It’s no secret that marketing and advertising folks use psychological strategies to get us to buy more stuff. One of the ways they do this is something called price anchoring. What is Price Anchoring? Price anchoring is when a price for a product is shown with higher prices around it,
Note: This is a guest post written by Tim Brown, pastor in the ELCA serving parishes in Chicago, IL and Raleigh, NC. He currently serves in the ELCA Office of the Presiding Bishop as Director for Congregational Stewardship Support where he creates and curates relationships and resources to help Synods
I have recently incorporated a new spiritual practice into my daily routine. When the weather permits, I spend 10-20 minutes standing barefoot on the grass in my backyard. This type of practice is often called grounding or earthing– the connecting of our bare skin with the earth. There have been
One of our family’s favorite things to do in the summer is go to our local outdoor farmer’s market. Local farmers and business owners sell their produce and products there– but we don’t usually buy much, unless we see some good fruits or vegetables we know we will eat, or
In my regional area, a local radio station has a segment that they do during peoples’ regular morning commute called “Ghosted.” Someone calls in who recently went on a first date and inexplicably hasn’t heard back from their date (they were “ghosted”), and then the hosts of the show call
We are now into the Christmas and holiday season– and for better or for worse, gift giving is often a part of celebrations. Simple gift giving can be, well, a gift. When consumables, experiences, charitable giving, or limited material gifts that have been mentioned as wanted or needed are given,
Stories are a part of the human experience. Jesus often used parables, or stories, to teach us deep theological concepts that would have been hard to grasp otherwise. Below is a modern-day parable that touches on the minimalist lifestyle. This story is a folk story found in many places, and
We are bombarded by advertisements for products every day. Although the actual number of advertisements we see each day is up for debate, it’s no secret that we come across ads all the time. Scrolling through social media, using an app on our phones, watching YouTube, watching movies and TV
Many years ago, I was facing a potential promotion at my job. When I saw the salary offer, I had a hunch that it was lower than it should have been. I sat down with a trusted co-worker, who had similar work experience and credentials as I did. I asked
Recently, we went to visit my parents with Baby Theo (and his bottles and diaper bag) in tow– a regular occurrence now that we live much closer to them. When it was time to feed Theo, my Mom took the bottle out of the fridge and pulled out the same