It's way too easy to get yourself into a buttload of trouble with a credit card. That's why I never wanted one.

The jar set aside for a little bit of money here and there is a good common sense idea, but not so much when I need it now.

When I asked Walmart about the layaway they told me that if I didn't want to get the credit card, I could always get a gift card and put money on it, like I would be making a layaway payment. So that's what I did. Any extra money I had, went on the gift card. I now have almost $600 on the card, so this Christmas won't be so hard to handle.

I so agree with the credit card thing I have two. My EX believed that having credit card meant he could spend forever. It took me almost 2 years to pay off over 18,000 in credit card debt. I have them since I travel so much in Canada and a debit isn't always accepted. I keep them with a zero balance at all times.
The other thing you might look into if you can afford it is 90 days same as cash. I know out little furniture store does that here not sure where you live and how remote. I know I got a great deal on plasma wall mount t.v. last fall at costco I think I paid all of 700 for it. I know there must be better deals down south than up here.

That's true. A guy I work with buys all of his electronics from Sam's Club cause it's always cheaper then buying from the regular Walmart stores.

Best buy has televisions for under $100 dollars and they have built in DVD players.

Many places sell used televisions for under $200.

Try those.

This TV would be for my living room, so it needs to have a larger screen than 6 inches, but I appreciate the suggestion.

We do not have a Kmart in my town either but my Mother still goes to Kmart and places Christmas items in layaway. Instead of driving back and forth to make payments you can also mail the payment. You might wanna look into that.

It's all perspective, man!

Trust me, you CAN live without a TV...I did for years before I had kids, and would continue to do so if I did not have children.

I never did the layaway thing: If I can't afford it now...or in a month...I can't afford it, simple mathematics.

I have one credit card for credit purposes only. I only charge on it once in a blue moon when I know I can pay it off without interest fees the next month.

It's called "living within your means". Just ask yourself: Can I live without it..really? Can I? If the answer is yes, then do it, and buy "it" when you can afford "it".

Really! Interesting! I didn't know that could be done. Thanks for the suggestion! I thought it had to be done in person.

Like somebody suggested before, how does one go about buying a bunch of presents for kids without them finding out? Many gifts are expensive, especially those for kids. Moreover, if one could afford to buy them outright, where could they be stashed so they wouldn't be found, especially if you live in a smaller house?

I guess I just think it would be more lucrative to businesses to start up the layaway processes again. If not for the businesses, then definitely for the customers.

JMO

If you have a Circuit City then run there quick. They just filed for bankruptcy and they have stuff on some serious sale.

I do practice living within my means. However, some things you just cannot compromise on. Like Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. Some people have no problem not having a TV. Others need one. Everybody has their own vices.

If I can find a spare few hours, then that's worth looking into. The closest Circuit City to me is 72 miles away.

I agree. Our Walmart isn't a Superstore, so we weren't losing any money with the layaway. But unfortunately, we had to do what the big guys said. It really put a hurting on people in my town, cause just about everybody here lives paycheck to paycheck and the layaway was about the only way they could do the Christmas thing.

As far as hiding the presents, I got a neighbor who is single and has a spare bedroom, so those of us with kids are hiding the presents at his apartment. And the kids have no clue.

I'm using a layaway this holiday season for 2 items (one I actually did this summer and one's in there now.) Makes the purchase less "painful" and no credit card debt...
Smart!

Clever!

Point taken...as my youngest would likely slit his wrists without Kraft Mac & Cheeze!

But, really? Would it kill you living without a TV, Music?

Sure, the withdrawal for a few days/months may suck...but, could you live? I think you may be surprised at how easily you could live WITHOUT it, man. Especially with the internet at your fingertips...anything you can find on the tube, is easily accessible via the net...and FREE!

TV - no...
Music? Quite possibly~

Well, not everything, unfortunately. Couple that with living alone, especially during the winter months....I'd go stir crazy. Summertime, I suppose, wouldn't be so bad because I'm not in the house much. By the same token, work/money is easier to come by than it is in this time of year, so it wouldn't be such a pain to replace it.

Kinda like, the only time your car breaks down is on a Saturday night in the middle of nowhere with no cell reception, and you can't even get the car fixed until Monday. Y'know?

As a Wal-Mart associate (floor stocker, not management) I got to see what happened when we discontinued layaway. Our sales and profits both went up more than projected for that year. We don't have the headache of having to replace the stuff that gets damaged (it's bad enough when it's unloaded the first time, storage is murder on it) broken, don't have to keep someone back there all day waiting for people to come by.


I like Rains idea of keeping a layaway jar, because prices really will drop during the shopping season, and you might catch a good model on clearance when the new ones come in next year.

Another bonus of the jar is if something comes up and you need the money, you can use it and it's not tied up in the layaway.

My kids are like the present Nazi's...no peeking, no snooping and heaven forbid if you dare to rearrange the gifts under the tree cuz you might accidentally hear a rattle or guess something!

I told them a story about ruining a surprise for myself at Christmas when I was a kid and they took it to SERIOUS heart!

Funny!