With a shopping addiction comes an idea that each purchase will improve one’s happiness, creating an artificial “high” that an addict thinks will last. This is not the case, and although happiness spikes before a purchase it ultimately returns to a baseline level afterward. People known as “high-materialist” consumers have (often unreasonably) high expectations about… Continue reading Money Can’t Buy Happiness
Category: Money Psychology
Simplicity Begins in Us
Simplicity is as easy to attain for ourselves as we make it to be. If you constantly worry about yourself and are dwelling on all the ways you wish you were different, you will find it difficult to achieve simplicity. At the other end of the spectrum, if you are so entirely in love with… Continue reading Simplicity Begins in Us
The Other Person is Never the Problem
Throughout daily life, you’ll encounter frustrating people: People who cut you off in traffic, people who are rude to you, and people who just don’t do things the right way. These are the folks you like to blame for your frustrations every time you feel slighted. But you know what? Those people are never the problem,… Continue reading The Other Person is Never the Problem
Get In Touch With Your Spending Emotions
In today’s economy, people are actively gaining awareness of their spending habits. People who once spent money without worry are keeping track of their expenses as well as their feelings when making financial decisions. In studies regarding people’s emotions, when spending their money, there are two ends of the emotional spectrum. On one end, there… Continue reading Get In Touch With Your Spending Emotions
Practice Spending Thoughtfully
In the psychology world, it has been discovered that when people are asked to be aware and mindful of their eating habits, they eat 300 fewer calories per day. This can easily be applied to spending habits as well. If you aren’t mindful of your purchases – even the little day-to-day ones – they can… Continue reading Practice Spending Thoughtfully
Frugal Doesn’t Mean ‘Deprived’
Donna Freedman started her writing career with an article called “Surviving (and Thriving) on $12,000 a Year.” It got a lot of negative reaction from readers on MSN Money. People considered it hardship or deprivation to live on such a meager amount of money. Ms. Freedman, however, looked at things in a different manner. She… Continue reading Frugal Doesn’t Mean ‘Deprived’
The Cheapskate Guide: 50 Tips for Frugal Living
This article gives 50 tips for frugal living, all helpful suggestions to help control your finances, with the top 20 listed here to get you started. Go with one car. Go with a smaller house. Go with a smaller car. Rent rather than own. Look for used first. Eat out less often. Eat out frugally.… Continue reading The Cheapskate Guide: 50 Tips for Frugal Living
The Conversation You’re Not Having, but Should Probably Start
Alarming statistics include the fact that 50 percent of Americans have less than a month’s worth of savings for emergencies. One in four of us have no savings whatsoever. More than half of us have no budget. Credit card debt averages $15,000. That is the tip of the fiscal iceberg. While this debt looms, no… Continue reading The Conversation You’re Not Having, but Should Probably Start
How to Budget: Avoiding Retail Therapy
In these times of economic downturn, it is crucial that people take control of their finances. In every adversity are the seeds of equal or greater benefit, and that includes the current economic climate. Let the uncertain times be a motivator for you to think seriously about taking control of your spending and your life.… Continue reading How to Budget: Avoiding Retail Therapy
Menstruation and the Mall
A recent study conducted by the University of Hertfordshire shows that women are more likely to be involved with over-shopping behaviors at certain times of their menstrual cycle. British psychologists, Karen Pine and Ben Fletcher, whose research results are published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, studied 443 women ages 18 to 50. They… Continue reading Menstruation and the Mall