I have long ago finished “Cheap: High Cost of Discount Culture.” But my friend, Ellen Ruppel Shell convinced me to revisit my spending habits, particularly in a world filled with economic uncertainty. I have tweaked my spending habits and embraced a new frame of reference. I now consider myself something of a frugalista, a termContinue reading “I’m now a Frugalista”
Tag Archives: Discount Culture
The Gruen Effect
I went to the mall this weekend, like many others across the continent. But this time it was different. I knew about the Gruen Effect, thanks to my new-found friend, Ellen Ruppel Shell, who has given me a new way of looking at consumerism. Malls, as we know them, would not exist today if itContinue reading “The Gruen Effect”
The bigger the basket, the more you will buy!
My first thought as we enter the mall parking lot: where are the shopping carts? This indispensable tool in our bargain-hunting arsenal has many names – trolley, carriage, trundler, buggy and wagon basket. They come in many sizes, the larger ones able to support a baby carrier or, by adding a small steering wheel andContinue reading “The bigger the basket, the more you will buy!”
Will my shopping habits change?
The measure of book and of an author can be found in their transformational ability. Simply put, do they make you think or reconsider a closely held value that you believe is incontestable? The whole point of reading is that you learn – something, anything, even a little bit. Whether it’s a novel, textbook orContinue reading “Will my shopping habits change?”
Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture
I’m onto a new book: Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture. First published in 2009 (Hardcover), Ellen Ruppel Shell targets our fixation on low prices. Entertaining and meticulously researched, I’m finding Cheap to be an extraordinary read. I’m listening to the audio book and making notes for further investigation. Bargain hunting will never beContinue reading “Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture”
On The Road Book Club 