I had an all-day appointment yesterday, so my husband took a day off of work to watch Cameron.
Before leaving the house in the morning, I handed my husband a grocery list and a stack of coupons.
"We're almost out of food," I hinted.
When I got home that evening, my husband was lying on the sofa. It first glance, it appeared that he had been decapitated. Upon closer inspection, I realized that his head was covered with a pillow.
That's when I knew that the world had temporarily overwhelmed him.
"I spent $100 at the grocery store!" my husband said incredulously when I removed the death mask. "And I didn't buy hardly anything!"
I pretended to be shocked. "You don't say?" I replied.
"I put a bag of cherries (not on the list) in my cart and it rang up for $9.00! Nine dollars!"
I put my hand over my mouth in horror. "No!" I gasped.
"I told the cashier that I didn't want the cherries," my husband explained.
"Good for you," I replied.
"I had no idea that food was so expensive," he added.
This weekend, I am going to make him go with me to buy sneakers for all the kids.
Posts
56 comments
Love the reality check, It is good to give them one once in a while...which reminds me...it's about time for one of those here :)
Thank you!!! Groceries are expensive and my husband doesn't seem to "get it" since I always do the shopping. He thinks I spend too much at the store, when he unloads the bags he seems to always say "that's it"? I even use coupons and try to be extra thrifty!!!
hahahaha. I feel the same way every week when I go shopping. Poor guy.
Smart you! I love when the reality hits them. I remember my dad being shocked that decent jeans cost $50 in like 2000.
Great life lesson for Mr. Mom!
Every man should have to do these types of things once in a while. I once made my husband take my teen daughters dress shopping because I was mad at him. He came home shocked at clothes prices, amazed that his darling daughters were so picky and mad that it had taken 3 hours of his precious time. I just smiled and my anger at him disappeared. I love revenge!
I'm pretty sure we all have stories like this! (You tell them better, of course.) At least your husband was paying attention to the prices as they rang up...I doubt my husband would have caught it because he'd be chasing the kid through the store (since he doesn't make her sit in the cart)!
ha ha ha ha! i love reality!
I absolutely HATE doing any kind of shopping with my husband. He is aware of todays prices, he just refuses to acknowledge them. Instead, complains loudly that it's only worth say $10 for kids sneakers because that's how much they cost 20 years ago. I had a meltdown in Target one time where I just started screaming at him. I'm sure the other shoppers thought I was nuts.
His refusal to acknowledge today's prices makes him seem like one of those old people who sit around talking about "the good ol days" when hamburgers were a quarter.
My husband has always been suspicious of my cooking. If something didn't turn out right he would get kind of upset, as if I had messed it up on purpose, or it turned out bad because I was sloppy. So...now he has taken up cooking as a hobby. I am so grateful! It is great to have someone else share the cooking. But when his recipe doesn't turn out I am nice on the outside, but secretly gloating on the inside! He is so much more understanding now that he is cooking himself.
Nothing like a good $ reality check for the DHs. ;-)
I love you. I convinced my hubby to stop harassing me to buy him chips when I showed him that Doritos are like 3 bucks a bag. A very small bag.
@ Jen. Be thankful that you only buy 2 gallons with 4 teenagers. Before my husband died, I bought 5 gallons of milk per week. Now with just my two year old drinking it, I am down to 2 per week. Yeah, that's right, my husband drank 3 1/2 gallons of milk per week, easily.
Ha ha ha! This is why I try not to send my husband to the grocery store. He is all shocked by prices and decides to make "substitutions." The last time he went to the store, I asked him to get some chicken breasts--he came home with ground beef and maintain that ground been and boneless skinless chicken breasts were the same thing.
I might try that with my hubby!
My husband goes and buys super expensive cheese, then makes up for it by leaving half the stuff off the list.
They have so many good qualities though...
Yes. Every time we talk about how much we spend on food I tell my husband to do the shopping. He still hasn't done it though...
I made the mistake of letting my husband take over the shopping once. He came back with all kinds of 'deals' from the dollar store. He was so proud, "Did you know you can get ibuprofin at the dollar store?!" That was the last time I let him do the shopping.
A.MEN. on the shoes!! Give him $100 with strict instructions to buy play shoes AND dress shoes for ALL FOUR kids!!
