There’s always something kind of funny about the way I have to talk about money to my parents. First and foremost, they do not want me to “waste my money”. And I don’t want to “waste money” either. But how we define “wasting money” can be widely different.
For instance, I had to totally lie by omission when I bought the cake for my sister’s wedding shower (and I give you all the simultaneous stink eye deluxe – if this gets back to Mom, heads will roll). How often does a sister get married? Hopefully not that often. And since I was in charge of the cake, I wanted good cake. I’m not a huge cake fan. But in situations where it is obligatory, a dry tasteless cake with way too much icing that’s over vanillaed is just not acceptable. So, I went to a high end grocery store, and ordered a half-sheet cake with fresh fruit on top and the sides iced with Italian icing. It was quite pretty. And got RAVE reviews for taste. It was also $95. Which sounds like a lot for sugar, flour and butter, but again, how often? Not a good excuse as far as my Moms would be concerned. She’d have had a heart attack. So, I just kept my big yapper shut. And gave my Dad the double stink eye deluxe when he saw the receipt. I gave him an extra slice of cake to pay him off.
And it’s not that my parents are incredibly cheap. They’re just cheap. In the good way. They hunt for bargains. My Dad will show me the Ralph Lauren shorts that he bought for $2.75. Never mind that they’re lavender. My Mom will just laugh and laugh when she shows you the leather purse she found at the outlet store for $20, when the original price tag is $200. And now that they’re retired, they’ve taken bargain hunting to the big game level. They currently have 50 bags of instant corn bread that they found at the MacFrugals for 10 cents a package. I just think, “What they hell are you going to do with 50 bags of instant cornbread?” I ended up taking 2 packages home. Lucky I didn’t have to take 3.
I guess it all just comes down to what you think is a bargain. Mom & Dad will spend time to find the lowest price. I’ll look for the bargain, but I’m willing to spend a little more to get something perfect. And of course, when you’ve got cheapskate in the blood (guilty), you’re always going to worry that your nearest and dearest are throwing their money away like it grows on trees. But seriously, don’t tell Mom about that cake.
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6 comments:
$95!!! I'm with your mom (in theory) on this one - Iget VERY pissu wjen I see $3 cupkaes - much les close to Nejamin for HALF a sheet cake - it better be laced with gold and cocaine. Next time I'll make a cake and you can fly me out there for that.
Okay, okay, it was a little much. But that's with tax, and the extra to have the fruit on top. And it did feed 25 guests for the party. Plus there was enough left over for the out of town guests dinner that night, so Mom didn't have to plan dessert for that. All-in-all we probably got 40 healthy servings out of it. And it was damned good cake.
$95 for a cake for 25 people isn't that bad. I probably wouldn't spend that much myself, but if it's really good and a total once-in-a-lifetime splurge, then go for it. You only live once!
If, godforbid, my sister should need another bridal shower, she's getting an ice cream cake DQ.
I used to work with this chick who was about the same age as me (28 at the time). She had gotten married before I knew her and she relished telling me all about the details - how her parents spent a bundle on her fab wedding, how they had miniature cakes made for each cake that matched her wedding cake, their honeymoon in Aruba...blah, blah, blah.
She was horrified by my own much simpler, cheaper wedding details (of which I paid for a lot myself). Anyway, it gave me great pleasure (that ol' schadenfreude) when she separated and then divorced her husband barely a year later.
Maybe she should have saved her parents' money and gotten to know the groom better before she wasted that kind of dough.
Same chick the following year got 'boobs' from her new rich boyfriend as a Christmas present. I hear they're married now.
My sister pulled off the modest/cozy/chic trifecta. She didn't go crazy on the hoopla. Everyone felt relaxed and comfortable. And she put in little touches that were fun and memorable. And she spent what I've heard some women pay for their dresses. Plus, I think she picked a good one. Measure twice, cut once when it comes to measure, I say.
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