I put two items on lay-away the other day at the Daffys store on 57thstreet and after trying to get over the initial shame that I felt while lightly uttering the words ‘lay away please’ to the cashier. I wondered to myself, where did the shame come from? I believe that my shame came from the fact that I was at a discount store, and times are so hard that I need to pay a discount off in installments. Or maybe my shame come from the fact that old school lay away is thought of as ‘ghetto.’ Although, I do believe that I have one foot in the 'hood and another foot on the imaginary runway that I strut in my head every day. I guess, that would make me ghetto-chic or at the least, ghetto-wanna-be-chic. I will admit that I did not feel pride at that moment.
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But once I walked out of the store, I felt exhilarated all over again because I was saving money by just paying down on my debt instead of adding to my debt. I also had the added bonus of not paying credit card interest rates and finance charges. And now, I see that lay-away is back and so many stores offer lay-away as a payment option so there is no need to be embarrassed--just ask. And we can all enjoy the feeling of being debt free without depriving ourselves of the latest gadgets and clothes.
So, I decided that I ‘needed’ an iPod touch, so I went to this website called elayaway.com and I saw that I could get an iPod touch for $299, which breaks down to about $50 per month but it has to be paid off in twelve months. Then I told my sisters about the plan and they decided to my delight to kick in two payment as a birthday gift. And shipping is included in most orders, so I am happy with my iPod touch listening to Leona Lewis on the subway. Lay-away better be here to stay because it is a part of my world—for life.
For more info: photo cc of nobihaya
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