That's hilarious! Thank you for the morning chuckle.
Ahhh, I am glad to hear that this scenario happens the world over. Mind you $9.00 for cherries? Shit a brick!
I cannot tell you how much I LOVE this post. Every 2 weeks I come home from the grocery store and get yelled at for the amount I spend. We have 5 people in our family 2 adults, 2 teens (15, 18), and one 7 year old. I soend roughly $300 every 2 weeks with a few side trips for milk and other necessities that we run out of. I just want to gouge my husbands eyes out when he flips over the grocery bill. GRRR!
That is too funny! Quite the reality check!
Oh my gosh, I am ROLLING!! Our hubbies need more of these reality checks, for SURE!
$100?!?!? Wow, that's cheap!
My husband just stays away from that kind of shopping after a similar experience. Never complains anymore, either :o)
We are heading to Orlando soon and we always do some grocery shopping while we're there. I cannot WAIT for my husband to meet the same reality check. Groceries ARE expensive, even with coupons (which I have to admit I almost never use).
I think you'll relate to this: My husband was with me as we were shopping for necessities for this upcoming trip. On the list was a bathing suit for me. I asked him to keep the boys while I took the girls. He said, "What? It shouldn't take long..." I said, "Are you kidding?!?! These are instruments of torture! It might take HOURS!" At which point I got a lot of "amen's" from the other women shoppers who had been listening in...
Love it!! My husband always ask why I spend so much money on groc. But then complains when we don't have anything around the house to snack on
We only have 1 car right now so we usually end up doing the shopping together... it's been great! My husband actually understands now.
I'd just like all of the ladies to know that I, yes I, do most of the shopping for our family now. That's right.
No applause is necessary.
I have a weekly grocery store budget. I rarely let my husband go grocery shopping. My daughter and I were getting home from a trip this past Monday and I knew I needed him to do a small grocery store trip. I gave him a list of 8 items and he spent the week's worth of our grocery fund!! I don't know on what either- I know ez cheese was in the pantry, oh and I noticed that the fruit was organic (we don't buy organic typically, he just didn't pay attention!). So luckily I do the budgeting because I hate spending that much money and not because it is a necessity!!
@ Tricia, are you and I married to the same man?! My husband does the same thing! Our weekly (or more) conversation: "$3 for MILK - WHAT? I remember the last time I got milk it was 99 cents."
"Honey, the last time you bought milk, you must have been single."
He doesn't seem to want to aknowlege inflation. I come home from shopping with my $100 worth, and “that’s it?” is always the first thing from his mouth, second being “what took you so long?” Seriously?! It’s hard work to make $100 stretch to feed our family, what with the first $30 going to diapers, wipes and formula!
Kudos to you Jana – next time, make him take all the kids! The trip is way more fun when they “help” you shop!
Love the reality check...hope you will share the shoe shopping excursion!
I remember my mom and dad fighting about grocery shopping. My dad finally said that he would shop because she was dumb and couldn't do it right.
My sister and I had a game of guessing how much the total would come to at the check out line.
(For a bit of perspective, you need to know, this was in 1977 and we shopped at the commissary on the Air Force Base. At that time there were 3 teenage boys, my sister and I and mom and dad to feed.)
When the total came up on dear 'ole dad's first shopping trip my sister and I gasped out loud when we heard $123.15!!!
I blurted out loud, "Whoa! Mom NEVER spent more than 100 dollars!!
I definitely got the "evil eye"! HeeHee
Popping out of lurk-dom here. I can so relate to this post. But not with groceries; hubby does that shopping (and now I'm shocked at how much food costs!). But with everyday items that we get from Target. Hubby constantly wonders how I can spend so much there and come home with just a bag. Until, he has to go - then it sinks in just a little bit.
I've seen the look on my husband's face plenty of times. Unless they go shopping a lot they have no idea what things cost. He was kind to do the shopping at least!
This is funny. Very similiar conversations occur in my household all the time. I read some blogs where the writers state they spend $35-$75 per week for groceries, for families of 4 or more!! I spend at least $200 every single week, and I can't figure out why!! Maybe it's the cherries...
