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<a href="http://blogs.independent.co.uk/independent/2008/10/spending-powe-5.html">Spending Power: Shop less, live more</a>

One advantage of the credit crunch is that it may spell an end to the debt-fuelled decade-long orgy of conspicuous consumption that has so transfixed many shoppers. Countless studies show that once basic needs are met, owning more things does not make people more happy.

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