Black Friday Warriors

PHOTO: Don't you just love the crazy Target Lady?

THE LULU CHRONICLES

The good news? The turkey and dressing are all gone and there’s just a smidge of cranberry sauce left. The bad news? We’re out of whipped cream. I love whipped cream. I could smear it on anything and be a happy woman. But alas, it’s time to get off the holiday eating high and embrace raw carrots and broccoli. Besides, Christmas is just around the corner… and more whipped cream.

So, did you do your part? On Black Friday were you one of the millions who contributed to our economy by standing in a mile long line for a door buster item? Where were you on Black Friday at 2 a.m.? Were you sleeping or racing down an aisle in Wal-Mart to be one of the lucky ones to snatch a couple pairs of those four-dollar jammies? I am proud to announce that the Cleveland Women were among the mighty. My daughters-in-law rose at 2:30 a.m. and had a Blu-ray player snuggly tucked in their shopping cart by 3 a.m.

I was a little wussier than the younger Cleveland gals, but met up with them by 7 a.m. to join in the hunt. What a day of giggles and triumph. I can hardly think of anything more satisfying then slapping a $10 Off coupon onto the counter next to a purchase that was already marked 60% off. I felt myself morphing into a Black Friday Guru. It was heady stuff. It wasn’t like I was facing down a diabolical enemy set on destroying the world as we know it. But I did save my family a couple of bucks, and in this economy, bagging a bargain isn’t too shabby, is it?

I was a young mother in the 1980s during our last recession. I hardly noticed it. We were living in a one hundred year old house that looked it’s age, still using wooden crates for end tables and could still get out of the grocery store on a fifty dollar bill.

This recession is different. I have more to lose. I’m not sure if that is good or bad, but what I do know is that I have to constantly be checking my ‘want-er’ against my ‘need-er’. Just because I want it, doesn’t mean I need it. Tough times require tough choices. Keeping it simple, being discriminating, and being a good steward has never been more important. Good luck to you as you patrol the aisles. Never be afraid of a bargain, or of walking away if you have second thoughts.

You know what LuLu would say, right? “If it ain’t pink and/or takes you to a better place, pass it on by.”

Later,

deb