Editor’s note: The wife of a soldier, Joselynn McKenna has agreed to restart the Courier’s military spouse column. This is her second offering. Let us know how you think she does: editor@coastalcourier.com. Also contact us if you have a subject you’d like for her to tackle.
I’m a sucker for a good sales pitch. When walking through the mall, those smooth talking salesmen in the kiosk booths with their miracle working lotions and fancy new gadgets get my attention every time.
My usual excuse for not buying is the truth: I can’t afford it.
But when walking through the mall with my husband, those salesmen sing a different song. “You can afford it,” they argue. “We’ll break it up into monthly payments. No credit check necessary.”
I swear they can spot the high and tight from a mile away. To them, it looks like a steady income and a military guarantee of repayment.
They present automatic withdrawal as a convenient feature, when really it’s their way of knowing they get paid before we spend the money elsewhere. Plus, the military will garnish your wages if a payment is somehow missed. That’s what the fine print of the laptop contract said. They’re not being nice; they’re being smart.
Sometimes monthly payments seem far less intimidating than a lump sum. But if they’re being smart, I should be, too. That affordable monthly expense spread over five years can make the price of that laptop equal to the price of that used car we’ve been wanting.
Once I started asking what the total price would be and compared that to similar products, instead of acting on impulse, it was easier to determine if being military was really an advantage or just a way to be used.
I’m a sucker for a good sales pitch. When walking through the mall, those smooth talking salesmen in the kiosk booths with their miracle working lotions and fancy new gadgets get my attention every time.
My usual excuse for not buying is the truth: I can’t afford it.
But when walking through the mall with my husband, those salesmen sing a different song. “You can afford it,” they argue. “We’ll break it up into monthly payments. No credit check necessary.”
I swear they can spot the high and tight from a mile away. To them, it looks like a steady income and a military guarantee of repayment.
They present automatic withdrawal as a convenient feature, when really it’s their way of knowing they get paid before we spend the money elsewhere. Plus, the military will garnish your wages if a payment is somehow missed. That’s what the fine print of the laptop contract said. They’re not being nice; they’re being smart.
Sometimes monthly payments seem far less intimidating than a lump sum. But if they’re being smart, I should be, too. That affordable monthly expense spread over five years can make the price of that laptop equal to the price of that used car we’ve been wanting.
Once I started asking what the total price would be and compared that to similar products, instead of acting on impulse, it was easier to determine if being military was really an advantage or just a way to be used.