The Art of Mooching

As a newly married couple just starting our careers I think it goes without saying that money is not always so plentiful in our house. Plus we are both really financially conservative. So whenever we can, we mooch. It is really nice to live 2.3 miles from my parents who don't mind us mooching... and let me introduce you to the art.

First of all, Mooching does not mean that our parents give us money to pay our bills. We are perfectly capable of paying every bill that arrives. (Thankfully. We are blessed.) When we bought the house, it was our own money for the down payment. When we go to buy the "family car" we will be the ones paying for it. It also does not mean that we steal from our parents. I've heard stories of kids who think they are welcome to "grocery shop" at their parents'. That's just wrong.

Mooching does involve grabbing a free meal at mom and dad's though. Mom calls and says they are having steak for dinner, do we want to join? Heck yes! Mom has a bunch of meat that she won't cook and needs to get rid of it, do I want it? Heck yes! Blake's mom will all the time send us home with leftovers from family dinners and we eat off that for 2 or 3 days which means that's 2 or 3 days without having to cook! (Saving $$!) When we went to furnish the house my parents decided that they wanted to re-decorate their entire house so they had plenty of furniture to get rid of, so where did it end up? Of course! Our house! With the exception of our bedroom and the sofas we have furnished our entire house out of my parents' home. Those well-worn La-z-boys look GREAT in the man cave with the re-stained coffee tables. I have inherited part of my mom's dining set which looks awesome in our house but not so much in hers. It may not be the most fashionable and up-to-date house but it was free! Another important aspect of mooching is gas. Whenever we travel somewhere together we make sure to ride with our parents. Mine have gotten used to this and now just let Blake drive their car wherever we are going.

Mooching also involves being very grateful to your parents for all they have done. My dad eats dinner with us regularly so when mom offers "free" food I don't feel so bad for taking it. And we will pick up the tab at dinner because we are, after all, grown and can afford to support ourselves. We just like to "Save $$" through our parents!

This video...

... makes my ovaries scream. (TMI #oversharer)

 Like Father, Like Son

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that we are a Chevy family. Maybe it's that the kid is so darn cute. Or maybe I love the fact that this little boy is totally using his imagination and playing with simple, non-electronic toys. But I love this commercial. I would totally go buy the product if we didn't already have a huge truck payment every month.

Don't worry... no babies or children in this house anytime soon. I just wanted to see my brother blush. (Since he's one of the few who still reads this ;)) I'm still in the phase where I want to love on them for a few hours but as soon as they cry they go back to mommy and daddy. I enjoy my sleep too much.