Have you noticed how, in the pandemic era, people have been panic buying, stockpiling, and hoarding more than usual? Panic buying is when consumers buy unusually large amounts of a product in any of these scenarios: In anticipation of a disaster or perceived disaster following a disaster  in anticipation of an incredibly large price increase or shortage The irony of it all is that there tends to be no shortage to begin with; the panic buying itself precipitates the very shortage people fear. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts. That, in turn, causes prices to soar and, in the worst cases, price gouging. Talk about a terrible domino effect! Here are four things people have bought in droves at some point within the past 14 months: 1. Toilet Paper and Hand Sanitizer. We witnessed both of these fly off the shelves like hotcakes almost immediately after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. My wife and I ventured far and wide to snag toilet paper, to no avail. It says a lot that we ha...

If you were to come up with one word to describe your ideal life, what would it be? If several come to mind, try to winnow them down to the one word that best captures what you would consider the perfect life. Words like "rich" and "wealthy" didn't even cross my mind, for I am the farthest thing from materialistic. I think the best things in life tend to be free -- love, knowledge, laughter, companionship. For me, no word encapsulates the ideal life quite like simple . A self-proclaimed minimalist, I try to reduce as much clutter in my life -- both mental and physical -- as I possibly can. I respect those who find great fulfillment in owning the biggest houses, roomiest cars, and shiniest baubles. But that's just not me. I am much easier to please, finding satisfaction in the simplest things -- like reading a great book, taking a relaxing walk around the park, or watching an interesting documentary on TV. You're probably wondering whether ...

Most of us have a tendency to think about the things we don't have rather than the things we do. We often envy those who have something we lack rather than pity those who are far less fortunate than we are. I am guilty of this myself at times. For example, I live near a stretch of school zones that takes a good 30 minutes to get through during rush hour on a bad day. Sometimes my drive to work (and back home) takes an hour -- mind you, I'm driving a distance of a little over 8 miles. That's how ugly the traffic gets here. On these bad days-- it happened this morning, actually-- I feel the temptation to begrudge those who have a quick, easy commute. But then I stop and remind myself that there are many people in the world who would take that long commute in a heartbeat if it meant they could have a car to drive in -- or a home to drive to. Far too many people envy friends, relatives and neighbors with bigger houses, flashier jewelry, or more luxurious cars. What esca...

Many of us get so caught up striving for bigger, better things that we sometimes fail to appreciate what we already have in front of us. We yearn for bigger things with more bells and whistles -- the latest smartphone, a newer car, a snazzier watch -- when the stuff we currently have works well and may not even need replacing. The same goes for finding a new, better job. We mustn't fall into a pattern of simply wanting the next best thing because we've grown bored with what we already own. If the items have seen better days -- if wear and tear is in evidence -- then it makes perfect sense to make an upgrade. Otherwise, why make the switch? I'm all for aiming for better things and opportunities, but we needn't get carried away. I have a friend who changes jobs every two years because he gets bored that quickly. I also know several people who flip cars and houses every so often to feed their compulsion for change and newness. At the end of the day, they're our...