Three Cents

Saturday night I had to go to Kroger.

I had a strict budget of $100.30.

When things get that tight, I have to make sure to use my calculator while I shop to make sure I don’t go over budget.

I had a clear game plan when I walked into the store.

I knew which aisles to avoid. I was focused.

I get to the eggs.

We all know eggs have become the running joke of the last year, so I knew the dozen and a half I needed to buy were going to take a chunk of the budget.

$10.49

Granted these were pasture-raised, but they weren’t organic, so I was a bit annoyed.

As I walked over to check a carton for cracks, a very kind, older woman looked up at me and said, “I don’t know how anyone with children can afford groceries now.”

“I know. I don’t have kids myself, but I’m still struggling.”

We proceeded to talk for a few minutes about the cost of living and how important it is to live a simple life.

We wished each other well and I left the aisle to go to the meat section.

As I continued to make my way through the store, I couldn’t help but think about my conversation with that woman. God plans something my priest refers to as “divine appointments” for us. Random interactions with people we know, or strangers, for a greater purpose. Of course, on one of my budget-conscious trips, I ran into her.

I finished getting my groceries, still staying carefully within the budget, when I got to the produce section and found that broccoli was out of stock.

*Heavy sigh*

Why are they always out of my broccoli these days?

This throws off my list a bit, so I pivot, and get a couple other things instead.

I head to the cashier and hope that I’m not over budget, because I really don’t want to have to put anything back.

As I started to unload my groceries onto the conveyor, I saw a sign taped to the register.

It was asking that people who plan to pay in cash have exact change to help with the penny shortage caused by the fact that the U.S. Treasury has stopped minting new pennies.

I thought that was ironic since I had just cashed in some change to help me pay for gas.

I unloaded the rest of my groceries and waited my turn to pay.

Item after item I watched the screen to make sure I was staying within that budget. I was a few dollars over before I handed the cashier my carefully curated stack of coupons.

Scan. Scan. Scan. Scan. Scan.

“Ma’am, your total is $100.27.”

Three cents under budget. Now that was close.

I’ve spent many seasons of my life constantly shifting between feast and famine.

Feast is a plentiful season where I am financially stable and able to maintain a fairly normal lifestyle without any major setbacks. All the bills are paid, there’s food in the fridge, and my monetary stress level is low to non-existent.

Then, there are the seasons of famine. The mortgage is months behind. Forbearance is knocking at my door. There is a small amount of food in the house and every grocery shopping trip is carefully calculated. I’m receiving shut off notices from the electric company. Debt collectors are calling.

I think we have all been there – in seasons of feast and famine.

I’m somewhere in between right now, and have been since I began teaching, but it’s okay.

I know how to make do in both seasons.

Regardless, I thought it was funny to come in under budget by just three cents. I don’t know if I have ever cut it that close before.

If you want my two cents though, three cents is more valuable than ever, especially since they stopped minting new pennies.

❤