We’re Back & We’re Broke
****BIG WAVE****
Did you miss me? LOL. It’s a bit hard when I prattle on to you whether I’m here or not isn’t it?
So we got home like half an hour ago. Don’t laugh. I helped unpack the car and put a load of washing on before jumping online. And did some unpacking.
Anyway, I thought I wasn’t going to spend too much money this trip.
I was wrong!!!! 
Between increased prices, growing kids and a hectic schedule (both before we left and while we were away), our food costs alone were kind of horrific (although I just found $30 in my jeans pocket when I put the washing on so that was a bonus amount we didn’t spend).
I’m not sure what happened when I went shopping but all my “frugalness” went out the window. Most of what I bought was clothing for the kids on sale, so that was okay.
However, Farmboy and I did succumb to one “how did that happen” purchase when we bought Leighton a Rip Curl zip up jacket/jumper for $90. I was NEVER going to spend that kind of money on clothing for my kids. But there was a really nice Roxy jacket on sale that I bought for Singstar Princess (because it was a good price) and it didn’t seem fair to buy her a label brand jacket when he had never had one.
The clincher for us though was this: he didn’t ASK. We could tell he really wanted one but he didn’t once ask. He’s vary aware of the cost of things and tends not to ask for stuff. Could be he’s just a very smart kid when it comes to parental psychology. Because him not asking for it made us WANT to buy it for him even MORE.
I’m thinking I’ll view it as a cheap tattoo. Because the thing has hardly left his body since we bought it. And it does actually look really nice. While a lot of the surf stuff doesn’t.
So it’s all good. And I’m praying that he doesn’t lose it like he tends to with a lot of his stuff. And I’m hoping it’ll last him until he leaves home. 
I wonder if I should do a “cost per wear” experiment with it???
I’m yet to add up what I spent in total and I’m not sure I’m going to. I’ll just get back to the business of being frugal now, knowing that we’ve had our splurge. Hopefully it’ll keep everybody clothed and happy for a while.
I’m about to go and catch up on your lovely comments now before getting some tea. I’ll try to get to your blogs (those who have them) as and when I can.
I will say this. I am SO glad to be home. I think I was ready to come home by Sunday afternoon (after 2 days in Adelaide).
I missed y’all. It’s going to be awesome when we get set up so that I can take you with me when we go away. 
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Glad to see you’re back and had a fun time
Welcome back! It sounds like your Son is a lot smarter at parent psychology than I ever was :D, I could have learnt a lot from him….
Welcome back!! I loved the concept of the wearable tattoo!
A holiday now and then does good for the soul, great that you had a good time with your family, I still remember our holiday’s we had together as a family over 30 years ago.. :-).
Your son sounds a lot like me.
I have always been weary of the cost of stuff and would rarely ask for my parents to buy me things–especially clothes.
So of course they were often eager to go buy me stuff–especially clothes.
You know, it sounds like it was money well spent.
I like to work things out as a “cost per use” deal - it is easy to justify the money spent on certain things when you realise how much they get used. For example, our coffee machine was just under $900, but we have made literally thousands of cups of coffee with it, and it is the same quality as what you’d buy in the shops for $3-$5. So if I had gone out and bought all those cups of coffee, it would have cost me thousands of dollars.
That may not make any sense, but it works for me.
Just FYI - Some of the clothes my parents bought for me as a teenager still reside in this home, and I haven’t lived with them in 16 years. Occasionally you luck out and get excellent value for money.
It is like buying a pair of Doc Maarten shoes. Those things last for years. They do cost more when you buy them at first, but the pair I’ve had for over 10 years has been worn so many times to so many places..
I’m not a big fan of the expensive running shoes, though - especially when feet are still growing. I know someone who used to buy $100 nikes for her kids every 6 months or so and I just couldn’t see the point of that. You might as well get shoes from Rivers for $29-39 and they’ll be just as comfortable and probably last better too. But once my feet stopped growing I got a great pair of “new balance” shoes - they lasted 12 years and went to the gym 5 times a week for a good amount of those years.
My advice to you is don’t tally up how much you spent. It’s gone now. And you had a good time and you DESERVE it!
I’m so glad you’re back! I missed you!
Jayne - thanks.
Tamsyn - I like to think that he simply has totally awesome parents that understand him without him having to verbalise it. LOL. Not that I’m advocating buying $90 jackets in order to win a “totally awesome-est parent of the year award”.
Jeanie - yeah, farmboy laughed last night when I told him about it too. One of those “just came to me as I was typing” comments.
But I intend for that not to be the case with our kids.
German Romance - yeah, what memories are made of. Sadly most of our family holidays only bring back bad memories for me.
Dina - interesting to know the psychology theory may well be accurate!!! I was one of those “never asks for things” kids too. Didn’t get me anywhere (not that I was ever trying it deliberately). I guess that makes me more determined that he doesn’t miss out either.
Snos - I think you’re right. It will be money well spent. It’s not like I intend to fill his wardrobe with $90 garments. I think when you’re used to being careful with money all the time, it feels strange to suddenly go out and blow a heap.
Sharon - I think I’ll take your advice. We did have fun and most of what we bought will get used and enjoyed for some time to come. I am hoping that any extra kg’s I put on from our eating habits while away will be here today and gone tomorrow though.