The Money We'll Save By: Brock Cole

The Money We'll Save is a comical tale of a father who is told to go to the market for two eggs and a half a pound of flour and to not spend a penny more because Christmas was coming "and we must save every penny".   Well Pa comes back to their flat with a turkey poult.  He convinces his wife and children that it will fatten up to a nice bird to eat for Christmas dinner.  "Think of the money we'll save!"  He tells the family it will live in a box and all we need to feed it is table scraps.  Ma is skeptical to say the least.  The turkey "Alfred" grows big and ends up being a menace to their small apartment, their kids, and their neighbor Mrs. Schumacher from upstairs. Pa's ideas of how to keep the turkey out of their way turn into amusing messes.  When Christmas finally arrives the children can't bare the idea of eating Alfred.  And they can't imagine keeping him either.  They come up with the perfect solution.  Give the turkey to Mrs. Schumacher. "What with his messes and eating everything in sight, Alfred reminded her not a little of the late Mr. Schumacher."  As for the family they cleaned up their tiny flat, put up a modest tree, and each child received one gift. They ate oatmeal for dinner.  "But it isn't much of a holiday feast, it it? said Pa sadly. Ah, but think of the money we saved, said Ma, and she gave him a kiss because it was Christmas."

My kids always get a kick out of all the messes Alfred makes!  I also like to read this book and explain to the girls the importance of being frugal with money and point out how happy they children are to get that one special gift they really wanted. It really is a wonderful Christmas book that will be a tradition for us for years to come!

 Here is to the beginning of a wonderful holiday season!