I’m starting to wonder whether I’m raising a financial extremist’s love child – but I’m not naming names. I think he has plans of retiring at 18 or something. I’m trying very VERY hard here to learn to be more moderate and not so tightass, but it’s an ongoing struggle and it doesn’t really help that my kids are both the same way too. They didn’t even like Disneyworld for Pete’s sake. What kids don’t like Disneyworld?
Speaking of love children… I’d also like to know why Arnold Schwarzenegger’s baby mama (is that what that’s called? I’m not up on that kind of thing) had to work for 10 more years for their family after having his baby to be able to retire. What a cheapskate. Besides just being creepy.
Arnie came through my neck of the woods on a speaking tour a couple of months ago and I toyed with the idea of spending the $300 or so to take my oldest son to see him for his birthday. In the end I decided that the only way I’d spend $300 to see Arnie speak was if he was nekkid and looked like he did in Terminator – the first one. Oldest son got a nook colour instead – which he’s souped up like Linda did with hers. Now I want one – grrr. But I got my kobo e-reader free with credit card points, so maybe donate that to my library? They rent out e-readers now as well as books which I think is pretty cool.
So my youngest kid is on lunch trash duty at the school. Basically, there’s a little team of kids that go through the garbage and pull out anything that’s sealed and it goes to the food bank. I think it’s kind of admirable that the school does this – but also sad that they have to do it. Apparently they accumulate a lot of food.
It’s also weird that my kid wants to eat this stuff.
I explained to him that it was for poor people in the neighbourhood, not for *him*.
He argues back saying it’s for people in the *neighbourhood*.
NO. It’s for POOR people in the neighbourhood. Stop eating the poor people’s food.
But Mom, it’s candy – and canned peaches.
Oh for heaven’s sake, it’s not like I don’t buy my kid candy and canned peaches are fruits you should be eating in the winter, aren’t they?
Many years ago when I had lunch at school a few times with my oldest and saw the huge volume of food that was thrown out uneaten in schools, I learned the (not so fine) art of packing school lunches:
(a) Only pack what your kid likes and will eat – even if that’s p.b. sandwiches for a month straight, and
(b) Stress to them that if they don’t want it – bring it home, trade it with another kid – don’t just throw it out.
Both my kids have been very good about not wasting food, but I’m wondering if the other kids should maybe do a stint at the food bank and see where their food is going. And why doesn’t the school just have a bin for this stuff instead of having my kid root through the garbage?
Oh yeah, I’ve got a bunch of PF and similar books to unload (yay decluttering!):
Early Retirement Extreme
How to Survive Without a Salary (this is actually quite a funny book)
Your Money or Your Life
The Lazy Person’s Guide to Success
The 4 Hour Workweek
The Complete Tightwad Gazette – all 3 volumes in one
If you’d like to have ONE (no hoarding), 
just leave a comment saying which one you want I guess. I won’t be sending them out until early July (going to wait til I hit the border to mail anything since it’s freaking expensive to snail mail here).
