Rabid Black Friday Shoppers in Laramie, Wyoming

I guess it was inevitable. First there was Black Friday, which after the weekend was followed by Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday. Retailers love such intense concentrations of outgoing cash flow. I see as the inevitable result a Whacked Wednesday, meaning completely exhausted and presumably short of funds.

If you are a strong believer in sales, you will inevitably spend more money than you can afford on stuff that you will not likely use. Oh, you’ll get some real bargains—but will it be for things you actually need? I rather doubt that quite as much is spent on Giving Tuesday.

As Epictetus wrote some 1,900 years ago: “Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.” Unfortunately, it can take a lifetime to learn this.

So it goes.