Raise your hands if you think your kids have way more Stuff – toys, clothes, books, trinkets, gadgets – than they need…
I bet most of you mentally raised your hands, right?
It seems to be the case in most households these days!
We try not to indulge our daughter with too much Stuff, but honestly, she has way more things than what a child really needs.
And I am not alone. I see the same thing in most of my friend’s families. While most of us agree that we don’t want to spoil our kids (or ourselves for that matter!) with too much Stuff, it seems like somehow Stuff finds its way into our houses. After all, we all work hard to earn some money, what’s the harm once in a while in spending a little to buy something that makes us or our kids happy, right? And before we know it, there’s Stuff everywhere.
Well, intentionally or not, we are going about this all wrong. Behavioral scientists and researchers have shown time and again that while the old adage “Money can’t buy happiness” is not necessarily true, buying more and more Stuff is definitely not the way to go. If you do want your money to buy happiness, then the key is to spend it correctly.
And what is that correct way? And why? How do we incorporate this into our families? [Read more…]