LAY-A-WAY

My friend told me she put something on lay-a-way the other day, but made me swear I wouldn't tell anyone. She was embarrased. When we were kids we always knew where the lay-a-way counter was. It was part of life. My mom would go to the store, find some clothes for us, then put it on lay-a-way. She didn't have a credit card and she didn't have the cash, so why not make payments on it.

I hadn't thought of that concept in a very long time until my friend brought it up. There used to be a story in McAllen called Anthony's. That's where my mom would do all of our shopping. We had shorts on lay-a-way, shoes, shirts, pants (husky for my brother, slim for me), and anything else we needed. I know she would go in and give $10 or $20 every week, until we got our stuff. It just seems like such a hassle though, but I think most places don't charge you any interest, so it's better than a credit card. I'm not sure what the terms are now.

However, I'd rather use my credit card, which award me points now. No lay-a-way plan for me.