To spend less and save more, consider an “anchoring” system.  One example of an anchor is the price of an item to determine if that is an appropriate amount of money to spend for the item.

Anchors prevent shoppers from being overwhelmed by the many choices, prices, and features.  You can create your own anchors by:

• setting the maximum price you are willing to spend for an item.
• considering the value of an item in relation to the number of hours you have to work to pay for it.
• comparing the cost in relation to another item. If you buy coffee costing $2.50 a cup and want a sweater costing $50, view the sweater as costing 20 cups of coffee. Your “coffee” anchor will help you determine how valuable the sweater is to you.

When buying a home, you may be encouraged to look at properties outside your price range.  Anchoring yourself at a price limit will avoid overspending, make you feel more in control, and encourage wiser financial decisions.

For additional information on financial anchoring, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

• Have students talk to several people to obtain information about how they determine the price they are willing to pay for an item.
• Have students create a video presentation that demonstrates various anchoring methods.

Discussion Questions 

1. How might anchoring help improve personal financial literacy and money management activities?
2. Describe anchors people might used to determine the price they would be willing to pay for an item.