Sometimes, we say things to our children with the best intentions, and they backfire.
Ask my daughters how much a gallon of milk, or gas costs and they know because I've told them over and over again. Usually, I am sharing this wisdom when I see them wasting something and I spout off how much it costs per container. Then, I even make them measure out a serving and measure how much they've used and I make them complete an entire advanced math lesson on the exact amount of parmesan cheese they just put on their spaghetti down to the penny.
Maybe I've gone too far...
It isn't just food. I do this when they forget to close the door and the heat or air is on. Just to be clear, we don't even pay for this. We live in a parsonage and our utilities are all included, so this isn't money out of my pocket. But, I did pay these bills for long enough that I know how much it costs, and I can just about figure out how many seconds can go by with the door open for it to cost a dollar.
I stopped at the bread store on our way home from homeschool co-op today, and spent the rest of the trip home explaining to my children how much money we were saving by driving only 8 minutes out of the way in order to get bread for 69cents or 89cents per loaf. When it takes one loaf of bread to make a snack of PB&J sandwiches, the savings add up fast.
After we got home and I was putting away the bread, I made another comment about the bread, and my son said, "Oh, are we still talking about that?"
I answered, "How are you going to survive as an adult if you don't understand how much things cost?"
He said, "I'm going to be homeless and live in a cardboard box so that I never have to worry about bills." He is brilliant, and I imagine that he really will live quite a simple life when he is grown, and it will be all my fault.
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