False Economy

People that camp out for days for the Black Friday sales really make me chuckle.  They all talk about how much money they will be saving by sleeping in a tent for four days waiting for a store to open.  Let me see if I understand correctly.  You took four days of vacation, whatever that is worth, to sit in a tent to save maybe a $100, or get one of 10 televisions at some ridiculous price.  You gave up 96 hours of your life plus travel time and gas to get to the store to camp out.  Let’s just say you make $10 an hour, you spent $960 worth of your wage time, plus about $20 in travel time, and probably $20 in gas.  Now you are a $1,000 in on an event that will save you maybe $100 to $150, which makes you $850 in the hole if you consider the all in costs.  Is my math correct? 

Time is one thing in life that cannot be recreated or replaced.  When it is gone, it is gone.  Would you rather be spending quality time with the people in your life, or sitting on the sidewalk waiting to get a so-called deal on a television?  It takes on a little different complexion when you look at it from a different angle.  I don’t know about you, but I would spend $850 to get 96 hours of my life back.