<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(32, 33, 36); -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(32, 33, 36);" class=""><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><a href="https://news.google.com/articles/CAIiEPMZ5pPUXlhok5kSQcXkk6EqFQgEKg0IACoGCAowrqkBMKBFMLKAAg?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen" class="">Reasons To Escape Excess Consumerism—And How To Do It<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;" class=""></span></a></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(32, 33, 36); -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(32, 33, 36);" class=""><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Excessive consumption promises happiness… but never delivers. It results only in a desire for more, and it slowly begins robbing us of life.</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(32, 33, 36); -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(32, 33, 36);" class=""><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><a href="https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBggKMK6pATCgRQ?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen" class="">Forbes<span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; -webkit-font-kerning: none;" class=""></span></a></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; color: rgb(32, 33, 36); -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(32, 33, 36);" class=""><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">Yesterday</span></div><div class="">
<div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div>—————————————————————————————————————--------------------------------</div><div>“Consumer expectations of ever-higher living standards were fuelled by more lenient and readily available bank lending …. </div><div>Social status and identity became closely associated with consumption, in particular with the concept of luxury. </div><div><br class=""></div><div>"Identifying oneself with the good life meant being able to live beyond traditional understandings of basic needs. Debt was the price </div><div>one paid for the joys of being part of a hedonistic consumer culture.”</div><div><br class="">Kenneth Dyson. The Morality of Debt. Foreign Affairs. May 3, 2015<br class=""><br class=""><a href="https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2015-05-03/morality-debt" class="">https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2015-05-03/morality-debt</a></div><div><br class=""></div><div><div>^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^</div><div>Despite recognizing the downsides of debt, the lure of spending remains strong. After covering off on necessities, Americans said 40% </div><div>of their monthly income goes toward discretionary spending on entertainment, leisure travel, hobbies, etc. In fact, when asked what </div><div>financial pitfalls they are prone to, one quarter of Americans flagged “excessive/frivolous” spending.<br class=""><br class=""><div class=""><a href="https://www.northwesternmutual.com/about-us/studies/planning-and-progress-study-2017" class="">https://www.northwesternmutual.com/about-us/studies/planning-and-progress-study-2017</a><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div></div></div></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"> </div></div></div>
</div>
<br class=""></body></html>