I just saw another Walmart commercial talking about how layaway is back for Christmas. Who's pumped!?! Well at least 2,841 people who took a poll on about.com are excited along with the 829 who supported a Facebook campaign to bring it back to Walmart are. This is a pretty interesting move to get people spending more on the holidays.

In looking at the details, most layaway programs are not as much of a scam as I expected they would be: $5 fee + a refundable down payment (if you don't pay in full) and a $10 fee if you do cancel (see Walmart's layaway for an example).Yes spending an extra $5 does bug me, but there is a bigger problem here. If someone is looking into participating in this program, it means they really don't have the money to buy those things or they aren't saving enough to be in a good position to buy those things. In my opinion, the harsh reality is if that's the case, you shouldn't be buying those things.

My first thought was "shame on you Big Business for tempting and encouraging people to spend beyond their means." Somewhat oddly, the reality is that it is the customers who are fighting for these programs. Walmart, Sears, Kmart and Toys "R" Us had actually cancelled their layaway programs for the past years only to bring them back by popular demand (and due to the more prosperous economy) this year.

With unemployment at an all time high, personal debt through the roof, and a big crack down on credit, you would think people would want to cut back this year Instead they go petitioning for another way to buy something that doesn't fit into the budget. This may come off as a bit judge-y, but my point is actually more directed at encouraging us all to think about some aspects of the relationship between love, holidays, and money.

The holidays can be tough when it comes to the pressures of gift giving and holiday parties. The holiday season can end up getting really expensive, really fast. It doesn't help critical analysis of true need when big companies throw ginormous marketing budgets at playing up the joy of getting people tons of stuff. Even they're tugging on your heart strings, just like any other time of the year, we need to make sure we aren't over-extending ourselves.

Instead of focusing on materialism this year, I say grab a metal pole and get ready for airing grievances followed by challenging feats of strength. It's time for Festivus!

Lazy Bum is Mike DeHart- borderline obsessed with new media and harnessing emerging technologies to make people's lives easier and more cost effective. With an urge to one day retire and open up a half baked dessert shoppe, old Italian style pizza place (the rectangular kind with the thick crust) or maybe both under the same roof; he's learning all he can about personal finance and savings all while keeping up with the Jones' in the online world. Spelling and sometimes homonyms tend to become afterthoughts for Mike and if caught should be swept under the virtual rug. Mike is also passionate about socially responsible businesses and you can read more about that at FromDeHart.com.