Wailing through Walmart: A Lesson in Money Management

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Today I was the lady with the kid who sobbed all through Walmart.

Big Brother's weekly allowance goes into three jars:  giving, saving, spending.

As we were heading the store today, he asked if he could take his spending money and buy a toy weed-eater.  He's been eying this toy for several years, so I agreed.


The toy aisle was our first stop, but, alas, the weed-eater was out of stock.  He rolled with it--no big deal--but then wanted to buy something else.  Not anything in particular--just something.

And I said, "No."

And so began our lesson in money management.  In the moment that I said no, my rationale was not perfectly clear in my mind.  My rational crystallized as we discussed it through his sobs--as we shopped for our weeks-worth of groceries, on the car ride home, and for another hour at home.

Everything we has comes from God.  We must be careful how we spend it.  When we spend money we have a budget; before shopping, we make a list of items we need.  We don't just wander through the store itching to spend money.

It especially saddened me that Big Brother kept sobbing, "I won't be happy until I buy something . . . "

Tough trip.  Since we started Big Brother's allowance, I've struggled with what the parameters should be for him using his spending money.

Today's impromptu lesson in money-management helped clarify my thinking:  We spend with forethought and planning--even if it's just toys we are buying--because we must take the best possible care of the resources with which God has blessed us.