Tales of The Easter Bonus

Alright boys and girls, are you ready for story? How about the, "Tales of the Easter Bonus?"

Yes, the bonus was not just a myth, a promise, a fantasy. It is the real deal. So, that is why I have taken a two-day hiatus from blogging. I have been helping to decipher a real problem: how to spend the Easter bonus.

I know you are thinking, "Hmm...this appears to be a no-brainer. You have struggled with money for months. Spending should not be hard, right?"

Wrong. Think about it. Bills have piled up. Repairs. Dreams. There was a long list of things that we had to prioritize.

And so that is just what we did. Our list had a lot of not-so-fun items on it. "Get both cars inspected." Yuck. How much fun is that? Especially when we know one of the cars will need an expensive break job to pass inspection. Oh, and there were other fun ones. "Pay last years car tax on both cars. And 2008's car tax on both cars." That is one we've put off for...well, quite some time!

There were of course some fun ones that were necessary too. For example, it is spring and time to do clothes shopping for our kids. My eldest son has already out-grown his sneakers that I bought him at the beginning of sixth grade. He was wearing the ones I bought him at Wal-mart, and I noticed this morning that they had a hole in them. So, I took him to Ross after school. This time I spent more money on his shoes, a whole $25, on nice leather sneakers. They would have cost me double that in the department stores though. Hopefully, they will last him longer.

The "babies" are in need of some warm-weather clothes too. My 14-month-old needs some shorts and t-shirts and I need some post-pregnancy spring clothes too. So, my daughter and I are heading off to the local school this Saturday morning to see what bargains we can discover together. They are having a consignment sale at 7:30 a.m. at Buckland Mills. They have it two times a year. In the fall, we found clothing for like $2-5 dollars per item! Some things were like new and others had the orginial store tags on them. They have household goods, shoes, and toys too. We can't wait to go. If it hadn't been for the Easter bonus, we wouldn't have even been able to afford to go this spring. I would have been devastated.

The funny part is, even though we have the money sitting there in the bank, it is hard for us to spend it. Except on the bills and groceries. When we try to do the frivolous things we used to do when we were a two-income family--like go out to dinner--it just feels wrong.

For example, we took the kids to Chili's Tuesday and then to Coldstone after. The dinner cost us what we usually spend now in one week's groceries! My husband and I just looked at each other, the bill, and shook our heads. And Coldstone, my god. I saved the receipt so I can remember our error in judgement forever. I remember a few weeks back I took my son to Coldstone with a coupon, and I only spent $3.35 for two kids ice creams. We both had a grand time. Well this time, it cost a lot to feed all six of us ice cream. We had no coupons and it was the price of two weeks of our daughter's school lunches! "Enjoy," we told the kids. "We are only doing this one time."

The worst part is, after spending all that money on a "special treat" for the kids (and a "break" from cooking for me), my husband got sick. Not just "sick" over the fact that we spent too much of the Easter bonus. But physically ill! He had tummy troubles so badly all night and morning that he had to come home early from work! "Humph!" I said to him. "This never happens when we eat at home! When I cooked you the free shrimp last week or the homemade lasagna, you slept like a baby." He nodded his head. We both agreed, while eating at home involves more planning and cleaning, it is cheaper and tastier and safer!

I understand now why people were changed after living through the Great Depression of the 1930s. For we have been changed now too. We are more practical now. We are less wasteful. And we are still keeping our eyes out for a good deal.

This weekend, my husband and I will go out on a date. We haven't had a night out away from the kids since my birthday, December 11th, 2009. We debated over where to eat and what movie to see. In the past, we would have eaten wherever we fancied and seen a late movie, ordering expensive snacks.

This time, we are going to a matinee. After, we are going to a nice Italian restaurant that we ate at on my birthday. We have a 20% off coupon. And I am going to bring $1.00 candy in my purse from Dollar Tree and drinks to eat at the movies. I am keeping my fingers crossed that my husband's stomach fares better at the nicer restaurant than he did at Chili's...and that we both feel better saving money using our cost-cutting techniques on our big night out. :-)

Until we meet again. My recessionary tale will continue tomorrow.