It’s time to reflect on all the tempting deals that I managed to ignore this shopping season and to learn from those that seduced me.

Here’s what I’ve learned. It is far cheaper to be seduced quickly than to drag it out. As Oscar Wilde explains in The Picture of Dorian Gray, “the only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing.”

Exactly! I resisted but could not stop longing. And so I wasted endless hours reading reviews and searching for better deals and bigger discounts. So much for opportunity cost. The opportunity to earn much more money in the time so wasted and the cost of not spending more time with family and friends.

From now on I will not squander precious time to save a few measly bucks. This year I plan to be seduced quickly. Try me.

Welcome to my side of the nonsense divide.