Lisa Walker, 42, of New York City, more commonly known as Antoinette Millard, charged nearly a million dollars of goods on her no-limit American Express card during a three-month period in 2004. The former investment banker, who quit her job and pretended to be a Saudi Princess, tried to buy her way into high society.… Continue reading Extreme Overshopping Leads To Legal Troubles
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Recommended Reading: Hooked: Buddhist Writings on Greed, Desire, and the Urge to Consume Stephanie Kaza, ed. (Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2005)
Buddhism contains some wonderfully apt messages that concern “affluenza” and “luxury fever,” our modern day plagues of materialism and overconsump-tion, and reading this extraordinary and diverse collection is a very inviting way to access those messages. Compiled by Stephanie Kaza at the Univer-sity of Vermont, these essays sharply challenge today’s ingrained cultural assumption that what’s… Continue reading Recommended Reading: Hooked: Buddhist Writings on Greed, Desire, and the Urge to Consume Stephanie Kaza, ed. (Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2005)
Overshopping Goes Increasingly Global
Within the past few years, research and anecdotal reports of compulsive buying in Australia, Canada, China, England, France, Germany, Korea, India, Ireland, Slovakia, and Spain have been published. Is overshopping a new phenomenon in these countries? Is it on the rise? While there’s probably insufficient historical data to answer the first question, preliminary evidence suggests… Continue reading Overshopping Goes Increasingly Global
Recommended Reading: Give It Up! My Year of Learning to Live Better with Less By Mary Carlomagno (New York: Harper Collins, 2006)
Each month, for a year, Carlomagno chose to do without one of her favorite things: alcohol one month, shopping another, cell phones, dining out, elevators, multi-tasking, television, taxis, coffee, chocolate. Her discoveries and observations, which she shares in an easy, anecdotal style, confirm her book’s title: we can indeed live better by living with less.… Continue reading Recommended Reading: Give It Up! My Year of Learning to Live Better with Less By Mary Carlomagno (New York: Harper Collins, 2006)
Consumer Monster Mockumentary
Canadian filmmaker Jeremy Lutter has nearly finished shooting Not For$ale, a mockumentary about overconsumption. Styled after Michael Moore’s work, the film follows the picaresque journey of a Cookie Monsterish yellow puppet. At home in Canada, he meets a variety of people who teach him about the growing movement to scale back our consumption. His addiction… Continue reading Consumer Monster Mockumentary
Cutting Edge Research
First Epidemiological Study of Compulsive Buying in 14 Years The first epidemiological study of compulsive buying in the U.S. in 14 years is about to be published, co-authored by Lorrin Koran, M.D., of Stanford University and Ron Faber, Ph.D., of the University of Minnesota. The random telephone survey of 2,513 adults, chosen to be representative… Continue reading Cutting Edge Research
Recommended Reading: The Soul of Money; Transforming your Relationship with Money and Life (Lynne Twist, Norton, 2003)
Lynne Twist’s The Soul of Money is a valuable resource for anyone looking to reevaluate his or her relationship with money. Through inspirational stories, Twist reveals how to let go of burden and guilt and replace them with purpose, transforming your ground of being from scarcity to sufficiency. A global fundraiser and activist, Twist uses… Continue reading Recommended Reading: The Soul of Money; Transforming your Relationship with Money and Life (Lynne Twist, Norton, 2003)
Two Recent Drug Studies Show Contradictory Results
Two recently-published, identically-designed studies treatingcompulsive buying with antidepressants showed contradictory results. In one, the majority of patients using the medication reported a loss of interest in shopping and rated themselves “improved” or “very much improved.” When the positive respondents were then randomly assigned to either continue the medication or go on placebo, none of the seven who… Continue reading Two Recent Drug Studies Show Contradictory Results
Money Saving Gift Tip
Make a scrapbook! Next time a friend has a birthday, don’t buy a lavish gift. Instead, have friends send in warm words and photos, and then compile them in a memory book—an extra special and wonderfully personal gift the receiver will forever cherish. (Now don’t go to the nearest scrapbook store and spend too much… Continue reading Money Saving Gift Tip