Buy me, buy me, buy me!

Ah, 'tis the Christmas season - the time when retailers try to outdo each other with gimmicks designed to lure consumers to buy their product. "50% off," one sign advertises, while another practically screams, "75-80% off!" "Buy 1, Get 1 free," "Buy 1, get 1 half price," "Buy 1, get...." The varieties are endless, as are the sales. Even when shopping on the Internet, one is bombarded by advertisements designed to whet the appetite for "more, more, more." I was researching more furniture - a wardrobe or armoire this time. Our MBR is small, and Mr. Incredible and I could REALLY use more storage space for our clothes. I visited several different sites, including Coaster Furniture. They were offering free shipping on select lines of furniture while another site offered discounted shipping on all items. Just viewing the offers and promotions made me feel anxious and caused my blood pressure to rise. I wasn't even seriously shopping, and I felt that greed to score the best deal! Often, we end up caving under the pressure of getting a "great deal" and max out our credit cards, feeling the repercussions months and sometimes years later. During this holiday season, I wish we would all shop smarter: use cash if at all possible; have a budget in place before you go shopping; refrain from buying extra gifts simply because they are on sale; have a list prior to shopping - all these are choices we can make that will free us from the "gotta have more" syndrome so prevalent this time of year. Here's to a Merry (and debt-free) Christmas for all!