You get what you pay for....sometimes!

See this hammock?  I was sooooo excited when I saw a hammock advertised in a store circular the week of Father's Day.  Years ago my husband had mentioned that he'd like a hammock, but we'd never bought one.  This one was advertised for $20.00. 
"What a great deal!", I thought. 

The next day I went to the store in a nearby town for the purpose of purchasing the hammock. I  found a hammock, but not the advertised, cheap one.  I asked a clerk and she said they didn't have the one advertised in stock.  I was disappointed!  After I returned home, I looked at the circular thinking it would say "Not all items available at all stores."  It didn't.  However, it did have an email address for the company.  I emailed them and said (very nicely) that I was disappointed the great deal/hammock wasn't in the store.  The next day I had an email saying that the advertised hammock would be at the store by the end of the week - two days before Father's Day!  Yippee!!

Well, I went to pick up the hammock. The first indication that something might be wrong was the fact that it came in a box about 24 inches long, but only 2 inches square around. It felt really light, too. But, it was CHEAP and it was a HAMMOCK and I was EXCITED! We gave the hammock to my husband. Two of our children were gone to camps for the week, but the other two helped him put it up. He bought a strong rope and got it just the right height, but then our older son tried it out. He almost touched the ground. They raised the hammock and got it the right height.

The above picture shows the smallest member of our family. You can tell that he is about to fall through the thing! In fact, shortly after this picture, he did fall through it! I took a picture of my husband on the hammock, but I'm not sharing it with you. It's just too funny! You can imagine how it might look, though, by seeing this picture of my husband and son, Zachary showing how wide it will stretch!

Yes, sometimes you get just what you pay for - and in this case.....I sure did!  I got a $20.00 hammock.  I quickly learned that there is a reason the hammock was only $20.00!  (On a positive note, I did appreciate the VERY GOOD customer service of the company:  Alco/Duckwalls and the hammock actually does look neat hanging from the trees.  And, we already have rope ready for when we buy another nicer and better-made hammock.)

To get good things, sometimes we just have to pay a little more.  If we choose not to pay more, sometimes the quality or results are not good.  But, you know what?  There is something that is totally free.  We don't have to pay for it.  In fact, someone else paid for it.  Salvation is a free gift bought and paid for by the blood of Christ.