Different Money-Spending Styles
When my daughter was about five, she decided she wanted to spend her own money from her piggy bank. Happily we went off to the pony rides.
After the rides were over and her money was spent, Lauren said in horrified surprise: “I’ll never do that again! It’s all gone.”
How often I feel the same way! Uncannily, I’m sadder but not wiser. I spend money, and I’m surprised every time when it’s gone. “What happened to it? Where did it go?”
Now that my daughter is grown up, I realize that she and I have quite different money-spending styles. She knows how to spend money. I don’t. What I mean by that is she can go for quality whereas I seem to be impelled to go for bargain merchandise.
I have to tell you that most, if not all, of the belongings in my house were some kind of great bargain. My buying style seems to be: “Wow, look at all the money I’m saving!”
For too long, I didn’t ask myself the obvious questions: “What do I need this for? Do I need this? Do I have room for this?” It would seem I was going for more and more. I never said to myself, “Whoa, what do you think you are doing?”
Lauren can buy me an orange purse online for my birthday and spend a huge amount of money (like $60 or $80) in one fell swoop. She is generous.
I bought a $120.00 Beijo purse once for $1.38 at the Good Will. That’s the best I can do.
You will see a photo of the purse Lauren gave me below. Actually, you will see two pictures, for this orange purse is reversible! It can be turned inside out and become a gold purse!
In my shopping style, there is a thrill of the hunt going on for me and some inability to use common sense. You have no idea of the 25 and 50 cent and $1.00 bargains I have filling up drawers. “Why,” I ask God, “did you allow this? Couldn’t you have brought me to my senses sooner?”
Now, you may ask, what is that photo of a chandelier doing at the beginning of this entry? I will tell you.
Yesterday when Lauren and I and Jacqueline were at Home Depot in Cedar Rapids, we were there to get Lauren paint for her bedroom and a light fixture for her kitchen. Lauren came across a lighting fixture that she was instantly drawn to. I was drawn to it too. Only then did I notice that it was marked down in price!
There was only one like it left, and it was marked down from $144.00 to $17.42!!! Yes, that’s right’s right. $17.42. It wasn’t a store model. It was in its original unopened box. It’s really beautiful, and I’m glad that, once in a while, Lauren can find a good bargain too.
I, on the other hand, have sworn off bargains. And I mean it.
Godwriting is a blog by Gloria Wendroff and is about Gloria's daily life as the Godwriter of the Heavenletters project that is having a profound effect on the lives of people around the world.
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