Yeah, cable television isn’t a necessity, and it isn’t cheap. But according to a new poll by our friends over at Coupon Cabin, most American households pay up anyway, even if they acknowledge that cable is kind of a waste of money. [More]
spending habits
Another Reason To Cut The Cards And Go Cash-Only
By 11.23.11
Back in July, we discussed several reasons that using only cash for purchases makes financial sense. Among the pluses were a lower risk of identity theft and simpler budgeting prospects. [More]
NY Times Exec: Credit Cards Make People Beautifully Ignorant Of Their Spending
By 11.11.10
Gerald Marzorati, the assistant managing editor for new media and strategic initiatives at the New York Times, said something out loud during a recent panel discussion that everyone knows, but no one really wants to admit: using a credit card separates you from how much you’re really spending, and subscribers seem blissfully unaware of subscription hikes. [More]
Newly Frugal Behavior Is Permanent, Say Some Consumers
By 11.12.09
A new study says that 26% of US consumers “have no plans to return to their free-spending ways,” which probably doesn’t sound like good news to retailers. Even worse (for retailers), about a third say they’ve become less loyal.
How We're Surviving The Recession: Eating Organic Veggies, Having No Sex
By 7.23.09
Are America’s spending habits becoming more… gasp… sensible?? Time magazine has a list of things we’re spending our money on during this recession, and it might surprise you. We’re not buying tinned soup, we’re buying organic veggies! We’re finally getting that root canal we’ve been putting off! We’ve stopped boozing and whoring! And we’re learning to survive without painting our nails.
Expensive Purchases Are Like Peacock Feathers, Except They Don't Work
By 5.25.09
Geoffrey Miller, an evolutionary psychologist at the University of New Mexico, says marketers are trying too hard to find a working model of why people spend money the way they do. It really comes down to the human equivalent of “cost signaling” in the animal world—a sort of “peacock feather” display that’s supposed to tell peers and prospective mates how smart or sophisticated we are. The only problem is, other people never fall for it.
Use Your Credit Card At A Marriage Counselor, See Your Limit Get Reduced
By 6.19.08
The FTC claims that CompuCredit didn’t properly disclose that it monitored spending and cut credit lines if consumers used their cards at certain places. Among them: tire and retreading shops, massage parlors, bars, billiard halls, and marriage counseling offices. “What they didn’t say was that you could be punished for specific kinds of purchases.”
