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A nomination in the “birds of a feather” category goes to Christina Anderson and her fashion addicted friend who spurred each other on in their extreme shopping behavior. “Every time I would click ‘purchase’ I got a sick feeling in my stomach and my American Express bill just continued to add up,” said Ms. Anderson.… Continue reading I’m In Credit Card Debt From Our Shopping Addiction…And It’s My Friend’s Fault

Jill Chivers reflects on the criteria we use to decide what stays and what goes from our wardrobes. A standard rule of thumb is, if you haven’t worn an item in 2 years it goes, but that doesn’t work for everyone. She set a goal of finding 10 ways to assess one’s wardrobe, and was… Continue reading 33 Ways to Cull Your Closet

A perennial question in the world of personal finances. While it’s true that cutting back on some of life’s simple pleasures can add up to decent savings, maybe applying the same effort to larger items would have more impact. Some of the “Big Stuff” you might consider: Raising deductibles on insurance premiums, refinancing your mortgage… Continue reading Focus on the Latte Factor? Or Sweat the Big Stuff?

2009 Media Coverage of Compulsive Buying Divine Caroline (December 20, 2009) Consumer Reports: Four Different Shopping Personalities Middletown Journal (December 19, 2009) Shoppers sticking to budgets nj.com (December 16, 2009) Compulsive shopping is a real problem LF Press (December 12, 2009) How to teach kids not to be greedy Marie Claire (December 1, 2009) Buy,… Continue reading Related Blogs / Articles / 2009

2010 Media Coverage of Compulsive Buying couriermail.com.au (December 25, 2010) Reining in retail addiction freep.com (December 24, 2010) Ask questions about store return policy internet-addiction-guide.com (December 16, 2010) Is there such a thing as compulsive shopping? TorontoSun.com (December 14, 2010) Spending gone wild CreditCards.com (December 9, 2010) Careless-spending celebrities lose sympathy with American public NaplesNews.com… Continue reading Related Blogs / Articles / 2010

Extreme couponing isn’t for everyone; thankfully, there are other ways to save money on groceries. Some suggestions from Financial Highway: Shop ethnic markets; spices and seasonings are especially well priced here. Reduce your animal protein and stock up on lentils, garbanzo beans and peanut butter; better for your health and your wallet. Buying generic and… Continue reading Great Grocery Savings Strategies Anyone Can Use

Are we trading the precious time of our lives for values such as comfort, luxury and being better than others? Becoming Minimalist blogger Joshua Becker suggests we are, and believes the trade is a foolish one. These pursuits are self-centered, and don’t really satisfy. Instead, he says to trade our lives for social justice, significance,… Continue reading We’re All Trading Our Lives for Something– Trade Up

Financial Therapist Bari Tessler Linden offers some pros and cons about popular bookkeeping systems, and reminds us about some of the stumbling blocks we can face when choosing. She believes we can over think the decision and that we often run into emotional issues in the process. Some reminders that apply to any system: important… Continue reading Just Pick One: Choosing a Bookkeeping System

Author Louann Brizendine, Ph.D., says women are extra vulnerable to spending at two times during the month: around ovulation and at the end of their cycles. The hormones involved in ovulation can make women feel “more flirtatious,” which may lead to buying beauty products or clothing. Just before a woman’s period begins, she may feel… Continue reading How Hormones Can Sabotage Your Spending

By Lexi McGlade In an eye-opening novel entitled, Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion by Elizabeth L. Cline, the consequences of “fast fashion” are considered. Fast fashion is a term used to acknowledge the rapidity with which trends move from the runway into stores in accordance with the latest style. Cline interweaves personal… Continue reading Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion