Well, a lot of you know that my husband and I have been going through some "growing pains," getting ready for baby. Thought I'd share another gem with you!
A few days ago we were at Babies R Us looking at the goodies - strollers, car seats, diapers, etc.
Now we have been planning this pregnancy for some time, so it isn't like we are broke. But we are trying to keep in mind that money is going to be tight during the next few years, and we need to keep costs down. And for the most part, we have been very lucky and very frugal.
Well, with the car seat, you just can't get away with this. You have to have a new one from day one. They have you over a barrel, and the retailers know this. Count yourself lucky if you get 10% off. And they are not cheap.
So we are looking, looking, looking at car seats. The store must have had about 50 models to choose from. And DH hated them all. This one is too expensive. This one is too cheap to be so expensive. This one is too ugly to be so expensive. After about 30 minutes of this, I am thinking "Just pick a d$%# seat already!"
Well, none of the seats were what DH wanted (basically, a $500 car seat for $50). So he wandered around the store muttering about the cost of things.
Now I have my sensible side, and my forgiving side, and my tollerant side. But frankly, I also have my now-growing Mama-Bear side! This side is saying "My kid is good enough to deserve a nice, new car seat, you cheap Bas^#*$!"
So we go home and I take puppy-dog out for a walk and run into our neighbor, Crazy Cat Lady. She had been dumpster diving at the Salvation Army and had come across an infant stroller she thought I might like. This thing had been left outside over the fall and had about an inch of dirt, webs, and needles on it. It was hideous. It was too good to pass up!!!
I proudly stroll that bad boy home and up to DH, who was waiting in the driveway.
"Look honey!! It was FREE!!!!"
Well, it turns out the joke was on me! They make kids strollers so dang durable these days, I was able to take a pressure-hose to the frame, send the pad through the washing machine, oil the wheels, and I actually was able to restore that stroller to a pretty decent shape! Decent enough to use as a back-up at least.
Should I start saving now for my poor kid's therapy sessions?
I'm trying to pay his attention on a price tags,but he just laughs at me and says-after we've spent about $55 000 or more to get pregnant, all the price tags don't matter!