Sunday, August 30, 2009

Husband is threatening to cut up my credit card

Just because I went out to buy birthday presents and I came back with presents, two outfits for Baby and a book on How to be a Good Granny. Oh and Three Men in a Boat, but that was incidental as I've wanted it for a while and found it in a lovely little pocket-size hardback. And, if you count postage, buying a tatty paperback copy on ebay would have been just as expensive.

And the outfits for Baby were in the sale in M&S so I got two for £7. So he can't possibly grumble about that. It was just unfortunate that our credit card bill arrived yesterday as well and it included the new mattress.

But as I told him the mattress was actually cheaper than most good quality comfortable ones in the shop, and it was in a sale. He just doesn't realise how much things cost. On our way back from ordering our kitchen at B&Q (yes, we've ordered it!) I made him run into Spar to get some basmati rice. (I was driving so it was easier for him to run in while I parked in a no-parking spot.) He came out grumbling about the fact that basmati rice was four times the price of long grain rice and why did we have basmati.

I told him that when he's retired and we're on the breadline (as he assures me we will be) I'll shop at Lidl and buy the cheapest of everything. For now I'm happy to pay for quality. And if he wants it another way he can do the flipping shopping himself!!

But onto nicer things.

Here's an excerpt from Three Men in a Boat that I just chanced upon.


To look at Montmorency you would imagine that he was an angel sent upon the earth, for some reason withheld from mankind, in the shape of a small fox-terrier. There is a sort of Oh-wicked-world-this-is-and-how-I-wish-I-could-do-something-to-make-it-better-and-nobler expression about Montmorency that has been known to bring the tears into the eyes of pious old ladies and gentlemen.
...I used to sit down and look at him ...and think: 'Oh, that dog will never live. He will be snatched up to the bright skies in a chariot ...'
But, when I had paid for about a dozen chickens that he had killed; and had dragged him, growling and kicking, by the scruff of his neck, out of a hundred and fourteen street fights; and had had a dead cat brought round for my inspection by an irate female, who called me a murderer; and had been summoned by the man next door but one for having a ferocious dog at large, that had kept him pinned up in his own tool-shed, afraid to venture his nose outside the door for over two hours on a cold night; and had learned that the gardener, unknown to myself, had won thirty shillings by backing him to kill rats against time, then I began to think that maybe they'd let him remain on earth for a bit longer, after all.
Three Men in a Boat, Jerome K. Jerome

9 comments:

Lia said...

This is the downfall where husbands are concerned as there is only so much room under the patio to bury the bodies of annoying husbands.
I moved house 13 yrs ago, so there is still a bit of room under mine if you need a space for yours. lol

I think I would very much like to read three men and a boat after reading that little extract. Thanks for that.

much love,
Lia xx

NitWit1 said...

For the most part my husband shops enough by himself (hates to go with me) he knows about prices. I agree with you -- when I'm on the breadline with food stamps, I'll stretch my dollars . We did away with credit cards a long time ago.

However, Wal-Mart, the superstore retailer has cut a lot of facings or eliminating a lot of my favorite brand names and substituting a host of their generic store brand.

They are losing my business because I've found I can get some things on Internet, especially through Amazon.com

As you will see from my last posts, Luckie and I had the privilege of meeting a fellow blogger.

I bet you have, too.

Tell George hello.

Anonymous said...

There is always Aldi too...:-/
That is a store we will go when we hit the bread line...lol

I like your tactic, sending hubby in to buy the rice...:-)

nick said...

Too much scrimping and saving is soul-destroying. If you've got the cash, splash out a bit, I say. Why worry about possible hard times until they actually happen?

Leslie: said...

My future hubby LOVES to shop and unfortunately never takes heed of what things cost! He's used to thinking just before dinner time what he's in the mood for and then goes to buy it. I'm used to planning a week's worth of meals in advance and shop accordingly. I sure hope there's going to be a happy medium for us. He truly is a fantastic cook, though!

Anonymous said...

I loved Three Men from a very young age.
We don't talk about the Card.

Bengbeng said...

ah, it is the opposite in my family :) i am the more extravagAnt one :)

Rose said...

Now here is where you are making a mistake, Liz--all our credit cards are in my name, so Hubby never sees the bills:) I have threatened, though, to make him do the grocery shopping, as he has no idea how much food costs these days.

Liz Hinds said...

I might take you up on that offer, lia, thanks!

I'll be over to visit soon, nitwit.

Aldi, Lidl, what a choice, dina! Although i have friends who shop at Lidl and they swear it's excellent.

Quite right, nick.

If he's going to go and do the buying as well as cooking then let him get on with it, leslie!

I am sure I have read it previously, aileni, but heard an excerpt and wanted to read it again.

Husband can be extravagant when it comes to car bits, bengbeng!

Now thta's a good idea, rose!