Shopping...

I went shopping at 2:30 p.m. today. I got butter, milk, peanut butter, eggs, two boxes of cereal and some sponges. That's it, and the store was not even busy.

I don't get Black Friday. The last time I went shopping the day after Thanksgiving was exactly 14 years ago. Jake was in a stroller and I spent breakfast, lunch and dinner at the mall with Jake's grandma and aunt (my ex's family). I spent zero $$ as we were broker than broke and watched as they shopped and shopped. I've never set foot in a mall on Black Friday since. I've never even purchased presents on Black Friday.

I have a co-worker who gets very excited about it. He and his wife scour the ads and set up a game plan as to who is going where. I told him just this Wednesday that I did not understand it. Why is he all excited about getting a tv for sale, when he has 3 already? Or the really cheap laptop, when last year, he camped out for another really cheap laptop? I told our boss that for me, if I'm buying a major item, it has to be a need, not a want. Like when the washing machine died last spring.

During a drive somewhere last weekend, David asked "If we see a flat panel/screen tv for less than a thousand, can we buy it?" and crickets chirped. "Are you crazy??" I finally said. He actually had a confused look on his face. Under a thousand, la di da, we must be rich.

A NEED is like today, when I had the septic tank company come over (love them, by the way, for not charging extra for same day service) to empty our tank. As our washer upstairs would empty, or a person took an upstairs shower, I could hear either the toilet downstairs or sink downstairs go "gloooop gloooop gloooop." I knew water was having problems getting out. I called them today, they came out today , the guy was super cool and said "You were smart to call us now. It was right on the verge of back-flowing into the house." That need was $189.00 and we had the "need" money for it.

Last year, I asked to draw names for the adults but no one else wanted to. We bought for us and the kids. The end, no one else. As did two of my sisters and their families. Financially, I was not interested in going into debt to buy gifts for everyone. We have always paid cash for Christmas and last year was tight enough for me to say no.

This year? We have not made the choice yet. The lists are out there, but we haven't made up our minds.