Damn straight, I spend all of the Money!
I'm not just the wife and mother in my house. I'm also errand girl, chef, cleaning lady, business traveler, personal stylist, person who takes children to Urgent Care at 10:00 PM... I think you get the idea. In the realm of everything that is part of our life, I am the person that handles it all (and then some).
So there is always this argument between me and my husband about how I'm the one that spends all of the money. Well, of course I do! But that's because I take care of everything that needs to be taken care of to run this household and family, and my husband doesn't.
Who is the one that plans the meals, creates the shopping list, and actually does the shopping? Me. I'd LOVE to have my husband to do all of the grocery shopping for our family, but I've sent the man to the store for basic staples such as baking powder and he'll come home empty handed and say, "they must have been all out of it because I couldn't find it." Seriously, baking powder! They always have baking powder!
When my oldest son has outgrown all of his summer clothing from the year before, I'm the one that goes and gets him a few items here and there so he doesn't look like a cast member from "Revenge of the Nerds." Of course, I'm not getting his clothing at Saks Fifth Avenue or Nordstrom. We're talking Target here, land of $7 shorts and coordinating polo shirts. Keep in mind that everything my oldest wears will be passed down to my youngest, so we really get our money's worth from these items.
I look through our bank and credit card statement online almost daily. I'm not completely oblivious to what dollars are being spent, but I feel like my husband is way out of touch with the costs of running a household and a family, mainly because... he doesn't do it! And believe me, I clip coupons and shop around for the best deals, which means I do save us money on a regular basis. Our statements are not full of trips to the day spa for facials, the nail salon to get my fake nails maintained, or the massage therapist for a "hot stone" treatment. They consist of Pediatrician's Office Co-Payments, trips to the grocery store so that I can gather the ingredients to make nutritious meals for our family so that we don't eat take-out, the occasional visit to the Irvine Park Rail Road, or purchasing necessities like toilet paper and mouth wash. I wish I could say that I get to buy the latest designer handbag, a great pair of killer heels, or go on an extravagant Ladies Lunch at my favorite local resort. Not happening!
With the mortgage, property taxes, daycare costs, grocery bills, drycleaning, and the occasional surprise expense bill we get when our health plan doesn't cover something, what's left at the end of the month after paying for everything and setting money aside in to savings isn't all that much. I guess I just wish that my husband had a stronger grip on reality of what our family's needs are vs. the cost of everything so that he could realize that yes, I am the one spending the majority of the money- but that's because I'm the one that does everything around here!
Maybe if he was in charge of doing half of the errands (thus spending half of the money), I would look like less of a bad girl?
Original Orange County Moms Blog post. Jennifer is a mother of two little boys, with baby number three arriving in August! Join this Full-Time Mom with a Full-Time Job on her crazy journey at her personal blog, or tweet with her on Twitter.
