Stardate: -317905.69

Having been informed by my mom that I need to be well-dressed for my older sister's wedding (I was actually planning on going in cords and a tie-dye shirt, but I guess I'll have to ditch that plan), and having been reluctantly coaxed to go along with her and my two younger brothers to shop for that purpose on Black Friday morning, I found myself standing in JCPenney's amid rows of suit jackets, all marked down, and all still out of my price range. Granted, my mom did say that she would pay for it. But even so, paying $80 or $100 for one piece of clothing really bothers me.

Why? Maybe because I'm cheap. Maybe because I've met too many homeless people, and even given the jacket off my back to one of them, and my gloves to another. Maybe because I spent my Christmas break last year in a small town in Mississippi in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and had my consumer priorities rewritten again.

True, I do need a black suit jacket, even if the word "need" is relative. But I've got to be able to find one for $50 or less. Gosh, even if it cost "only" $50, it might still be the most expensive piece of clothing I've ever worn.

I'm not against spending money; I'll spend a great deal of time in my life earning it, and I've got to do something with it. God says to give 10% to him, and be generous with the rest. But if spending less of my money (or someone else's) on myself helps me to be more generous in attitude and in practicality, then by all means, call me cheap and you're completely right.

And when I do have a black suit jacket, and I know someone who needs one, I won't hesitate at all to give it to them. (Don't worry, Mom, I'll wait until after the wedding.)