The Pinch-in-the-Pocket

All around the country, people are feeling the pinch; not the Special K Pinch-an-Inch pinch (that's très passé) thanks to America's obsession on fitness, but the Pinch-in-the-Pocket pinch from the astronomical, gag-inducing rise in prices. Gas prices, groceries, clothing, utilities; you name it, the price is UP. And the sad news is that the people fortunate enough to have steady employment are not seeing a rise in their salaries. So what is a struggling American family to do?

Pinch those pennies!

I tried just that today; I went to Wal-Mart. I remember once upon a time when Pete and I were dating, Wal-Mart was a fun place to shop. We spent many late weekend nights perusing the aisles and dreaming of our future. Oh, to be young and newly in love...

Sad as it is, though, the Wal-Mart in my city has become a compendium for criminals. It's like a pow-wow for penny peons. Reports of purse snatching and petty theft appear quite regularly on the local news. I have had several friends experience this first hand. SO... nowadays when (and if) I go to Wal-Mart, I usually drag poor Pete along.

Only this time I went alone... don't worry! I grabbed a few essentials from my purse before I left the house- debit card, driver's license, phone, keys, sunglasses- and put them in a black creates-excessive-inches (but could pass as a concealed handgun) fanny pack. I usually wear it on trips to the zoo and other fun places. I was going to Wal-Mart after all. Surely it would be fun to visit my good ole stompin' ground.

Unfortunately, my olfactory nerves were probably scarred for life, thanks to that pungent... man?... riding around in a motorized shopping cart. As soon as he pulled up, everyone scattered like birds in a parking lot. At first I had flashbacks of walking past the trash cans at the fishing pier last week (très stinky), but then I remembered I was not having fun at the beach. Could I be in a day care full of soiled diapers that needed to be discarded? I had to wonder for a brief second. No, I was at Wal-Mart... woo-hoo! My shopping trip ended right then, at that very instance. I bolted to the check-out line forgetting about the Tide I left on the laundry aisle.

When I was locked safely inside my car, I felt a familiar pang come over me because of the amount of money I spent. I was there, so I needed to stock up on things, right? I didn't buy anything we didn't need, right? Everything just costs so much, right? (That's an example of the justification conversation I have between my ears when guilt sets in). Many of you can probably relate, it's just the way things are right now- inflated.

Over all, I had a good time at Wally-World Fun Park today (even the reeking-freak show was... different). I was inside the store for an hour-and-a-half. I spent way too much money. I experienced amusement, thrill and excitement. Interesting whiffs passed me by; bakery goodies, McDonald's and... you know.

Hmmm... maybe I don't have to go the fair; after all, we are pinching pennies.