Shopping for Happiness in the News

It's been a great summer for Shopping for Happiness. I mean, I've personally had a great summer (though between work, family trips and weekends dedicated to buying a dog, I haven't been posting as much as I'd like). But my blog had a good summer too, catching the eye of several journalists who thought its messages about mindful spending and self-care would resonate with their readers. 

I'm really delighted to be featured in the October issue of Red, one of the U.K.'s top women's magazines. Writer and editor Rosie Green interviewed me for her funny and personal piece,"How to Buy Happiness."

I love Rosie's account of her journey from carefree spender to guilty mom, whose every penny – even an inheritance and her mother's Christmas cheque – goes "straight into a black hole bank account that goes on school dinners and council tax." It's not making her happy.

"I still want things. I just think I can't buy them. And it feels life-zapping. It needs to stop." – Rosie Green

Rosie commits to a week of mindful spending on the things that mean the most to her, with impressive results. You'll want to read this article! It's not online yet but if you're in the U.K. you can buy the magazine, and elsewhere you can buy it from Zinio, or get a sneak peak here. 

Canadian journalist Rita Silvan, creator of the terrific financial blog Luck & Gravity, also interviewed me for a smart article on mindful spending for Tangerine. You can read it here. 

"Mindfulness can come with physical and emotional benefits. Not surprisingly, it makes us better at handling our money too — whether it's saving, investing or spending." – Rita Silvan

It's interesting to me that both writers were curious to know what my husband thought of my spending experiment. I think it reflects the fact that society still considers it unusual or dangerous for a married woman to claim her own spending power. Of course, many men are perfectly fine with the concept. I like the way Rosie summed it up: 

We chat about our husbands and how, contrary to the image ingrained into our psyche of grumpy spouse tsk-tsk-ing at wife returning laden with carrier bags, ours are happy when we spend on ourselves (within reason). “I thought he would have a hard time with my project,” says Catto, “but he likes it if I feel good. It takes the pressure off him. And,” she says sagely, “nobody likes a martyr.” 

I'm delighted that these writers have made Shopping for Happiness part of the conversation they're having with their readers around the world. It's so hard for many of us to talk about our issues around money, but once we start, it's such a relief that we don't want to stop!