For a very long time, I didn’t hear anything about lay-a-way. The stores I visited didn’t seem to offer it, and the commercials on T.V. didn’t suggest it as a shopping method. That has changed recently, and I am quite happy about it!
You see, it’s become part of our culture to shop-shop-shop. Retail therapy, they call it. Think about that statement. They want you to come and spend money to make yourself feel better. Is that the way we should be relieving stress/improving our mood? I don’t think so. It’s an instant gratification thing. We are like children with a shiny new toy…retail therapy! How ridiculous! Sounds like we’re simply encouraging ourselves to act like children. I think we should act like adults. Adults save up for things. They have delayed gratification. They don’t get retail therapy, they relieve stress by being with friends and family (or getting a REAL therapist, not one that doubles as a satchel purse and is called Louis Vuitton). This, is why I like lay-a-way. It allows people who don’t have the cash to pay for something all at once an option that doesn’t charge high interest and isn’t a credit card. As a bonus, you don’t get the merchandise until you pay for it in it’s entirety, so it teaches delayed gratification!
I should note that we don’t really use lay-a-way ourselves, because, as most of you know, we save up throughout the year to pay for the things we want. We have a Christmas category in our budget, that receives money each and every week. This ensures we will have the money that we have determined we want to spend on the holiday, in time for said holiday (and in case you’re wondering, we determine the amounts in all budget categories at our “new year new budget” committee meeting, held in January). If however, you haven’t been keeping up with your budget (and I really hope you have), then lay-a-way is the way to go for you. Just remember this phrase…I WILL NOT use credit cards on presents!
Tags: Budgeting, Financial planning, Personal responsibility, Shopping, Spending Money
