Modeling Money

“Mom, the clay set I want is fifty dollars.”

“Five-O?  Fifty?”

“Yes, fifty.  Please, Mom.  It has every color.”

“It must be some clay.”  I wonder if it will get rid of fine lines and wrinkles.

Charming Baby looked at me with the sweetest little face. “I’ll pay twenty if you pay thirty.”

“Sam, you have $52 at home."

First Born Prince butted in, “Sam, fifty dollars is too much for clay.”  He has mastered the value of a dollar and is learning to help out when I am being ambushed.

“But it’s art supplies!” He has mastered negotiation and is learning swindling.

“I’ll have to take a look and then we can talk about it.”

We are trying to teach the boys about saving and budgeting.  I will usually spring for books, but everything else they have to pay for with their allowance.  Art and office supplies are in the gray zone.  I have to be careful about this.  They start to act like lotto winners when we are in a book, office or art supply store.  When it’s coming out of their pocket, they scrutinize every purchase, often deciding at the last minute, “Oh, I don’t need that.”  But when I am paying, all of the sudden comic books, mechanical pencils and Perler beads are must haves.

We walked over to the modeling clay shelves.  He pointed out the smallest little package of clay:  $1.49. 

“Honey, it’s only a dollar and forty nine cents.”

“Oooohhhh.”  He was excited.

“Will you pay for all of it then?”