Comments »

Time to Organize!

Posted on July 9, 2009 by auburnchick

Spring cleaning came late to the AuburnChick house.  With the new method of shopping comes an interesting dilemma…where to put everything!

As you know…tasks like this inevitably grow in complexity.  Read on.

My pantry was sorely in need of an overhaul…

It may not look too bad from the picture but trust me – it was.

I’ve discovered that the kids are like cows…constantly grazing.  If they see something, they’ll eat it.

So, not only did I need to reorganize my foodstuff, but I also needed to get the extra stuff out of sight.   And I had just the place.

My laundry room.

It’s right across from the kitchen, so it will be convenient to have extra food items stored there.

Those are the shelves in one half of the room.  There are two shelves above the washer and dryer just across from these.  As you can see, although things are somewhat organized, they still needed a new home.

Where to relocate this stuff?  I had the perfect place…

The hall closet.

The empty shelf had been full of books.  I moved them before remembering to take a picture.

Personally, I think that a pantry should be fully cleaned out every six months or so.  We had half-eaten boxes of cereal, three boxes of pizza sauce with one packet left in each (I condensed these to one box), and a host of other things that needed to be thrown away.

Something else I never do is wash the square of flooring in the pantry…a minor task that got taken care of.

Now, organizing is something I actually kind-of enjoy.  It’s like putting a puzzle together.  I have this strange ability to see where things fit best before actually moving things.  This might be a result of the practice I’ve gotten while traveling to tournaments.

The task was made easier because I didn’t have any distractions.  Chicky was babysitting, and Rooster was doing a service project with the youth group.

The results…

First of all, the hall closet, which now houses office-supply stuff (folders, paper, crayons, etc.).

Notice the package of toilet paper?  That’s for the kids since this closet is located beside their bathroom and between their bedrooms.

With the above items relocated, I had space in my laundry room for the overflow from the pantry…


Notice how I left room for more goodies?!  I expect bountiful shopping trips in the future.

And now, the pantry!

I kept out a max of two items and put all of the extras in the newly-cleaned-off laundry room shelves…

Hopefully we’ll be able to make more efficient use of this space now, and we won’t let items go to waste.

With this big chore out of the way, I decided to reorganize the closet in the master bedroom.  No small task, I assure you, so I saved the job for today.

This was the view (pre-cleaning) as you approach the closet…

This is the Mr.’s side…

And this is mine…

Oh yeah…it’s pretty bad, eh?

This was challenging and overwhelming as I pulled out one  item after another and set everything on the bed.

It didn’t take me long to realize the the main contributor of the mess was the Mr.

His hanging clothes hid a myriad of black holes.  Every time I stuck my hand in one, it emerged with some random item…a bag of unopened Matchbox cars…a stack of baseball cards…a knife (sheathed, of course)…and decks of cards.  These are all items he collects.  I wish he’d get in the habit of collecting them into neatly packed boxes!!

I couldn’t help but wonder what this man had been doing while my attention was focused elsewhere?  Apparently he’d been shopping.

I condensed many items and threw away a lot of random ones.  I am not a pack rat, so getting rid of things does not bother me.

My overall goal was to get as much stuff off the floor as possible.  Why spend all of that money on shelving if you’re not going to use it?

The result after all of my hard work?

The Mr.’s side…

And my side…

What a busy couple of days!

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , | 3 Comments »

Soccer Chick Has to Pay the Piper

Posted on July 8, 2009 by auburnchick

Ir’s 6am, and I’m wondering why in the world I’m awake.

This new schedule I have of staying up late and sleeping in is fantastic.  Except for the days when you’ve got parenting things to take care of.

Just as I was getting ready to head to bed last night, I received an email from my cell phone company.  It was a notice of the bill that will be due in a couple of weeks.

I scanned it, thinking it wasn’t a big deal…just the usual…until I got to the bottom line.

Folks, my bill totaled over $400!!!

This was way over what we usually pay.

I thought that maybe the company had not received my last payment, so I fired up the laptop, which was already grumbling after the long day I’d put it through, and went online to check things out.

Lo and behold, the company did receive my last payment.  We had simply gone over our plan’s minute allotment.

I have the all-inclusive plan…1,500 minutes and unlimited data.  It’s definitely a luxury, but it’s been very convenient and fine up to this point.

Trying to be a good mom, I allotted the kids 100 minutes each, per month, of the regular daily minutes.  It doesn’t sound like much, but they have unlimited texting and can browse the internet without extra charges.  Plus, their nights start at 7pm.  Between texts, landlines, and the ability to email from their phones, you’d think they’d stay within their budgets.

Think again.

I used to monitor the bill very closely; however, lately I’ve gotten slack.  I figured if we didn’t go over, it wasn’t a big deal.  However, in doing so, Chicky has also gotten lax.  She’s taken advantage of my being distracted and talked her little heart out.

Way back when the kids got their cell phones, they were given a  stern warning that if they went over their allotted amounts, I would charge them what my cell phone company charges me…$.40/minute.  Chicky has argued about this, claiming it’s not fair because if the household doesn’t go over the total amount of minutes in the plan, why should she bother paying.

She’s missing the point, as a lot of kids do.  Kids tend to think in the moment.  Wise parents plan for the future.

If she doesn’t learn to stay within a budget now, when will she ever learn?  This is the time for training…for developing good habits.  Learning to manage money is probably one of the most important skills we must teach our children, before they head out the door for good.

Because I haven’t been checking the bill lately, I suspect that Chicky’s “allotment” has grown.

This month it affects the household.  With me out of work and money being scarce, it’s like a slap in the face.  Chicky has been working, though.  Lucky for her and us.

So, Chicky had to pay the piper.

Do you know how much her extra 466 minutes cost her?  If you do the math (I used a calculator), it comes out to $186.40.

No small change.

Did I actually make her pay it, you might ask?

You betcha!

Chicky is 17 years old and thinks she’s ready to tackle the world.

She’s almost there…but not quite.

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