My other wonderfully frugal daughter

Thankfully, Sutton is not the only penny-pincher in the family.

Reagan really wanted a pair of Nike Shox tennis shoes when school started. "All" of her friends were getting them and since she was going to middle school where "everyone" would have them, they were a necessary addition to her back-to-school wardrobe.

I considered it...until I saw the price. $129.99 for a pair of tennis shoes she would most likely outgrow in a few months?! I don't think so. She settled without complaint for a pair of regular Adidas on clearance at Academy for 20 bucks.

Yesterday she came bounding into the house after school. "Mom, you are going to be soooooooooo proud of me," she squealed.

"I'm already proud of you, Rea," I assured her.

"I know, but you are really going to be proud of me for this," she pulled out a pair of pink Shox in near perfect condition.








"Where did you get those?" I stuttered.

"Well, I've been watching them in the girls' athletics Lost and Found for over a month now and no one has come forward to claim them. I talked to the coach and she said they were going to take the whole box of stuff to Goodwill next week and I better take what I want. So I took these!" she displayed her new shoes in front of her much like an 11 year-old Price is Right model.

Jimmy came in, and with the skepticism necessary in all fathers I know of, remarked, "I hope you spray them or something to get rid of the heeby-jeebies."

Ever gullible and always curious, Reagan's head snapped back as she pushed Dad for an immediate explanation, "Heeby-jeebies? What are those and how can I get rid of them?!"

We all snickered and assured her that the stench emanating from her pre-pubescent feet would surely kill anything unusual those shoes harbored.

She picked out the perfect shirt to match her "new" tennis shoes this morning and as she left for school I reminded her, "Now don't go and advertise to all your buddies how you got your shoes."

"Oh, don't worry Mom. I'm not going to say a word. Besides, there's another pair I've had my eye on for a while that I'm going to snag later today. I can't let perfectly good "fancy" tennis shoes go to waste!"

I need to add that Reagan is the child who found me a pair of $166 jeans at Ross last week on the clearance rack for $9.99. She makes me so proud.

Ahhhhhhhhh...We're cheap but we're happy.