This post is completely off topic – has zero to do with diabetes. Just thought Id say that upfront so y’all aren’t waiting for some diabetes punch line.

I admit it – I’m not much of a money manager. I leave that hard lifting to my husband. It isn’t fair but on the flip side I don’t ask him to attend PTA meetings, do the laundry, or clean bathrooms. Perhaps when I start working again (if my husband actually read my blog he would be laughing at that since I technically haven’t been employed full-time in a paying position since 1999 and he isn’t holding his breath that I will be gainfully employed anytime soon) I will invite him to help with household chores. Until then – he makes the money and manage the house.

When we moved to CA from TX there were very few homes available for purchase in the area we wanted to live. Slim pickings indeed and what was available was costly – like make your jaw drop expensive. Still we needed a home so we bit the bullet and bought one (my kids are smart – they can figure how to pay for college on their own). Anyway – the home we bought is in a great location on a fabulous lot (in CA standards). Sadly its very outdated and in need of some TLC. More sadly – my hubby and I are not handy in the home repair/remodel department. Thus we have to call on others to do the work we need done. First up – removing the carpet from the lower levels. The previous owners had a dog – need I go on. Estimates from flooring companies to remove existing flooring and replace with tile flooring were between 4K and 8K not including the actual tile. HOLY COW! The area I am talking about is only 1300 sq ft.

Luckily Chad met a guy that used a another guy to do his tile. This guy is installing our tile for under $1000 again not including the tile. While explaining to my husband that we will be saving 3-7 thousand dollars he said – “we call that cost avoidance not savings”. See saving is when you put something (in this case money) aside. Spending less than what was initially expected is cost avoidance because money is still being spent. So apparently Target and all chain stores have all their advertising wrong – they aren’t having “sales” they are having “cost avoidance events”.

Where could I be going with this random topic? Well – if there can be ‘cost avoidance’ then surely there can be ‘anger avoidance’.

For example:

A husband can participate in anger avoidance by:

• not leaving coffee cups and dishes in every room of the house
• not using the phrase “whats wrong now”
• not allowing the kids to neglect their chores because  “they just started watching that” or “we just sat down”
• not telling the kid he can have the cookie after I said no by saying “well then don’t buy it”
• not lecturing his wife about the difference between savings and cost avoidance when she really just wants to hear “good job”