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Are You a Tightwad or a Spendthrift?
December 2011
Survey questions by Scott Rick, Ph.D., University of Michigan


To see if your spending habits might rank you as a tightwad or spendthrift, simply answer the following questions.



1. Following is a scenario describing the behavior of two shoppers. After reading about each shopper, please answer the question that follows.

Mr. A is accompanying a good friend who is on a shopping spree at a local mall. When they enter a large department store, Mr. A sees that the store has a "one-day-only-sale" where everything is priced 10% to 60% off. He realizes he doesn't need anything, yet can't resist and ends up spending almost $100 on stuff.

Mr. B is accompanying a good friend who is on a shopping spree at a local mall. When they enter a large department store, Mr. B sees that the store has a "one-day-only-sale" where everything is priced 10% to 60% off. He figures he can get great deals on many items that he needs, yet the thought of spending the money keeps him from buying the stuff.

In terms of your own behavior, to what degree are you more similar to Mr. A or Mr. B?





2. Some people have trouble limiting their spending. They often spend money -- for example, on clothes, meals, vacations, phone calls -- when they would do better not to.

Other people have trouble spending money. Perhaps because spending money makes them anxious, they often don't spend money on things they should spend it on.

a. How well does the first description fit you? That is, do you have trouble limiting your spending?



b. How well does the second description fit you? That is, do you have trouble spending money?





3. To what degree does one of the following descriptions fit you better?





Your age:

Your gender:
M
F



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