Hat tip to Erica Pavlik of Neuqua Valley High School who reached out and suggested we curate resources to help "Teach the Triangle," an instructional idea created by her principal, Lance Fuhrer. Here's how she explained this concept: 

"It is like your data crunch but taken a step farther. It collects three types of data (image, article & graph) on a similar topic and ask students one question: What can you infer from this?"

We thought we would give it a go. Here are three resources focused on purchase decisions:

1. Video: Don't Buy Stuff (SNL)

2. Chart: Buyerarchy of Needs (Hat tip to Abnormal Returns from Simple Dollar)

3. Article: How to spend your money to make you happier (BBC)

"If you are lucky enough to have any money to spare, whether it’s a little or a lot, you have choices about how to spend it. Psychological research shows that those decisions can have an impact on your well-being. So if you were to let the evidence guide your spending, what should you do?...Read more

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Questions:

1. What can you infer from these three resources about spending money? 
2. What ideas resonate most with you when it comes to your own attitudes about money?
3. What do you think determines how people decide to spend their money? 

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Interested in what drives people's money decisions? Be sure to check out our new mini-unit on Behavioral Finance. 

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.