Yesterday, I took my 2 minions ( I mean, children) on a Costco run. Now that they are teens and old enough not to ride in the front of the giant Costco shopping cart (man, they were doubly heavy back in the day!) they are great for manual labor! All I have to do now is gracefully glide behind the cart gesturing with my magic wand / index finger at whatever I need and it magically appears in the cart. A huge package of toilet paper?... shwing! A small pillow sized bag of broccoli?.... zing! A bushel of Fuji apples?.... ping! Easy!
Actually, that's not how it happens at all. In reality, the only thing on their teenage Costco radar is the sample carts! The only gesture I make as they hustle towards the beckoning aromas is a frantic wave of the fingers... Can you get one for me too???
We were on a mission yesterday. I have officially entered a new chapter in the book of "Life of Mother". It is "Mother of College Student". This, I have found out quite quickly, is the sister of "Mother of a Newborn". How so, you may ask? THE AMOUNT OF MONEY NEEDED!!!! During both those chapters of my life, there have been a sudden spike in the amount of money draining from my bank account.
The first time, as a newborn, it was quite a shock, even though friends have warned me. "It's like an endless money pit!" Besides the usual diapers, formula, necessities; there is also the need for extras such as baby clothes (that are just SO CUTE!! ) and paraphernalia that in the end, just stayed in boxes. Baby wipe warmer? Never used it. The thing that turns smelly old diapers into sealed packaged sausages? Never even took it out of the box. Luckily, I was able to return it even after 4 months. Thank goodness I was wise enough to start saving for their college funding right when they were born. I thought, "I was thrown for a loop this first time around. Next time, 18 years later, I'll be ready!!"
Those 529 plans are wonderful. Socking away a monthly amount really made sense. And if it's in-state, even better! Parents.... it's never too late to start! Every time it's their birthdays, Christmas, Chinese New Year; people will always ask, "What do they like? What do they want?" My answer would always start with, "Well,.... they have everything they need already,... but they DO have a college fund that you can contribute to... only if you want to." No one has ever taken on that choice except for my Dad who never knows what to get them but it's all added up nicely 18 years later. The magic of compounding interest is a topic I discuss with the teens every month when the 529 statements come in.
So our trip was all about getting a new laptop for college. Bits, Bytes, Ram, Core, Memory, Gigs.. Those are all foreign words to me. It was like when we were buying a minivan. Just give me the one with the easiest ride and the biggest engine and I'll be fine. This time, at Costco, at the computer counter, all these lights, buttons and screens! What to do? Which one to pick? How to decide? Quick, find someone in a Costco red vest! Not surprisingly, I had a misconception of what a computer geek looked like. I always thought the computer geeks were a group of 20 or 30 year olds, and depending on if you're a hipster geek or a nerdy geek, the hair length would differ. Glasses? Perhaps. Nowadays, there are geeky glasses that are non-prescription so one can never tell.
Mr Costco Red Vest Computer Guy was actually around the same age as me. How embarrassing that I'm not as technologically up to date. My husband asked me to get model numbers, specs and prices so that he can compare it to other stores. In my mind, Costco is pretty hard to beat. I don't have time for all this running around, comparing and researching all this stuff. I gave Mr Red Vest Techie Guy the tech requirements for the classes and he pointed to a computer. This is one that you would get your own children? Yes. Sold! Easy enough. Onto the walk-in freezer for milk! Where are those teens when you need them for muscle? Oh wait, is that a sample of salsa I see? Yoohoo... children! Make sure you get me one too!
Actually, that's not how it happens at all. In reality, the only thing on their teenage Costco radar is the sample carts! The only gesture I make as they hustle towards the beckoning aromas is a frantic wave of the fingers... Can you get one for me too???
We were on a mission yesterday. I have officially entered a new chapter in the book of "Life of Mother". It is "Mother of College Student". This, I have found out quite quickly, is the sister of "Mother of a Newborn". How so, you may ask? THE AMOUNT OF MONEY NEEDED!!!! During both those chapters of my life, there have been a sudden spike in the amount of money draining from my bank account.
The first time, as a newborn, it was quite a shock, even though friends have warned me. "It's like an endless money pit!" Besides the usual diapers, formula, necessities; there is also the need for extras such as baby clothes (that are just SO CUTE!! ) and paraphernalia that in the end, just stayed in boxes. Baby wipe warmer? Never used it. The thing that turns smelly old diapers into sealed packaged sausages? Never even took it out of the box. Luckily, I was able to return it even after 4 months. Thank goodness I was wise enough to start saving for their college funding right when they were born. I thought, "I was thrown for a loop this first time around. Next time, 18 years later, I'll be ready!!"
Those 529 plans are wonderful. Socking away a monthly amount really made sense. And if it's in-state, even better! Parents.... it's never too late to start! Every time it's their birthdays, Christmas, Chinese New Year; people will always ask, "What do they like? What do they want?" My answer would always start with, "Well,.... they have everything they need already,... but they DO have a college fund that you can contribute to... only if you want to." No one has ever taken on that choice except for my Dad who never knows what to get them but it's all added up nicely 18 years later. The magic of compounding interest is a topic I discuss with the teens every month when the 529 statements come in.
So our trip was all about getting a new laptop for college. Bits, Bytes, Ram, Core, Memory, Gigs.. Those are all foreign words to me. It was like when we were buying a minivan. Just give me the one with the easiest ride and the biggest engine and I'll be fine. This time, at Costco, at the computer counter, all these lights, buttons and screens! What to do? Which one to pick? How to decide? Quick, find someone in a Costco red vest! Not surprisingly, I had a misconception of what a computer geek looked like. I always thought the computer geeks were a group of 20 or 30 year olds, and depending on if you're a hipster geek or a nerdy geek, the hair length would differ. Glasses? Perhaps. Nowadays, there are geeky glasses that are non-prescription so one can never tell.
Mr Costco Red Vest Computer Guy was actually around the same age as me. How embarrassing that I'm not as technologically up to date. My husband asked me to get model numbers, specs and prices so that he can compare it to other stores. In my mind, Costco is pretty hard to beat. I don't have time for all this running around, comparing and researching all this stuff. I gave Mr Red Vest Techie Guy the tech requirements for the classes and he pointed to a computer. This is one that you would get your own children? Yes. Sold! Easy enough. Onto the walk-in freezer for milk! Where are those teens when you need them for muscle? Oh wait, is that a sample of salsa I see? Yoohoo... children! Make sure you get me one too!
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