John turned red with anger. «We had an agreement,» he began raising his voice right on the street. «You broke our deal. This is wastefulness. If you have extra money, you could give it to me, and I’d invest it in something necessary.»
«But it’s just once, John.» Natalie tried to calm him, but her voice was already trembling with tension. «It’s graduation. The girl deserves a little joy. No need to turn everything into a scandal.»
«You always indulge her. And if she asks for a plane, will you steal money from me and give it to her?» John wouldn’t let up. «And then what? Buy her a car for her birthday?»
The girl, standing nearby, felt awkward, and the happiness from the new dress evaporated. «Dad, I just wanted to look beautiful, like everyone else,» she said quietly, trying to smooth things over. «Beauty isn’t important, money and common sense aren’t important,» John snapped, not letting her finish. «Big deal, a dress. Life isn’t measured by that.»
Laughter was heard. Paula turned and saw her classmates giggling at her father’s behavior. The girl’s cheeks flushed immediately.
«Paula, you go ahead, we’ll join you later with Dad,» the woman hurried to reassure her daughter. The girl nodded and ran back to school. «John, sorry, but you’ve completely lost your mind,» the woman addressed her husband after the graduation.
«Why did you embarrass your own daughter in front of her classmates?» «I’ll see about their parents, who with such wastefulness will have nothing left in their pockets in old age.» «You don’t even know how much money went into preparing for the graduation, which, just so you know, I paid for out of my own pocket,» whispered Natalie, but her husband didn’t hear her.
He was too busy counting change, which he planned to use to get back on the bus. Paula’s graduation triggered a new wave of foolish saving. At home, John ate only dinner, thinking that this way he could significantly cut food expenses.
At work, he never spent money on snacks or lunches. Instead, he would sit down to drink tea with colleagues. He’d take a cookie left by someone in the kitchen, or drink someone else’s tea.
Once he even managed to swipe candies he found in the corner of a drawer. These candies he proudly brought home and gave to his daughter Paula, considering it an extraordinarily good gift. «Here, Paula, candies!» he said with a satisfied look, handing the bag to his daughter.
Paula opened them but saw that the candies were old, almost stale, but still tried one out of politeness. A few hours later, the girl’s stomach cramped, and Natalie sat with her daughter all night, caring for her. «John, did you even check what you brought?» Natalie asked him in the morning when their daughter barely got ready for school after a sleepless night.
«Candies are candies! How was I supposed to know they were bad? Someone left them at work. Do you think I’ll spend money on sweets?» John brushed it off. Natalie just sighed heavily.
She had long been used to John buying almost nothing for the home. All groceries she bought with her own money, trying to combine these expenses with her hobby—knitting. The woman’s salary was small, but even from that, she always found funds for everything—from modest food to paying utilities.
John gave only a small amount, sometimes just 200 dollars a month, which wasn’t enough even for the food he ate. By the way, they lived in Natalie’s apartment. Her husband was registered at his mom’s, and here, in her inherited apartment, only she and her daughter.
One evening, when John came home from work and sat at the table without even asking where the food came from, he suddenly started a conversation. «Natalie, we need to talk!» the man began seriously. «I’ve been thinking that you don’t contribute to the common budget at all. We live together, and I pay for everything alone. Where’s your money, may I ask?»
Natalie couldn’t believe her ears. She slowly turned to her husband, trying to hold back laughter. «Are you serious right now?» she asked with a smirk. «You want to say I don’t contribute to the pot?»
«Yes,» John answered confidently. «You should contribute more, it’s fair.» Natalie couldn’t hold back and laughed.
«More? You really think I should contribute more? Let’s break it down. I buy all the food for us every month. I cook, I clean. Do you think the money you give is enough for anything? And I also pay for all of Paula’s holidays, all her needs. She’s not a cat, she’s a living person. And you, you brought old candies once a year and think you’ve made a significant contribution?»
John frowned. «But I give money every month.» «Money that isn’t even enough for your own food, John,» Natalie repeated.
«You save on everything, even on our daughter’s health. Medicines are always on my money, gifts too I spend on. And you accuse me of not contributing. This is ridiculous.»
«But I’m trying to save. We need to accumulate money. Who knows what might happen. No one is insured against a rainy day.»
«John,» now Natalie looked at her husband seriously, «if you don’t stop saving on everything, I’ll talk to you differently. I’m tired of carrying everything on my own. Let’s be honest. You’re saving not for the future, but for your own comfort. Your salary at the office is small, but you don’t have to work much. So you don’t want to look for a new place, right?»
«I, I!» From indignation, the man began to choke. «I’ve been a workaholic all my life. All I do is go to this office. They even give me bonuses.»
«Well, sorry, I didn’t know about your bonuses because I haven’t seen a cent from them.» Finally said Natalie, after which she left the room.
After that conversation, John no longer made claims to Natalie about her contribution to the family budget. The woman already thought that her husband had finally come to his senses. Natalie even felt a bit ashamed.
She blamed herself for going too far with words about work. However, this was only the beginning. Instead of listening to his wife, John began to actively implement new ways of saving, which shocked Natalie more and more.
One evening, when Natalie came home from work, John suddenly declared: «Natalie, I’ve been thinking, we need to cut water expenses. You shower too often. Paula does too. We need to use less water and electricity.»
«Are you serious?» Natalie asked in surprise, feeling that this was crossing all boundaries. «Of course, serious,» answered John, who had already calculated everything to the penny…
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