There was an unexpected budget blow-out in the Household yesterday. I spent a whopping $328 on groceries (ditching carbs isn’t cheap, there’s a reason students survive on 2-minute noodles and baked beans on toast), bought two XL tops on sale at Witchery (to go with my XL jeans from Kmart) and purchased a few tubs of edible plants for the back deck. I’d planned on using my new credit card for the non-essential items, but it came with its own pin – I was previously a signing girl – that I’d forgotten, so I had to put it all on my joint debit card with Husband.
Normally I hide unnecessary expenses on the credit card, which pre-dates my marriage to Husband and isn’t linked to his bank account. But yesterday, duh!
I’d already warned Husband I’d be lashing out on new work clothes, but the veggie patch was a spur of the moment idea to amuse the Sprogs. I thought the self-watering, self-latticed tubs were a bargain at $29 each, until the woman at the Bunnings register said “That will be $199 please”. There was a queue behind me – I don’t know about you, but I always freeze with mortification when I’ve misjudged prices – so I just handed over my life savings rather than say, “Oh, I might just take that back and get something cheaper”.
I checked the bill as I reeled away from the register and discovered the tubs were actually $59 each. Fark. The other $80 was spent on organic dirt, strawberries, peas, parsley, rocket, tomatoes and assorted flower seedlings. Those $4.59 pots of greenery do add up.
Husband might be a bit miffed about $120 worth of plastic tubs when our bank statement arrives.
The homemade sugarcane mulch and chook poo mix that I scattered over them, however, was free. Thank you Nibbles, Pecky, Henny Penny and Fluffy.
I’ve assigned each Sprog an extravagantly priced tub. They’ve been charged with watering and caring for the plants. I wonder how long their enthusiasm for the task will last. I’m thinking of telling them that it’s a test-run to see if they’re responsible enough to get a pet … But then I’ll have to get a pet.
Secretly that’s ok, because I’ve been pondering guinea pigs for Sprog 2’s birthday in March. Without red eyes. The red eyes freak me out. Guinea pigs seem fairly low maintenance. They’ll also eat the veggie peelings the chooks turn their beaks up at.
(Now that I come to think of it, guinea pigs might have been a cheaper option than the veggie patch. Except you can’t eat the former when they reach maturity. Well, not in Australia. You might make your children cry. But they love ’em spit-roasted in Peru, I hear. I quite enjoyed Heather On Her Travels‘ description of tasting the local delicacy: “The guinea pig arrived at the table looking as it it had been squashed flat by a rolling pin with a surprised expression and a pepper popped into it’s open mouth. It was stuffed with a mixture of spicy rice and vegetables and looked a bit like crispy duck but with a taste of chicken.”)
Where do you stand on the pet thing. Do you think every kid should have one or are giant teddy bears companion enough?
housegoeshome 
My advicde is start with fish, thay are the most low maintainence. Neither of my kids looked at theirs for the two years they lived after the initial week, as I remind them everytime they ask for a cat, dog, turtle….
Ah yes, our Siamese Fighting Fish died. And the chooks are only occasionally of interest …
Yes, every kid needs a dog, cat, guinea pig, ferret (that doesn’t ‘t bite!) or lizard to care for. It’s part of the responsibility of growing up. And I think dog people are generally good people, too.
I’m not home much so no longer have a dog but I have fish that wag their tales whenever I approach their tank…I think it’s called cupboard love!
An aside to the pet thing…I LOVED Henny Penny Chicken in the old days before it became KFC-style! That crispy batter was to die for!
I was more a chicken and mayo roll girl with a side of gravy …
Our first attempt to have a family dog ended rather badly, as we landed the neediest little dog at the pound. She has gone to live with my far more patient parents, who still have to give her valium if they leave her alone in the house. I have a phobia about rodenty and rabbity things, and my eldest is allergic to cats. I hate cleaning fish bowls. In fact, I don’t like looking after anything other than my children, and even them not a lot some days!