Trimming The Budget

Norway is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. The UN says so, the IMF says so and the list goes on.

So, I've been wondering how come everything in Norway seems small and cute, and not large and expensive, like in North America? I mean, they should be able to afford BIG, right?

Instead, Norwegians drive cute little cars, live in cute little houses, and eat all their meals at home. They don't wear flashy clothing. Jeans and sweaters are de rigeur. For fun, they go for walks in the mountains, the forests, and along the coast. In the wintertime, they cross-country ski.

A wholesome and idyllic existence, for sure, but also pretty frugal. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but what about all that cash that they are supposed to have? Where does it all go?

I think I may have solved the mystery.

A large chunk of their annual budgets is spent on changing this:


Into this:

You are looking at pictorial evidence of my boys' $50.00 hair cuts. Yep, that would be $50.00 per boy! In case you are wondering why Christopher doesn't look any different, that's because he wants long hair and talked us and the hairdresser into only getting a trim. A $50.00 trim.

So yes, I will be returning to Canada in May with very long hair. Because $50.00 is a kids' only rate, and does not even get me access to the chair...