Eye on the Budget

Ben noticed that I stick the budget pretty well. When he says, “We CANNOT spend money.” I listen.

But, when he says, “We’re doing okay”… I see a little room for leniency. The extra cash comes in handy if I find a scarf on sale or a chocolate cupcake in a café window. After a “few” small purchases, Ben reels me back in with, “We CANNOT spend any more money.”

But, last night at the grocery store, I saw the budget bend for several of Ben’s whims. When I picked up a carton of organic blackberries for $1.68 to pack in my lunchbox for work, Ben said, “Are you sure we need those? You will eat them, right?”

Yet, when we looked for dinner and compared prices between generic and name brand foods, other items somehow made it into our cart. Like a large jar of pickles for $3.99 and a tub of cottage cheese for $2.99. Suddenly, I couldn’t understand why I got called out for a $1.68 tub of blackberries when Ben, the Budget Master, got to toss whatever he fancied into the basket.

So, I asked him about it.

He nervously laughed and said, “Oh, babe. I was just kidding. You CAN get those blackberries. I just wanted these for snacks.”

Oh, I see. That’s how it works.