September 18, 2012 (Tuesday)
My sympathies to the family of Rosezell Feldser, who passed away yesterday. She was a successful Corpus Christi business woman. As soon as I saw her name among the Obituaries I recalled the T.V. commercials of her late husband, Les Feldser. While today’s commercials leave me wondering sometimes what they are trying to sell, there was no doubt with the Les Feldser spot: A little jingle, repeated every time, “If you didn’t buy it from Les Feldser, then you paid too much.” Must have been a good commercial, because I hear him singing it in my mind these many years later.
I ran across an article today that suggests you not buy certain things in September. If you buy these things during this month, you will “pay too much.” What are those things? Well, according to the writer, Mark Di Vincenzo, at the top of the list is 2013 cars. If you want a bargain in September, buy a 2012 model. Don’t buy a T.V. this month; wait until “Black Friday” for a good deal. On the “Don’t Buy in September” list are also fall fashions, cell phones, backpacks, and diamonds.
I’m not much of a haggler when it comes to buying things. Wanda was really good when it came to finding bargains. She bought the best stuff, but nearly always paid the lowest prices. And when it came to feeding (and clothing) a family of seven on a modest salary years ago, she was the best. I never went to the grocery store with her, because I wanted to buy “no-no’s” that were no bargains and were items we could well do without. She was never tempted. She always got the most for her money in the store.
Hers was an art seldom practiced by many people. She knew how to cook from “scratch,” but the items I buy today have “fully cooked” printed on the package. One of my favorite meals is a baloney sandwich. When I chomp down on mine, I say to myself, “Eat your heart out, Subway!”
Oh, I almost forgot to sermonize. Here it is. Jesus told us that if you have to pay for what you want at the price of your soul, you pay too much. He said, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul” (Mark 8:36 NIV)? That’s definitely no bargain.