Christmas On A Budget

Christmas isn't that far away. So, with the season upon us, and some of us with a limited budget, what to do? I do not shop on Black Friday either. First off, I'm food drunk the day before, so hungover from it on that day. Secondly, I'm also tired from all the cooking and socializiing. So, what is a girl to do? Hmm... Layaway. Some of you remember layaway, some of you do not.
Layway is basically this. You go shopping, but only have a limited amount of cash available. You put a small amount down on your purchase, and usually have to pay a small fee. The store then holds your merchandise, giving you a limited amount of time, say a month to three months, to pay the amount off. There can be a restocking fee also charged, but when you pay off your layaway items, you do get that back.
Wal-Mart used to have layaway. They did away with that program though about 2 years ago. But, K-Mart, Goodies, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, and Burlington Coat Factory are some of the stores that do have layaway. And, these stores have reported a large increase in their sales due to their layaway programs.
When my boys were little, we used layaway frequently. It was a great way to buy the gifts for them that we otherwised wouldn't be able to afford. Like all the game consols and accompanying games and accesories we've bought them through the years.
I also used it for school clothes and supples. I could start in June, and by the time school started, I had them outfitted and well suppled. I always saved shoes and pants for last. Darn kids had an awful way of growing over night on me. And it always seemed as if they did the most growing over the summer. Otherwise, we'd end up with pants and shoes considerabley too small!
This morning I read about a website called, ELayaway. Now, I've never used it, or even visited this site, so I only know what I read about it. Here's how it works. Elayaway has contracted with more than 1,000 local merchants across the country. For a fee of either 1.9% or a flat fee of $8.95, they will put merchandise on layaway for you with these merchants. Sounds like the trick is to figure out which fee will be the cheapest for you. So break out with the calculator...Ha Ha!
There can be a drawback to this though. The only payment option is a direct debit from your bank account. If you don't have the money at the time to cover it, you will be hit with overdraft charges, beware of that before hand.