Fiscally Chic

Why We Spent $9 on a Pumpkin

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Hi, friends! Long time, no chat. What’s new with you? This past (extended) weekend, I was in St. Louis at FINCON13 to brush up on my financial blogging skills. Before heading back to Chicago, we took a quick trip to Eckert’s to go pumpkin picking.  
Lately, I’ve seen a bunch of blog posts sharing ways to save money on fall activites. One tip was to skip the pumpkin patch and just buy a pumpkin at the grocery store. Ignoring the “expert” advice, we happily drove to the pumpkin patch and gladly parted with our $9. 

Isn’t this the most beautiful pumpkin you’ve ever seen? I won’t be offended if you don’t think so because…

IT’S NOT ABOUT THE PUMPKIN!

Sure, we could save a few bucks by buying our pumpkin at the grocery store, but going to a pumpkin patch is about the experience and creating new memories. Memories for me as a new parent and new memories for Monica: driving to the farm in the country, riding the wagon, and choosing our pumpkin in the middle of a field.

And then changing Monica’s diaper in the middle of said field and discussing life insurance on the wagon ride back.

Going to the pumpkin patch also included feasting on a giant turkey leg, corn dog, and kettle corn. We don’t eat those things on a regular basis, so they’re a treat. Plus, giant turkey legs remind me of our trip to the Illinois State Fair when we were still dating and corn dogs remind me of going to Cedar Point with my family.

And know what? Those memories are priceless.

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  1. October is one of my favorite times of the year.. And a big reason is because of the local pumpkin patches. All three of my kids (spanning ages 2-12) love going there… Corn Mazes, Hayrides, Husk Cannons, and so much more..

  2. I only know this now because I run a pumpkin patch… Grocery store pumpkins are priced low so that they’ll draw customers in to buy other things. Like, so low that they’re probably taking a loss on them knowing they’ll make up for it when a customer comes in and also buys their groceries. And typically grocery store pumpkins are lower quality. Who knows how long it’s been since they were picked? You only get a freshness guarentee if you pick it from the patch yourself. Yay for pumpkin patches! Yay for supporting farmers!

  3. Hey, Cathy. So great to visit with you at Fincon. We have done the pumpkin patch since our daughter could walk and have so many great memories. I believe experiences are well worth the money in most cases, and I certainly support local farmers as much as I can. You don’t really get that warm, fuzzy feeling from buying a pumpkin at WalMart.