Happy Families - yes you've left home but.....

MrsPdubyah and me, well we're a nuclear family, 2 adults, 2 children, cat, or more correctly now 4 adults and cat.

Even more correctly 3 adults at home and one who's left to be an adult. The only constant is the cat, and there are plans to get a kitten, it's not a good thing.

The transition from at home to away isn't a clear cut as you'd think. Number one son remains top of mind for MrsPdubyah.

And to be honest I'm about as bad, if not worse. #1 son tells us that they have everything they need, and that they're saving to get the better things. Now as an aside this doesn't appear to hold them back in the buying of needful things like DVD's and gadgets, but that would be mean spirited of me to point out.

Anyway, my  weak moment came when I know that boy child, who has to wear safety shoes for work essentially destroyed them, and they've been hanging off his feet. In a moment of madness I brought him new ones. Not cheap ones mind, because they come in cheap, mid and executive . But enough.

I'm compelled however to balance this out and so I spent an equal amount, after negotiation, on upgrading the iPod for girl child.

I'm poorer and yet richer for the experience.

MrsPdubyah, you'd think would be more pragmatic. I don't think she is.

The latest thing is a bed. Now when you're being frugal and on a budget that would make a monk frown, what you get is what you get, and so they have what is best described as "average" by way of a bed. Lucky for boy child there is a tax rebate, and as such he's in a position to upgrade from fleapit to actual bed.

Have you ever noticed however that everything you want is at least 10%, and often 25% or more than you want to pay.  You can get a fairly decent bed for $700, and a really decent one for $1,000 (New Zealand Peso's) (and they are long term investment, I'm not canvassing where to buy a cheap bed) (comes with a 10 year warranty)

So in a 2-1 deal we'll make the difference between want to spend, and what we want them to spend.

This we justify in out heads as the difference between not being able afford more than noodles for lunch, and having to cut back on chocolate to afford bread, and for a thing that makes a difference. A big thing. Sure we could provide food, but you've left home, fend for yourself, however in the reality of things a bed is pretty important, you spend 1/3 of your life in one asleep, and being young a significant amount more staying awake.

So we're sticking to out guns, you've left home, make your own way, but just in case keep us in the loop because we're a soft touch for some things. Not that we have to be, or that in some way what you're doing is different to what we did when we were at the same stage of life, but we know it's hard, and there is a difference, relative to, the amount of money you need to make a difference and don't have, to what the same amount money means to us. In the big scheme of things.

And we're not a soft touch, there isn't a bottomless money pit. And can I have my credit card back please.