All About My Spending

My desktop is filled with various studies on the consumer habits, desires, needs, and intentions of Croatian consumers. Thus, mine as well. I find out that I am one of four who spent on winter sales in January; that I am among the three out of four who will not be buying a personal computer this year; that last year, unlike the year before, I missed buying a new car, and that, all in all, I made a substantial contribution to the fact that retail sales fell by about 15 percent last year. This year, I am expected to improve.

All those who channel money from my current account, as well as those who are just hoping for it, have made an effort to analyze my spending habits to the point of exhaustion. If I spend more than usual, they notify me to check if I am still financially capable. If I spend less, they call me and ask with concern if everything is alright with me. Thank you for asking, everything is okay. Except that I have started to worry a bit about whom I have left all my personal data to and why, who has complete insight into my income and expenses. Not as an average consumer, but as a person with a name, surname, tax identification number, personal identification number, email address, and mobile number. Everything about my spending is available to almost everyone except for the vendors at the market, where I still (to my regret) have to pay in cash.

The telecommunications company diligently reports to me as soon as it establishes that my current spending has deviated from the usual. Of course, not because the telecom does not want me to spend even more, but to avoid potential disputes. The bank is notifying guarantors faster and faster that I have not yet paid my loan installment. The clothing store informs me via SMS that they will give me another 10 percent discount, just for visiting them. The grocery store has precisely specified items that I buy most often and regularly sends me notifications about which of those items are on sale. The cosmetics store tracks every kuna I spend.

And now my card issuer has also joined the analysis of my personal spending. Now on their website, I can easily see where I have spent money in the past period. I somehow think that this is not because they want to offer me a new, free service, but so they can guide me in the future if I happen to stray somewhere. Nevertheless, I find the matter very interesting. If nothing else, I see that I am actually a very disciplined consumer, spending approximately the same amount of money in the same stores from month to month. Lucky them with me. They can read me like an open book.

However, my spending habits are not interesting to them so that they can sell me exactly what they have been selling me until now. They are interested in how to sell me more. But I have to bring them back to reality. So, my dear ones who live off the money from my account, do not bother analyzing my spending to see how you can increase it. Not at all. Unless you address my employer. And kindly ask him to raise my salary.