Finances & Money

Stop buying junk!

Unfortunately, this post may be a little too late for most of you this Christmas season, but there may still be hope for some.

Stop buying junk for other people! You may think you’re being a clever friend or relative by purchasing that stupid Hallmark Singing Penguin or singing Santa and Mrs. Claus, but what in the world are the recipients going to do with something like that?

I, personally, dislike anything whose sole purpose is to just sit there and try to look pretty, because I then need to buy some furniture to display it on or in. For example, I completed some offers to get a 42″ Plasma TV for $300 of my own cash (see an upcoming article on how I did that), but my wife wanted me to choose the $1000 Visa gift card instead. Why? Because we “needed” a curio cabinet to display all of our Precious Moments and other fanciful, festive, and fragile figurines. When I could be enjoying my Pittsburgh Steelers beating, well no one this year, or 7th Heaven and Gilmore Girls in high definition quality, I am now glancing at that large piece of furniture taking up a corner in a room we never use.

People, save your money and put it to good use. Instead of buying a far-from-lifelike and somewhat scary Joe Paterno figurine for your loved one, use it to pay down your debt. Put money towards your childrens’ education. Invest is a high-interest CD.

Anything except buying me junk that’s going to lie around in a stupid curio cabinet!

(Oh, for those who think that you’ve bought me junk, take it back and either don’t get me anything, or get me some dress socks and shirts)

Meet the new Grinch!