Christmas Shopping

I really cannot believe the frenzy that Black Friday was this year. I went out to a couple places because the kids were up anyway. I was able to bypass all the lines at Walmart at 6 a.m. because I was only buying four things so I went to self check-out! That was cool. One thing that was interesting to me was that with the economy the way it is and so many people experiencing hard times, how much money people are still spending. Carts were overloaded with STUFF. Stuff that will be in a pile of junk in a garage sale in a couple years. Now don't get me wrong, I love my stuff like the next girl but this year I just felt different about it all. I realized what it was when I went to buy Isaac a gingerbread house in the evening and I paid with cash. The cashier said, "Cash! What's that? Everyone in my line has been paying with a credit card all day." What does this mean? That people are standing in line sometimes up to 24 hours in the rain and cold to buy more stuff (like electronics that are outdated a year later) that they don't have the money to buy. We have fallen into that trap in the previous years and are still paying Visa for stuff that we may not even own anymore! But this year and hopefully in the coming years we will not. Everything from sugar cookies to stocking stuffers to tickets to see the train exhibit at North Park will all be paid with cash. And by golly, I will make sure that even on a budget we will still get to follow through with our traditions-- but if by December 24th, we didn't have the money to get it, then we won't have it. We don't have to worry about using our credit cards because for months we have not had any. Anything you need to book online or order can be done with a debit card. It is a relief to know that we won't be paying this Christmas off in 2009- we can use that money to save for next Christmas!