Dear Karma Cleanser:
I recently was online buying airline tickets for my daughter to travel to Europe to visit family members. When I used a site to purchase the tickets, the results came back showing that the fare was $0. Thinking that it was an error, I continued through the process and the fare only included taxes and fees.
I booked that fare and have since come to find out that it was an employee’s error. The airline is willing to honor the fare, but is requesting that I book the flight with a special discount that they are willing to offer me instead. They are leaving the decision up to me and I feel guilty considering the economic state of the airline industry. Is it bad karma for my daughter to travel virtually free for an employee’s error?
Fare enough?
For proof of karma’s inevitability, look no further than the airline industry, which gouged hapless business travelers for decades. Now, the sky is falling, with daily headlines about bankruptcies and such. Consider this windfall a test: Take the reduced fare, but insist your daughter apply the savings toward doing something kind and generous while she’s touring the continent.
Dear Karma Cleanser:
My husband is an extreme health nut and I am an exceptional penny pincher. I cook dinner for us most nights at our home and he always insists that we eat only organic foods. But as you know, these premium items can cost a fortune.
Over the past couple of months I have started buying non-organic foods to prepare our meals with and haven’t been telling him. He hasn’t noticed so far and I personally think that it isn’t worth the extra money. However, he has a long history of types of cancer in his family and he thinks this will make a significant difference in his chances of remaining cancer free.
I am saving us a lot of money, which we are using for other things that are important to us. Extra money raises our quality of life and reduces stress, which is far worse of a killer than some pesticides, if you ask me. If my intentions are for the better, is it wrong to keep the truth from him?
Grease is the word
Saving money may be a worthy pursuit, but your marriage’s pact of honesty shouldn’t be slaughtered on the altar of thrift. Surely there’s room for compromise here, with your husband agreeing that it’s for the good of everyone if not all your groceries come with a free-range price tag. The key is communication. Without it (and aforementioned honesty), the relationship — and your ultimate happiness — will surely starve.
Been bad? karmacleanser@gmail.com.
This article appears in Nov 23-29, 2005.
