Stop the Madness

Lately I have spent a lot of time with some ladies who...how do I say this nicely?...seem to have more money than sense. You know the ones. They attend all these home parties that sell different nonsense. They not only attend, they buy mass quantities of this stuff and then decide to sell it themselves which leads to even more parties where they buy even more stuff. It seems they all eventually get bored with whatever they are selling and then move on to the next thing.

This is not a post in judgement of these women. It is a serious inquiry. I am desperate to know how these purchases are justified...if only in their own mind. For example, several years ago the big thing was pricey baskets. (I was a single, working mom at the time so no one invited me to these parties. Thank God.) I had an aunt who became obsessed with these friggin baskets. She had them everywhere. Here's my question. When you buy one or a dozen baskets that cost 300% more than any basket should reasonably cost, what are you thinking? Do you just love the basket and really what business it it of mine how you spend your money? Do you think you are going to create an heirloom? Are you planning to leave them to your kids? Because honestly investing that money in a pitiful savings account would have been a much better idea.

It seems the baskets were followed by a candle party craze. I missed that one entirely. This was followed by the scapbook, card making phenomenon that entranced every woman with the ability to take photos. I have nothing against scrapbooking or cardmaking. A lot of my friends love it. I have just always been too cheap to pay good money for...paper. The newest one I have been introduced to is embroidered bags. Even my 13 year old child was invited to one of these. The brochure features a backpack that you can get your initials embroidered on. It costs 86 dollars.

86 DOLLARS!?!?!?

Again, I am really not trying to be ugly here but who in their right mind pays 86 bucks for a backpack? I mean these parties are marketed toward the middle class. This is not some silly thing that Manhattan socialites are doing. This is targeted toward women who, in my experience, would normally be very prudent with their family finances. What is it about the idea of a 'party' that sends this type of woman off the deep end? Is it just peer pressure? And, if so, can we please stop it? I'm just wondering how many women are out there fighting with their husbands over money spent on cooking stones that they never use or paying high interest credit card rates on baskets they sold at a yard sale.

I'm just gonna stick with what I do best. Wasting Kevin's money on exercise equipment and diet programs.