Panties don’t grow in drawers

We had a lovely dinner at Cha Cha and David’s house last night. They’re the parents of Chel’s best friend Shannon, but Chelsea and Marcy may as well be their daughters, too. We always have a great time with them.

Chel and Cha Cha got to talking about the new house and how overwhelming buying a house can be — stepping up in payment and taking on extra responsibility. Cha Cha, in her sweet Dominican accent, had some sage words, as she always does.

“Chelsea, that’s so normal,” she said. “Owning a house is going to turn you into a woman. You are going to understand for the first time in your life the value of a dollar.”

“When I was growing up,” she said, “I had everything I wanted. I thought panties grew in drawers. But when I married David, we had nothing. I was poor. And it was beautiful. I learned the value of a dollar. And so even though I can shop at Neiman’s now, I still shop at Goodwill.”

There’s a little bit of stress involved in buying a house, for sure. And we haven’t been as disciplined with our money as we could be, mainly because we haven’t had to be. So hello, responsibility. We’re gonna make it fine. And we’re going to grow into the couple we were intended to be.