This Giving Season Takes Us Back To Layaways, Frugality: "My mother financed all of her Christmases this way, back in the day before everyone who walked and breathed had a Visa card. I admit I've never used it myself. I prefer charging and then paying off the bill each month.

But using credit presents two problems. It's easier to spend more money when you pay with plastic, rather than cold, hard cash. Plus, you have to have the willpower to pay off the bills before you end up owing more in finance charges than your original purchases were worth. Layaway is also a good exercise for developing a tolerance for delayed gratification. My generation once had such restraint, but we've largely forgotten it. Succeeding generations never had a chance to learn."

Um, I'm thinking Liz Soares (the columnist) must be either a Boomer or an X-er (like me), to which I have ask: When did those generations ever have the restraint of delayed-gratification?