Somehow I knew our first pet would be a spontaneous purchase.

We think through most things too long…so I figured when Kevin and the kids caught me in a weak moment they would jump on the chance for a pet.

You see, I am not the pet type.

I can finally admit this about myself without feeling guilty. Many of my siblings have the pet-loving gene, so I thought something was wrong with me for a long time.

I love other people’s pets and animals in general, but I do not desire one of my own.

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So as I went through our receipts for this pay period, the one that stood out was $20 at PetSmart for two goldfish, a bowl, decorative rocks, and fish food.

It started like any other Friday night. I was actually getting the kids ready for bed. Somehow the topic of pets came up (again), and I told the kids we could think about fish. I said maybe in a month or two we could get some fish to celebrate the start of homeschool.

Next thing I know, Kevin and my son have their shoes on and they are heading to the pet store.

While they were gone my daughter and I wrote down name options and put them in a hat. I was really hoping for a fish named Guacamole. 

The boys returned and their faces were priceless.

We reached in the hat to choose two names. The kids did not like what they chose, so they went rogue and named the fish themselves.

Our fish are proudly named Future-of-My-Life and Dr. Fishhead. Bit of a mouth full.

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Apart from our new fish, we were just happy to close out the month of August. It was brutally hot and we spent more than we planned on air conditioned activities, like jump places, to wear out the kids and keep them engaged.

We should have known it would cost more to occupy the kids in the heat. Lesson learned and note made for next year to set aside extra for the last months of summer.

September usually brings a few storms and drops the temperatures a little bit. This means we can do more free park trips and get more fresh air. So September should be a better month for the budget.

We know we cannot be perfect.

The shopping ban is mainly to provide that “pause” before each purchase to make sure it is a need. It helps us be mindful of purchases and make informed decisions.

We didn’t need the goldfish, but they have brought lots of joy. We didn’t need to go to jump places, but it saved many of our weekends and our sanity.

We are finding the balance. 🙂

-Brittany