What!?

And it is at this point that I wish I would have bookmarked this article because the rest of the story was as ridiculous as that last statement sounds. Can you believe that there are people out there crazy enough to think that they need to spend money to help kick start the economy? Listen everyone, it’s very simple – SAVE YOUR MONEY!

No, I’m not talking about putting all of your money under a mattress (though I actually know someone who does that). Spend your money on items that you need for you and your family, yes. But when it comes to big ticket items that you don’t need and might not be able to afford at this point in time – DON’T BUY THEM!

And for the love of God, don’t think that anyone needs to go out and spend money in an act of patriotism! Save your money. If you’re on an automatic investment plan like a 401k or an automatic stock purchasing plan, then if you feel comfortable with what you’ve got, continue to invest your money in that way. But good grief! Don’t think that it is our patriotic duty as Americans to go out and spend out money. That would be one of the dumbest moves that many Americans could make right now.

Think smart, then spend your money.

For weeks, reluctant consumers have forced retailers to lower their prices — and lower them again and again — before they even considered opening tight wallets and purses.

Consumers have every right to be cautious with their dollars! You can read the rest of the article (which is pretty good) at your leisure, but I loved that first sentence so much that I wanted to create an entry around it.

I’ve also been looking around in the post-Christmas shopping scene looking for some good deals. As I suggested in a previous post, the post-Christmas sales are the best time to store up on stuff for next year’s holiday. I spent $25 on a new Christmas tree at Target and about $25 at Wal-Mart on Christmas cards, bags, candles, blankets, and some other stuff for next December. All of this stuff was half-price so it was a pretty good deal.

But I haven’t found any major, big ticket items that I’ve wanted to purchase. So I wonder if anyone out there has seen anything like that in their travels. Have any of you seen a big “Black Friday” type deal in any of the post-Christmas sales? Better yet, did you buy whatever item caught your eye? I think that many people will be looking for these deals, finding them, and then opting not to spend their money on the big ticket item anyway.

Times are tough and, as if they didn’t already know it, retailers are in for a rocky 2009.