Christmas Sales

or I Had Self Control (this time).

We usually travel after Christmas to visit family, but this year we stayed put. Do you know what that meant? I was able to take advantage of post Christmas sales. I got up early Wednesday morning hoping to get a good deal on a few Christmas things we were getting low on. I left the house with a certain excitement at the prospect of finding some really good bargins. The first store was crowded, but the selection was good. I found some suitable wrapping paper and a couple of other things we could use. I also managed to remember to buy the toothpaste that we were almost out of. However there was no Christmas stationery we needed, so onto the next store.

By this time, I was starting to get pressed for time since I had to be at work soon. Also, it had started to snow and I didn't want to be out on slippery roads. I hurried into the store and went straight for the cards and stationery. I found some paper that would work and proceeded to the checkout. While waiting in line, I noticed what the woman in front of me was buying. She had several rolls of aluminum foil, many boxes of zip lock bags, and lots of Goldfish among other things. She said she was a teacher and could use all of these things in her classroom and they were all 50% off. Another thrill of excitement swept over me. Should go back and try to find more of the practical items she was buying and be a little late for work and risk the roads? Or should I stick with what I had? What to do? What to do?

I'm proud to say that I have a plan for each of these items.

In the end, I stayed in line and just bought what I had in hand. I reasoned that we had foil and bags at home and didn't need anymore right now. And if I went back to find them, I would certainly buy something I didn't need but looked good. Then, where would be the savings? But, boy, I did miss the thrill of the hunt and the satisfaction of the capture I would have had if I'd gone back.

 

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But Wait, There's More:

--Most of my decision not to go back was based on my favorite way to save money—stay out of the stores.

--The roads were slick when I left the store. I slipped a couple of times, but luckily I was not held up by any fender benders.

--We don't use much wrapping paper around here as we reuse a lot of gift bags. The family joke is that we look for a bag that already has the right tag on it from years past. However, we like to have some paper on hand for special gifts.