A Lesson in Scarcity

The kids had their first garage sale experience this weekend. Our neighbors across the street filled their driveway with wares, which meant the boys could see all the goods from their bedroom window. As soon as we got up on Saturday, Peter wanted to head out to buy stuff. Being the mean parents we are, we insisted that he do his chores first. He kept gazing out the window, looking to what was still available. Finally, after checking each child's bank account, we headed out.

Because Peter had been watching the sale he already knew what he wanted: a shiny red robot. It ended up being two robots, one with a remote control. Bryan looked it up online and discovered that they sell for $85; Peter paid $1. It isn't it new condition, but it's certainly worth the money he spent. And he thinks it's awesome.

Phoebe already had one item; I had picked up a Rapunzel tower the day before, also for $1, which made me think that was the going rate. She wanted to pick something out on her own though, so I walked around with her, trying to help her decide. What she really wanted was a Merida costume, but it was much too big for her and would have cleaned out all the money she had. We negotiated a bit and she ended up with a very fancy Tinkerbell costume for $5. The shoes light up, so naturally she's been wearing them almost non-stop since making the acquisition. After she bought the costume and took it home, she came back and had a hard time understanding why she couldn't take anything else home. 

Then we had Cooper. He picked up and debated and considered most of the items they offered. Some things were two big (like the air hockey table) and some had too many little parts. There were a few things he wanted that ended up being kind of broken; those were quickly moved to the free pile. Finally, after much deliberation, he bought a card game meant to be used on road trips. I told him I thought it was a good choice since he's got a 45-hour car ride coming up shortly. And he only paid, $0.25.

Based on our shopping experience at the garage sale and Powell's Books, I'd say Cooper is much more like Bryan in his purchasing habits (spends a lot of time making a choice, weighs all pros and cons), Peter is more like me (I decide what I want in advance, see if the price is good, then get it), and Phoebe likes pretty things.