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The Little Red Coat by Nikki Willhite Once upon a time there was a woman who really needed a new coat. Her old coat was very shabby, and it was causing her a great deal of embarrassment. However, the lady was very frugal, and did not want to spend the money to buy a new coat. She kept wearing the old, shabby coat until one day she could no longer bear to put it on. It was time to buy a new coat.  She would wait until the end of winter, when no one else was buying coats, and then she would find a coat at a frugal, clearance price. It was a good plan, but the lady made a miscalculation. She waited too long. By the time she went to the store, the coats were all gone. She looked and looked, but all she could find were a few black and beige trench coats.  She wasn't about to spend money on something she didn't like. On a lark, the lady went into the most forbidden of stores. She never knew whether to laugh or cry when she looked at the price tags in that store. However, since there was no place left to look, she entered the doors and hoped for a miracle. As she got off the escalator, and turned the corner, what should she see but the cutest little red coat. It wasn't bright red- more of a delicious cranberry color, and it had the cutest little ruffle on the bodice. She walked straight to the coat and stared at it. She saw immediately it was her size. The lady's husband was at her side, not looking happy. Perhaps he didn't like the little red ruffle. He started mumbling something about the coat not being a good color for her. The lady wasn't listening. Then the man started talking about what it must cost. Finally the lady reached out and lifted up the price tag. It was on sale- for a fraction of its original cost. Gently she lifted it off the hanger and walked over to the mirror. She placed her arms in the smooth satin lining, and pulled the warm, snuggly fabric up and around her.  Oops....what the....  it didn't fit!   Apparently the sizes in this store were not like the sizes in other stores <grrr> Time to think. She walked over to the salesclerk, and asked if they had any other coats in the back. She was told that everything they had was on the floor. Time to think. The lady asked if there were any other stores in the area that had one of these coats in the size she thought would fit her. The salesclerk checked her computer, and said that no...there were none available anywhere in the state. Time to think. Then the lady asked if there were any coats in her size  ANYWHERE in the country. She didn't even know if the nice clerk could tell her that, but she had to ask. The computer started printing. It printed out the location and phone number of every store in the country that might have her coat. The nice lady then started calling the numbers on the computer printout. It didn't go well. When she finally did get hold of people, she was put on hold, and her calls were dropped. The few people she talked to said their coats had already been shipped away. Finally, the salesclerk gave up. She said she was sorry. Back to the hanger went the little red coat. The lady walked over to the salesclerk as she was leaving, and thanked her for trying. As she turned to leave, the salesclerk said, "You might as well have this." Then she gave her the computer printout with all the stores that might have her coat. The lady couldn't believe it. It was like Willy Wonka and she had the Golden Ticket. The lady hurried home and started calling all the numbers. Finally, on her third call, she found her coat. It was many miles away, but when she gave them her debit card number, they said it would be at her house in 4 days. Seven days later, the lady's doorbell rang, and there was the box sitting on her doorstep with the ever so cute little red coat.  The moral of this story - who cares?  I got my coat! About the Author: Nikki Willhite, mother of 3 and an interior design graduate, has been writing and publishing articles on the topic of frugal living for over a decade. Visit her at www.frugalhappyfamilies.com - where you will find hundreds of frugal living tips and articles. Frugal Happy Families- more than just money!

 

 

 

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