Girls Write Out
Monday, April 28, 2008

Impulse buys.

Yeah, I thought that would get your attention. We're all guilty, right? I mean, who doesn't indulge now and then? So why did this particular impulse buy surprise me? And why wasn't "I" the one who made the purchase?

Hubby says to me, "We need to get back on our budget."

I respond with my usual, "Okay." I mean, why stress? We both know we go through this little conversation every now and then so we'll "feel" more disciplined.

"Maybe even do the cash envelopes," he says with a sort of CPA air about him.

"Uh-huh."

End of conversation.

So our son and his family come to our house. Hubby and son are out in the family room while daughter-in-law and I finish getting ready to go out to eat (it's in the budget, of course).

Next thing I know, I'm walking down the hallway and Son says, "You won't believe what Dad did." Daughter-in-law says, "You're gonna kill him." 

I walk--okay, run--to the family room and see that our TV channel has been switched to one of those home shopping channels. Not a good sign.

Hubby proceeds to tell me (rather animatedly--which is frightening, really) that he has purchased a solar-powered birdbath.

"What about the budget?" says I.

"It's really awesome, Di. Runs on solar power."

"Uh-huh, got that part. The budget?"

"Just wait and see, you'll love it."

A week passes with zero talk of the budget. The amazing solar-powered birdbath arrives. Solar-powered, as in, runs only when the sun is shining. Forget the moonlit evenings out in the courtyard with the faint trickling of a fountain. Overcast days? The fountain is on sabbatical. Turn on your faucet.

The solar-powered wonder is loaded in my car. I'm taking it to my daughter tomorrow. 

So much for the impulse buy.
Diann Hunt  
posted at 3:00 AM  
  Comments (11)
 
 
Delicious Delicious
11 Comments:
At 10:28 PM, Blogger Gracie said...

Solar powered bird-bath?? I didn't even knew those existed. Yeah, I've heard of solar-powered lighting and a whole bunch of other solar things, but a bird bath? Wow. Of course, I would have bought it just to find out how it worked. Did the birds flock to it?

Blessings!

 
At 10:30 PM, Blogger Colleen Coble said...

LOL!! Is Jim letting you give away his treasure? LOL

 
At 10:35 PM, Blogger Diann Hunt said...

Yeah, it's a strange duck, so to speak, Gracie. It's a birdbath/fountain. I rather doubt the birds will flock to it, but I guess I'll never know unless my daughter tells me. LOL!

Colleen, hard to believe, isn't it? We don't have room for two different fountains, and he knew I wasn't parting with the one I have now for his solar-powered wonder. :-)

 
At 12:02 AM, Blogger Ausjenny said...

Oh thats so funny. I cant say i have heard of a solar powered bird bath before.
I think im glad we dont have cable!
So i guess budget talk is off the table for a bit.

 
At 12:52 AM, Blogger Kristin said...

I would have a heart attack if Bryed bought anything as an impulse buy, much less a bird bath!

Okay, we know how frugal my DH is. This is so embarrassing, we had guests over and he has this ENORMOUS desk downstairs, and I just hate the thing. It's behemoth, it's ugly. It doesn't match anything, and in front of the guests I explain its ugliness with -- yeah, I'm going to save on a coffin and bury him in it. That way I'll be rid of them both at the same time. Okay, it was a JOKE, but it was in very bad taste, and our guests and Bryed let me know it. LOL

Enjoy your bird bath. Though sun in Indiana, what do you get about two weeks of use? LOL

 
At 9:55 AM, Blogger Katy McKenna said...

Hilarious, Di!! I've found it's OFTEN the one who says, "We need to get back on our budget..." who ends up running to the shopping channel first!!!

We got rid of our cable, but Doug knew not to let me get to close to Home Shopping. I am such a sucker!!!

 
At 10:12 AM, Blogger Diann Hunt said...

Yeah, Jenny, you're right. It's best to stay away from cable.

EXACTLY, Kristin! We don't get sunshine in Indiana!! What was that man thinking?????

I think you're right, Katy. the one who squawks for the budget . . .

I never should have written about this. Reading all these comments makes me want to turn on the shopping channel! *g*

 
At 11:07 AM, Blogger Southern-fried Fiction said...

Hilarious!! And scary. Now I'm thinkin gour hubby's were separated at birth.

When Terry retired, I was still working. I come home one day to the sight of a keyboard, complete with lighting keys, sitting in the living room.

You got it. He got bored, turned on QVC and voila!

Problem is ... neither of us plays the piano.

 
At 1:55 PM, Blogger Valerie said...

Ok, I'm not married, so I can't relate to husband thing; but I can tell you that my father's impulse buys are always at the grocery store.

Yup. If it's a new flavor or variety of stir fry sauce or a packet of some new fangled thing, he will buy it "just to try it" and then it sits on the pantry shelf for years. :D

Gotta love him.

 
At 7:42 PM, Blogger Ausjenny said...

Valerie dad was like that when a new store opened this was about 1974 Jelly/jello wa out at 3 cents a box (to make your own) and he didn't buy a few he bought a hole carton, did it with tin fruit etc.
sure it was a bargin and we didn't need it for a long time but mum had problems with where to store it all.

 
At 12:58 AM, Blogger Unknown said...

"The fountain is on a Sabbatical."
LOL! I love Solar powered thing's.
We have solar lights and with the Texas sun their on most of the time. But when the day's are cloudy we forget they need the sun to work and we're like "What's wrong with them!"

Oh, by the way I liked your newsletter. I know what you wrote in it well bless a lot of readers.

 

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The Authors
Kristin Billerbeck
Kristin Billerbeck is a proud Californian, wife, mother of four, and connoisseur of the irrelevant. She writes Christian Chick Lit; where she finds need for most of the useless facts lulling about in her head.

www.KristinBillerbeck.com

Colleen Coble

Colleen Coble writes romantic suspense with a strong atmospheric element. A lovable animal of some kind--usually a dog--always populates her novels. She can be bribed with DeBrand mocha truffles.

www.ColleenCoble.com

Denise Hunter

Denise Hunter writes women's fiction and love stories with a strong emotional element. Her husband says he provides her with all her romantic material, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too.

www.DeniseHunterBooks.com

Diann Hunt

Diann Hunt writes romantic comedy and humorous women's fiction. She has been happily married forever, loves her family, chocolate, her friends, chocolate, her dog, and well, chocolate.

www.DiannHunt.com

Hannah Alexander

Cheryl Hodde writes romantic medical suspense under the pen name of Hannah Alexander, using all the input she can get from her husband, Mel, for the medical expertise. For fun she hikes and reads. Out of guilt, she rescues discarded cats. She and Mel are presently taking orders from four pampered strays.

www.HannahAlexander.com

 
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