Category: Blog

Lori Lippincott of Loving Simple Living believes minimalism is a journey, and shares her view of the minimalist’s life cycle, beginning with a sense of searching; something needs to change. One becomes aware of the minimalist lifestyle and the idea resonates. Curiosity leads to action, which could be just cleaning out a closet. Excitement results… Continue reading The Life Cycle of a Minimalist

Kid in a candy store or bull in a china shop—which metaphor’s the more apt? At various times, either one: visiting a plant nursery can be (and has been) an overbuying trigger of the first order for me. Scents, textures, and colors, the forms of the flowers and the fruits of the vines and the… Continue reading The Plants Not Taken

‘To Die For—Is Fashion Wearing Out the World?’ is a thought-provoking, well-researched book concerning the affects of current fashion and rabid consumerism on our societies and on the planet. Jill Chivers, creator of the My Year Without Clothes Shopping website and related program, reviews this book and highlights some startling facts. For instance, much of… Continue reading Review of The Book ‘To Die For—Is Fashion Wearing Out the World?’ by Lucy Siegle

In a word, yes. And others are born to save. This is the rough conclusion of Savita Iyer-Ahristani in her overview of a careful study of Swedish twins done by Stephan Siegel, at the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business, and Henrik Cronkvist, at Claremont McKenna College in California. Specifically, Siegel and Cronkvist conclude… Continue reading Are Some People Born to Spend?

We all know that a DUI can result in major consequences, but what about Buying Under the Influence?  Learn how to catch yourself before you slip! Well, we’ve just passed the autumnal equinox; summer’s given way to fall. This means we can begin to hope for some relief from the heat. It also means that… Continue reading BUI: Buying Under the Influence

How can you make that happen? Does this sound familiar to you? You feel the urge to buy something, but your credit card debt flashes before your eyes.  From out of nowhere, an inner voice says: “Yes, I have a lot of credit card debt, but who doesn’t, these days?” Then another part of you… Continue reading A Weekend Away that Pays for Itself?

Unsolicited and unwanted credit card offers, catalogs, and magazines all have the potential to derail recovering overshoppers. These three websites will help you to opt-out of lists supplied by consumer credit reporting companies, remove your name from junk mail providers, and enable you to choose whether or not you want to receive mail from companies making… Continue reading Slay the Junk Mail Monster! Three Websites That’ll Help

As the holiday season rolls toward us, online overshoppers may find themselves hideously tempted. Internet merchants are leveraging their natural advantages in convenience, price, and selection, and, like bricks-and-mortar retailers, they’re starting holiday sales earlier than ever. Carrie RattleCarrie Rattle is a Principal at BehavioralCents.com, a website for women focused on mind and money behaviors.… Continue reading A Web Filter for Online Overshoppers

On Monday, February 22nd, the Credit Card Act of 2009 took effect, outlawing several of the most egregious practices of the credit card companies. Can you finally relax? C’mon—by now you know better than that! True, your interest rate can no longer suddenly skyrocket, and a misstep with one card will no longer poison your… Continue reading Beware: Creative Old Dogs Inventing New Dirty Tricks

In the last posting, we saw how important self-care is for the overshopper who wants to stop. We noted that overshoppers, who often juggle several roles, tend to relegate self-care to the back burner (or take it off the stove entirely), and we focused on anticipating, rather than reacting to, personal needs. Today, I want… Continue reading Health Care Reform for Overshoppers: The Centrality of Self Care (Part II)