Comfort vs. Cheapskate

     As much as I love sleeping in on a holiday, I get up in the predawn darkness to shop the Black Friday sales, much as my hunter husband rises in the wee hours to be in the woods at sunrise and bag his game.  Loss leaders are a dream come true for a consummate cheapskate like me, and cheapskates like me are a nightmare to stores who count on customers to buy other things to recoup their losses on the loss leaders.  Just as any other shopping I do, I check the ads, buy only good sale items, and leave.  The only difference between Black Friday shopping and what I do the rest of the year is that it is dark.  In spiritual terms I could say I am trying to be the best steward of the resources God has given me, but the truth is I have always been cheap.  Black Friday bargains allow me to buy the nice gifts I would like my family to have without going over my budget.
     The Christmas issue of Good Housekeeping has money saving tips like assigning a set amount you will spend for each person on your list, drawing names to keep lists shorter, making postage, wrapping etc. fit within the gift budget, buying throughout the year etc.  I couldn't believe a magazine written for adult women would need to teach spending principles I figured out in grade school.  Growing up poor sure paid off for me, it kept me from forming great expectations. The expectations of today's middle class are much higher than when I was a child. Most of us baby boomers grew up in SILK (Single Income Lotsa Kids) homes.  The solution to not having enough money was living within your budget, not sending mommy to work.
     With the advent of credit cards and the example of our government, there is no longer any incentive for living within your budget except for us buy-hards who dislike debt.  Debt is just a four letter word for slavery.  Those who have no intention of paying what they owe are runaway slaves constantly changing jobs, locations, and phone numbers to avoid the "hounds" of creditors.  I hate debt, that common bondage is not an option for me.  I don't like long lines and shopping at 4 a.m.  I wouldn't face the crowds at Walmart Black Friday if they were giving away bars of gold.  But I love saving money and buying things for my family so I willingly sacrifice a few hours in the comatose crowds of crass consumers Black Friday morning. Those bargains allow me to stay in the black, and that helps me sleep comfortably the rest of the year.