Do you remember how great it was when someone gave you a few pennies, or a nickel or a dime when you were a child?

If you were like me, you couldn’t wait to get to the candy store or to the five and dime to spend it on something wonderful. My mother would say, “That money is burning a hole in your pocket.”

I thought of that expression recently when I received a rebate by debit card from the purchase of an energy-saving large appliance. No doubt about it; my pocket began smoking. I wanted an e-book reader.

An e-book reader is an electronic device that is designed primarily for the purpose of reading digital books and periodicals. You can download books, store them on the reader, and then pull them up to read at your convenience.

A few days later, our son called to tell me that Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com had both reduced their prices on e-book readers. There was a price war between the Barnes and Noble Nook and the Amazon.com Kindle.

After several weeks of bouncing back and forth from both websites comparing the two products, I decided on the slightly cheaper Nook.

My rebate card was the exact amount of the e-book price. I had previously learned that some companies would only accept the card for the exact amount of a purchase.

Since I realized I had to pay taxes on the item, I called Barnes and Noble to inquire if my rebate card would work with another credit card to pay the taxes.

I spoke to an extremely nice customer service representative who experienced difficulty logging on to her computer. She tried and tried, and apologized several times for the inconvenience, but finally told me I would receive an e-mail for a call-back so I could place the order.

The e-mail arrived and I followed directions. When the rep tried to use the rebate card, it didn’t work because the taxes brought the total above it. As I had feared, I couldn’t use another credit card with it. Needless to say, I was frustrated. I thanked her and hung up.

However, that fire still smoldered in my pocket.

“Use another credit card for the purchase,” my husband said after listening to my tale of woe. I called customer service again and that nice person told me I needed to order on-line, but she could guide me through the process. At that point, I spilled my frustrating story.

“I know how to solve that problem,” she said, and suggested I use the rebate card for a B&N gift certificate. Then all I had to do was use the gift certificate along with another credit card.

I purchased it from her right then. A few minutes later, the gift certificate landed in my e-mail box. I completed the Nook purchase on-line.

It was just as Mother said long ago, that money burned a hole in my pocket.