"Experience" Spending & Happiness

stumbled upon an article on consumer spending and the pursuit of happiness. the article retraces the lifestyle decisions of a california woman who’s focused on living simply. her goal is to reduce material reliance to just 100 items. along the way, she even ditches her car. what appeals most to the consumer is a newfound ability to travel and invest in education. the move from conspicuous to calculated consumption is not a new concept (it’s a nationwide trend). consumer savings are up to 6.4% at mid-2010. prior to the recession, the measure was in the 1% to 2% range.