consumerism

Why Does the Stock Market Keep Going Up?

Despite Great Depressions and Recessions of the past, the overall trend of the stock market is upward. Why?

5 Ways Self Storage Units Are More Sad Museums Than Savvy Solutions

This week I did an intervention on Sarah, one of my dearest friends. Sarah has a substance abuse problem -- but not with drugs. Sarah has a problem with self storage.

What's Your Financial Philosophy? What It Means To Live Below Your Means

I hope you'll permit me to speculate a little on what it means to live below our means. When you think about it, there are various ways to address our financial goals, which I'll c

How many human lives is a flat panel TV worth?

Listen, I know I can be an elitist sometimes, but I occasionally shop at Walmart. But regardless of how good the deals are, how could any, or all, of the merchadise inside a Wal-ma

Why do Facebook Ads not take me seriously?

Facebook and other social networking sites know an awful lot about you from what you say when you first sign up. As a single woman over 30 years of age, I got tired of Facebook ads

Dumbest packaging ever?

I tend to believe that American consumers are savvier than advertisers and marketers give us credit for. That's why I don't understand why marketers waste so much time trying to se

Does living frugally hurt the economy?

When I advocate for frugal living, people sometimes ask, "What if everybody lived like that?  Wouldn't it hurt the economy?"  My natural inclination toward frugal liv

Black Friday...black in more ways than one

Today, November 23rd, is Black Friday. A day that as a Wisebread writer and bargain hunter I love. There are deals everywhere, we all get a chance to save a bit of dough before

Jettison the Junk: Why Clutter Clouds Your Mind and Saps Your Energy

A life cluttered with junk not only takes up space — it can take your energy, too.

Packing it in - The Independent of London issues a challenge

The Compact is giving up all new purchases in a year, bar food and medicine, to save the environment.