Chatri and Siri stumbled through the front door, each juggling a tower of shopping bags. Siri held up a pink flamingo lamp.

“We’ve hit the jackpot!” Chatri announced, grinning ear to ear. “Seventy percent off everything!”

Lalana, their teenage daughter, looked up from the couch, eyes widening in horror. “Another lamp? Where is this one supposed to go, Dad? On top of the pile of other lamps?”

Her younger brother Pong looked out from the kitchen. “Let me guess, none of this stuff is useful, right? But hey, at least the garbage bin will stay full.”

“It’s not just about utility,” Siri said, patting the flamingo. “It’s about having nice things!”

“Well, congratulations,” Pong said, showing around the house. “Our ‘nice things’ now have their own zip code. And we’re paying extra for garbage pickup because there’s no room in the bin for anything else!”

Chatri stood uncomfortably, the weight of both the shopping bags and Pong’s words pressing on him. “But these deals… They were once-in-a-lifetime!”

“Right,” Pong said angrily. “Speaking of which, when’s your next loan payment due, Dad?”

Chatri froze, his smile was fading. Lalana sighed. “You’re buying stuff we don’t need, with money we don’t have, for a house that’s already overflowing.”

Chatri and Siri exchanged a guilty glance. The neon flamingo lamp suddenly didn’t seem so bright.