Drunk with Consumerism

I posted this last November around this time on my other blog: Christian Homekeeper. It seemed like America still needs to hear the same message and I could use the reminder also lol.

Well it's "Black Friday" and most Americans were shopping today (except me lol). I looked online for a few deals I wanted but they were gone before I could even click on them to purchase! I saw so many deals for my daughter and photo printers for $10 that I felt that uneasy feeling in my stomach, that I refer to as the monster.

"What do you mean monster?" you may be saying. The monster of wanting to put things on a credit card. The "oh I will pay it off later.......this is just too good of a deal to pass up right now!" The one that subjects you to the chains of debt. However, thank the Lord the words rang through my mind of lessons learned in recent years.....If you can't afford it, don't buy it!

How many people today whipped out the plastic? How many got drunk with consumerism today? I looked on a few news websites today to see what I expected to see: people getting into fights over deals, shoving each other, mass crowds lined up for hours to buy buy BUY!!!!! I gotta have it! I gotta get it! GIVE ME GIVE ME!

One of the saddest pictures I saw of this whole ordeal today was one of a small toddler asleep and slung over his mother's arm while she shopped and shopped and shopped, all the while ignoring the fact that her baby could use a nice bed! Chances are she woke him early from his bed to start the spending spree, caring for who?? Herself? The deals? Surely not her child.......

Well I will "try" and step off my soapbox now. I refuse to give into the mad rush of buying, most doing it on credit cards and piling up debt and pulling the chains of their slavery even tighter. Charge it!

My question is, What Would Jesus Do? Could you really see Jesus rushing into a store pushing others in a mad frenzy to get a deal? Nah, I didn't think so either. Can you hear Jesus saying "Charge it!?"

FYI: Mastercard reported their customers alone were spending 20 BILLION dollars TODAY!! Guess who is happy today? Can you say MASTER CARD?? =0 As Pastor Davis said in one of his classes: You are stupid if you pay interest! There is a lot of stupid people huh?

I saw a picture of 1 guy paying with CASH! It was so odd that they videoed it and put it on a clip online HA!!!!! I say for that guy YOU GO!! Way to only buy something you CAN AFFORD! ; )

"Oh wait....how are we going to afford to pay for all this stuff we put on the credit card today dear?" "Why honey, you can just get a job and put the kids in daycare.....!" "What a great idea, let someone else raise my kids so I can go work to have MORE STUFF!"

Free Christina Aguilera Perfume Sample

Get a free sample of Christian Aguilera's new perfume "Inspire" by clicking on the link below, you will recieve an email confirming your free sample is on the way.  Enjoy!

http://www.christina-aguilera-perfumes.com/us/sample

My Couponing Experience

The past 2 months, I've been couponing and I got the same result as I have had in the past:  I spend MORE money a month than I normally would.  Yes, I may have gotten 10 boxes of instant oatmeal for 57 cents each and Kellogg's cereal at $1 a box and $1 off here, another 50 cents there but in the end......I spent more on groceries this month than I have in a very long time!

I only spend $80 a month on groceries a month for my family of 3.  However, with couponing, I'm buying stuff I don't really need and wouldn't have bought.  For instance, we have a large 50 pounds bag of oats that I make oatmeal with.  I don't normally buy the instant oatmeal but because of the coupons I did.  Most of the time coupons are for processed foods, which we don't eat normally.  When have you seen a coupon for something natural and not packaged up?  I mean most of the coupons are for boxed muffin mixes, canned this and that, cereals, etc.

So, with that being said, I think my best deals from coupons comes from Walgreen's and that is primarily just toiletries, not grocery items.  Savings on toothpaste, shampoo and such like are great and coupons in that instance are a great use of my money.

Also, even though all the couponing work had been done for me online, I still had to print the coupons, clip them, organize them and then at the store go through massive piles of them and on and on.  Then I walk out of there spending more money a month then normal and my cart full of processed items.  That's not a deal to me.

I can see using the occasional deal and coupons for shampoo and things I normally buy but why would I spend each week doing this massive coupon hunt when I can feed my family already WITHOUT coupons on $80 a month!?

For the time this next month, I would have spent getting the coupon deals, I'm going to enjoy my extra money that I'm not spending on my coupon deals and get me a Starbuck's coffee or a book lol. =0

Giveaway

In celebration of my new website address for my other blog, I'm doing a giveaway over there, go check it out!


http://www.christianhomekeeping.com/2008/11/celebration-giveaway.html

Benefiber Free Sample

Get a free sample of Benefiber here:

http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid56908.aspx

Also, make sure to check Wal-mart's free sample page often to get the free samples they offer. There are several more but I didn't want to post them all, you can go check it out for yourself and bookmark the page to check twice a month:

http://walmart.triaddigital.com/In-Stores-Now-free-samples.aspx

NutraSweet Swirl Freebie

Get a free sample of the New NutraSweet Swirl here:

http://www.nutrasweetswirl.com/

Vote and Get Krispy Kreme Donut Free!

Not only will you get free Starbuck's coffee for voting on Nov. 4th but you can get a free Krispy Kreme donut too! Just show them your "I Voted" sticker on Nov 4th for your free donut!

Vote and Get Free Starbuck's Coffee!

You may have heard by now, but in case you haven't:

If you vote on November 4th, just go to your local Starbuck's and tell them you voted and you will get a free Tall brewed coffee! So get out there and vote for McCain of course! ;) Then go grab that cup of joe!