I remember as a child going to the shoe store with a small cardboard payment book and putting 25 cents on our account and licking S&H green stamps to put into a book to purchase something at the S&H store.

My brothers and I had little growing up because the family had little to spare. Nothing was bought on credit. We were taught at home that if we wanted something the way to get is was to work and save for it.

Mrs. Gnu and I have 4 boys between us and only one learned the lesson that we tried to instill in them. What went wrong? I guess peer pressure, bad examples from friends and endless marketing in print, radio, and TV. I guess we led them to water and they still didn't drink?

We haven't quit trying to turn them around and we think that two more might have seen the light, after being in finance trouble that is.