If that isn't the truth even in Iowa!! Grocery shopping is depressing at the end. I hate walking in to a Super Walmart where you have to have a Super Bank Account to pay for everything--it use to be $60 and I was out now it's $120--bummer!!
Ha Ha!! Glad my husband wasn't with me as I dropped a line of checks this week to get shoes...clothes...haircuts...backpacks...notebooks and today was orientation so there was checks for yearbooks...ASB cards...school pictures...I can't even count how many more. My junior higher is tomorrow...whew!!
Our kids are 16 and 19 and my husband still hasn't caught on to the fact that clothing, food, school supplies, birthday and Christmas gifts cost money.
It's now just a little game we play. He gives me a budget for these things and I pretend it's realistic and then buy what we need anyway. Then when he seesthe receipts he does this thing with his eye where a vein pops out on his head and he acts shocked all over again. And I repeat what my mama used to say "Hey...living's not cheap."
I'm right there with you. I used to buy the food and I would get the 'what the hell?' response from my DH. Now he shops every week at Costco. And I never hear a word about it.
What I am mystified about though is how you guys are feeding a family of 5-6 on $300 every other week? We spend about $350 a week at Costco for a family of 6. How do you do it?
My husband actually works at Costco... your comment about "not on the list" had me laughing so hard I almost peed my pants. I love how I can ask him to pick up some milk and he will come home with a receipt for $50 or more bragging about his great "deals" he scored! This has caused me to end every request with "only get what is on THE LIST" so that we still have money to actually eat that week.
I want to nominate you and your awesome blog for a Versatile Blogging Award
http://monkeydogquilts.com/?p=695
I HEART your blog, btw!
LOL Good for you for educating him in the cost of eating well. Shoe shopping might cause some mental damage though so I would be careful. A gradual transition to reality might be wise.
Also, you won an award on my blog!
http://mckenzieinwa.blogspot.com/2010/08/more-truth-5-question-friday-friday.html
I always get yelled at whenever the credit card bills comes about how much I spend on food. I seriously thinks I am buying gold-plated carrots. I am going away next weekend and having him to a week's worth of shopping and see if he can spend $50--which is what he thinks should cost to feed the whole family! Delusional men...
Yeah- I asked my hubs to pick up some formula for our twins- and ohh my gosh. Now he expects me to nurse twice as much as I already do.
I guess I'm going to have to be the cow for the next year.
moo.
That was hilarious!
Yes, the sneaker shopping should give him a nice heart attack:)
Too funny - my hubby grocery shops with me on a regular basis so he knows the prices. But my poor Dad still thinks bread costs a nickle.
I have also started a campaign to Ban the Man shoppers and all the chaos they cause in the grocery store...the link is on my site ;)
On today of all days, I needed this. Thank you. And I forwarded it to the Mr. Mom in our life.
Cherries! That's always a good food reality smack in the face. They cost a fortune.
Life...EXAGGERATED
haha! Love it! It's so funny when the men do something for a change and get a reality check. Thanks for sharing!
It is funny how the men often are naive at the cost of a family. Clever girl to give him experiences in it. I often make my Mr. mom take on one aspect of my job per week. It must be working because I overheard him say to someone " She really has it harder than me. At least I get to escape to work and hang with other adults, forget about what to make and who is screaming...I get a few freedom choices"
Good man...and he is a Carpenter and my job is louder than his? LOUDER than constant tools.
I rest my case.
That is just too funny. My husband asked me last year in front of his whole family how much I spent on groceries. (I think he was looking for a low number so he could brag me up.) Well when I told him it was around $1200 a month he choked. Keeping in mind we are feeding 6 kids (3 teenagers, some of which play sports). I had to laugh at his response.
I love your blog!
My husband thinks that because a box of mac 'n cheese can sustain a college man's body for a meal, everything that can sustain anyone's body for a meal should also be $.50 or less. Needless to say, I've had to indoctrinate him on what it means to eat "real food," physically and financially. He doesn't fully understand yet, but he's getting there.
HAHAHAHA! no kidding! we do what we can to get some good deals and shop at places that have decent but cheap produce etc. but shoes absolutely kill me. I'm thankful it's only once a year we have unload on new foot ware. we have done thrift stores but now for school they need decent sneakers because they trash them.
Post a Comment