Obsessive Consumption – How Much Money We Spend Illustrated

Personal finances are just that, personal. I notice that people start to get uncomfortable when the topic comes up. Unfortunately, we aren’t taught in school how to manage our money, so it’s kind of hit or miss. We either have a mentor that helps us or we don’t, and either way, many times it’s the school of hard knocks that teaches us the dos and don’ts when it comes to our financial journey.

If you are a person who is trying to cut down on your daily expenses, you might find this book by Kate Bingaman-Burt to be an inspiration. “Obsessive Consumption” is a collection of her purchase illustrations. You can read a fabulous interview done with Kate, which offers some insightful financial lessons, here.

Each time Kate makes a purchase, she records and illustrates it. Maybe it’s a haircut, a coffee, a magazine… whatever, she draws it in a book. This reminds me of the theory that if you write down everything you eat, you’ll understand where all the calories come from. The same theory applies to our spending habits. I like this. I like this a lot!