Strength in the strangest of places.

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Every morning I make a habit of reading some of the news on the internet before getting a copy of The New York Times when I leave my building. Today, in between bites of peach oatmeal and sips of French vanilla coffee, I read a BBC News article about the psychology of shopping. I naturally was intrigued by the article, and I realized that the analysis seems rather...obvious. At least to me of course. I could definitely relate to the psychological ideas that the experts explained, especially these parts:

Most shoppers attach greater significance to potential loss - missing out on a bargain - than they do to a reward like having bought something that was needed. The purchaser thinks if they don't buy the item at that instant they might miss out entirely, Graves explains.

But if a shopper hasn't gone through a rational process because of time constraints or other elements of stress, they may feel guilt or anxiety, referred to as "buyer's remorse", explains Dr Denison.

It's interesting how something so "asinine" as shopping can have so much emotional consequences. As I thought about what I had just read, I realized that the indescribable itch to spend money that I used to have has been well controlled as of late. Since coming back to school, I have not spent my money frivolously on mocha lattes and steak burritos, and I did not buy any clothes on my most recent trip downtown. Where did this will power come from? Perhaps it's from the profound realization that my bank account is not as healthy and plump as it used to be. Whatever it is, I'm quite impressed by my progress so far. Money saved now will be money spent on fine chocolates and satin scarves when I vacation in France this summer.

Now if only I had the same strength to stop procrastinating on all of my school work...