Something sweet

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A couple weeks back I took the girls shopping for Tracey's birthday. After our initial purchases, they wanted to go to Club Libby Lou for a look. They found the cutest thing that was only $25. Fortunately, they didn't have any cash with them, so we pushed the decision back. (There is a VERY LONG aside on saving and THEIR money, that I won't go in to).

It wound up that they each needed to save ~$5 to make this purchase. On allowance alone, it would take 5 weeks to save up this much. Melinda immediately began looking for additional funding sources. I ruled out their own chores as a source of funding (I'm not paying for cleaning your room). So I started looking at MY chores.

Making Dad's lunch - $1 / week.

Day 1 - I get a regular lunch with a joke in it (I often put jokes in their lunchboxes) - "What's round on the end and hi in the middle?" A: Ohio.

Day 2-5 - Pretty typical stuff. Surprisingly no pushback from her - after piano, she puts my lunch together and puts it in the refrigerator. She tries to sneak in a coke into my lunchbox rather than a diet pepsi a couple of times - but I catch her. I pay her a buck at the end of the week

Day 7 - Odd occurance, she's making my lunch, but also needs a lunch for herself and as this is not a "Melinda chore", I'm making hers. As she's making it I request - "Put something sweet in there." At lunch today I open up my lunch box and find (in addition to a regular lunch, a single pink jelly bean.

I'll get her next time.

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