LecturerGood afternoon. Today's theme is mindful spending: how to spend a good deal less without feeling that life has become miserable.
LecturerThe very first step is to separate your genuine needs from your mere wants. Food and rent are needs; a fifth pair of trainers is firmly a want.
LecturerMost regret, in my experience, comes from the impulse buy — the unplanned purchase grabbed on a whim that you then barely use.
LecturerBeware, too, a sneaky trap called lifestyle creep: the more you earn, the more you somehow feel you 'need', so saving never actually gets any easier.
LecturerShops manufacture panic with limited-time offers, carefully designed to make you buy now and think about it only later.
LecturerMany of us also shop simply to lift our mood — a habit known as retail therapy, which soothes for an hour but bites hard at the end of the month.