“The Freezer Chronicles”

Jason & I have been saving up for a nice upright freezer for some time now. Basically, I’m tired of being so busy after work. After work I usually find myself in a frenzy of appointments & stops to be made before I go home. Those appointments often consist of the chiropractor, allergy clinic, hair appointments, grocery store, & whatever else has taken priority. By the time I get home to start dinner & do homework, I’m usually ready to fall over.

In an effort to minimize grocery store stops we purchased a membership to Sam’s Club at the beginning of August. Our goal was to purchase as much as we could for the month & then only buy veggies or fresh fruits weekly as needed. We’ve been contemplating buying a nice freezer for some time now & getting the Sam’s membership really made our choice for us. We did spend half of our monthly budget on food at the beginning of the month & it took a few hours along with a trip to Sam’s out of our time.

This has already been a great choice for us because last week the only item I stopped for on the way home was milk & I did not have to go out of my way thanks to the Dollar General on the way home. I was able to go straight home more days than not & get started on my homework before my husband came home.

Yesterday we purchased our freezer sort of on a whim. Jason & I both discuss large purchases for a long time before buying. With all the Labor Day sales in effect we decided sort of last minute to stop at Sears to check their freezers out. We found one we liked for $450 plus tax with free next day delivery. It was basic & did nothing except freeze food. However, for Sears card holders they were offering another 5% off the purchase.

I love to bargain. I love to negotiate. I’m my dad made over when it comes to sales & my favorite job ever was a sales position. I will nearly always ask for a better bargain & I will walk away when I don’t feel I’ve been given a fair price. Yesterday I asked the Sears salesman if he would be willing to drop 5% for me if I pay in cash & take the freezer today. Right now. Presto & you’ve made a sale.

He said no. I asked him if the manager would be willing to talk to me. He said no. Eh, no big deal to me. I don’t need the commission & there’s no harm in asking. But then he said something that really surprised me. He said, “Cash doesn’t talk like it used to.” Then he offered to open a credit card for me. I was nice but I was firm when I said, “That’s not going to happen.” He then tried to give me a good reason for opening the credit card…the coveted 5% off. I said, “I’m not interested in giving Sears more money than this freezer is worth.”

He was nice & we were nice. But we weren’t budging. So off we went to Lowe’s where I’ve always had incredible customer service. They seem to appreciate my money no matter what form it comes in. We found a better model freezer with a digital thermostat & a locking feature for $428 with 10% off & free delivery was included. By the time everything was said & done with we had purchased the freezer for $412 tax & all. Lowe’s also attempted to offer me a credit card & I told him that we were paying with cash.

I learned yesterday that cash may not talk everywhere. But that’s not what is important. Cash talks to ME. It’s freedom baby & I like it. Paying with cash yesterday was a great feeling & today we’re not anyone’s slave. (Proverbs 22:7) We worked hard to save & we met our goal. We didn’t prematurely buy it before we could afford it.

I’m not belittling anyone who has had to open an account to make such purchases. Lowe’s saved my bacon a couple of years ago by issuing me a card when I was single & badly needed a water heater. But now things are different. The emergency fund is in place, we are working on our savings account, & we are living below our means. We plan now for things we need later instead of spending money tomorrow for purchases we made today.

My cash is talking & I like what it says. :)

Nevertheless ~