Bargain Hunter

As the result of some prodding from my cheap ass, Mindy has started browsing Craigslist for miscellaneous baby items. This weekend she found a listing for 10 eight-ounce bottles for $15. Then she made me infinitely proud by taking the art of negotiation to a whole new level. It went something like this:

Mindy email: "Would you take 10 dollars for the bottles?"

Craigslist mama: "I would consider taking $12"

Mindy: "$11.25 - final offer"

Craigslist mama: "I couldn't take less than $11.50. Just couldn't."

Mindy: "Okay, I'll go to $11.30 and throw in a slightly used 2008 People's 50 most beautiful people."

Craigslist mama: "Deal!"

Seriously though, she really did talk the woman down from fifteen dollars to twelve. I've never loved her more.

But, I also wanted to share a quick story about the origins of our new bottles. The woman who sold them to us ended up chatting for a few minutes and through the course of the conversation detailed the bottles' storied past. Apparently, she has two children: a three-year-old and an eight-month-old. The eight-month-old didn't take to bottle feeding, hence the sale. But this is where the story gets interesting, stay with me now. The three year old just recently stopped taking a bottle (well using my powers of deduction, I'm guessing he probably stopped somewhere around April). He had a really hard time giving up his bedtime bottle of milk. The mother tried to break him, but was unsuccessful. When she found herself lying to her pediatrician about the fact that her son was still taking a bottle, she decided something must be done. Does she stand up to her 35 pound child and tell him that things are going to change? Oh no - for there is a much more efficient way out. She tells her naive, all-trusting little son that the Easter bunny has stolen his bottles. I love this! Despite the fact that she is disparaging the good name of a well respected childhood myth, what a great way to totally avoid all confrontation. Don't think for a second that I'm not using this. Cameron is having a hard time giving up his pacifier? Sorry little man, Santa just yanked it out of your crib last night when he was dropping off your presents. I accidentally run over Cameron's cat one day? Nope, wasn't me, I think I saw the tooth fairy high-tailing out of here last night. Difficulty with toileting? Cameron, I had a talk with Elmo yesterday, and it's really hard to tell you this, but he thinks you're a self-soiling little bitch. There is no end to the motivation I can manufacture and the personal responsibility I can avoid with this idea. This woman is a genius. Who would have known that 12 dollars worth of stolen merchandise was going to be worth its weight in gold?