This afternoon when I went to pick up Charles from school, Jonathan and caroline asked me to please pick up bread and milk. I tried to get them to believe that it would be very fun to see how long we could possibly go without buying groceries. They weren't interested until I added that if we could manage to go for the next two weeks without darkening the door of a grocery store, I'd be willing to take them to the restaurant of their choice for dinner. Caroline immediately said with great enthusiasm," Like Golden Corral?" Jonathan's sense of taste was a bit more developed--his vote, Maggianos.
Back when I only had two kids I had a little contest with myself to see how long I could go with spending only $25 a week on groceries. Jon's parents came for a visit during one of those weeks. There was no half and half, no butter, no milk, no OJand several other staples were not available. Margaret opened the fridge to discover bare shelves. When you think of it like a contest, it is practically a badge of honor to survive on so little.
If I had a best friend who lived next door, it could add to the excitement. We could try all sorts of things. How long can we go without refilling the gas tank, buying groceries, talking on the phone. A whole new book of Guiness world records would develop.
When I was pregnant with Jonathan and we were so very poor, I remember plugging in each appliance one at a time, and running out to check the electric meter to measure just how much electricity it was costing us to run certain items. I did stop using some things just for that reason. And yes, we were truly that poor.
