Roomba


One thing we try to do with the girls is to talk about the cost of things. It is unfortunate, I think, that we rarely use cash and so it is easy for them to lose perspective with the "swipe factor." In the world of direct deposit and debit cards money is so rarely seen coming and then -inevitably- going. We also talk about saving up money for things we want to buy, watching for sales and using coupons when we can.

 After putting in our hardwood flooring, I decided to purchase a Roomba to keep them clean on a daily basis. (Dog-hair dust bunnies drive me crazy and so does any visible dirt.) Now, the thing about the Roomba is that it falls into the category of "Unnecessary Purchases." So. I had to sacrifice some things I wanted to save enough money to get it. ;)

This whole parenting mentality had an bit of an embarrassing side effect for me recently. I thought I would combine a money lesson with a math lesson for C while at the store. I had "saved my money" and brought a 20% off coupon to the store to make my purchase. (See? Aren't I responsible?) I had C look at the price, figure out the discount and get the final price before tax for me. At the end of this little math problem she looks at me and says (NOT quietly), "Do you even HAVE that much money?!?!"