Be Careful What You Wish For...

... It just might come true. I am currently living out this saying and all of it's negative connotation.

Chuck and I have been married for five delightful years and like many other couples, opposites attracted. He's naturally a spender and I'm naturally a saver. For five years, I've tried to trim our spending and increase our saving.

And for five years, Chuck has said things like this:

1. I don't like pinching pennies on vacation. (Vacation = Branson and he's usually talking about how many times he's going to ride the go carts.)
2. Jackie, I'm a simple man. I only want a boat, a motorcycle and an RV. (Only.)
3. (And my favorite) Look, I'm just here to have a good time. (This usually precedes purchasing an obscene amount of food. At the Missouri State Fair, I once saw him eat two hot dogs, nachos and a funnel cake. He washed it down with freshly-squeezed lemonade and got some root beer "for the road". I really don't understand how he stays so slim and trim.)

The Chuck I fell in love with enjoys life and doesn't worry about the tab. Then he discovered Dave Ramsey. Hooray, right? You'd think I'd be happy because I'm finally getting my way - more saving. But the timing is lousy, because right now, I'd like to spend a little.

I am due May 7th, and honestly preparing to have this baby in April. There are three things I'd like before I deliver: a manicure, a pedicure and a massage. Truly, I don't ask for much. I don't color my hair, I think $15 jeans at Kohl's are good enough and I eat out approximately twice a month. On a regular basis, I'm a frugal person.

But my feet and back hurt and my nails are gross from all the dishes and hand washing. I'd like to feel good before facing the pain of actually having the baby and look at least a little put together before sleepless newborn nights leave me looking like this again:


This is the part of your life where you stop wearing
makeup and "combing" your hair. You also usually
have throw up on your clothes, but nobody notices
that because your clothes themselves are ill-fitting
and partially unbuttoned. It's not pretty.


However, when I told Chuck that I had a few extras I'd like to work into the budget, he said, "How much is that going to cost?" The old Chuck would have said, "Sounds great!"

When I told him I wanted to spend a mere $150 on pampering, he said, "That money has to come from somewhere. You can't add money in one category without taking it from another. Where's it going to come from?" (Dang it! Now he's using my own words against me.)

"We could decrease what we're sending to savings," I squeaked.

He asked if I thought that was a responsible habit. Sigh. Of course it's not "responsible", but I have a baby in my belly that has to come out one way or another - and BTW - either way will hurt. Can't I get a little sympathy? I'm not asking for diamonds, I'm asking for someone to rub my feet. And seeing as how I'm carrying around an extra 20 lbs and can no longer reach them myself, I think that's a reasonable request.

In reality, I love the new thrifty Chuck. I just find it frustrating that he found the light 20 short days before my annual indulgence. To his credit, he approved the additional spending - albeit after I suggested that he could give me a pedicure. Now all I need to do is make my appointments. Yipee!