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Ellie did it. Ellie saved enough money to buy herself an iTouch. Ellie is known more for her impulsive shopping than her resolve, but the whole thing kind of snuck up on her.
After Halloween we insist that the kids stop all shopping for themselves. They have to put all of their hopes and dreams onto a list for Christmas and birthdays (their birthdays are in Jan., Feb. and March) that we share with all of our relatives. Since ‘we’ are never sure what gifts they will be getting the girls can’t go shopping. The rule then means this turns into a season of saving for the girls. All of their allowance (we do half their age so it really isn’t even that much) goes right into their piggy bank. So does any money they earn along the way or receive as gifts.
When we realized how much money Ellie had in her piggy bank we helped her do the math. She had $105 in her bank and Kate would buy her old Nano (Again the trickle down effect. Ellie bought the Nano from Jill in October when SHE got HER iTouch.) for $35. We suggested that Ellie might want to ask for gift cards for her birthday to help make up the rest. Ellie wasn’t sure. It still felt like she was going to be $20 short and that seemed too far away. And she was also caught up thinking of all the Barbies she could buy for $200.
Ellie ended up doing even better with gift cards than she first thought so she could hardly wait for Best Buy to open. ‘Open. Open. Open.’ Best Buy was having a couple of specials that worked out to be a great deal for Ellie. Not only did she get her iTouch at a discount, but she got a great pair of headphones thrown in too. Sweet!