To shop or to save? Therein lies the choice. Image: Getty
(Image: iStock) 
I have a confession – and I’m sure many people can relate. I love shopping, which is great when I can afford it and a problem when I can’t. And yes, I did identify with that book that later became a movie. What was it…? Oh yes, Confessions of a Shopaholic.
And it’s not just clothes and books that I love buying. I love looking for bargains and find it satisfying to look at my till slip from a certain store that’s killing it in the delivery space – you know, the slip that says “Congrats. You have saved xx”.
And it is so smart about it, because it’s not how much you have saved in one trip. No, the figure I’m talking about is the one where it shares your cumulative savings since the first day you joined its loyalty programme.
Since joining, I have saved R17,649 and received 56 free deliveries where I saved R1,964 in addition to 56 hours of valuable time.
I’m not sure about the “free deliveries” because I pay a fee of R99 a month, so they’re not really free, are they?
These numbers would be even more impressive if I had been squirrelling away my savings worth R17,649 in an investment account because, as I have discovered, watching your investments grow can be just as addictive and satisfying as shopping.
Therèse Havenga, head of business transformation at Momentum Savings and a qualified research psychologist, says conscious saving, or thinking money matters through, reframes the financial experience to manage emotions and restore dignity and identity.
“It describes the… psychological shift when individuals move from guilt-driven, reactive financial habits to calm, consistent saving.
“It’s not about accumulation or visibility. It’s about emotional safety, long-term stability and self-respect,” Havenga says.
The psychological mechanisms you may identify with include:
Savings shame: This shame often leads to avoidance – unopened bills, delayed decisions and erratic behaviour. Instead of motivating change, shame paralyses it.
Emotional regulation: Automated saving or budgeting rituals help to reduce stress and improve clarity. They lower the emotional temperature, allowing for more thoughtful decisions and less reactive spending.
Identity shift: Over time, consistent saving helps individuals to see themselves not as “struggling” but as “building”. This orientation to the future shifts the focus to long-term financial resilience.
Cognitive reframing: When saving is seen as self-care rather than sacrifice, it becomes a source of pride, not punishment. Budgeting is no longer a chore, but a form of emotional nourishment – an investment in peace.
What you had to say
Money Cents readers shared their thoughts on saving with us:
John said: “You’re right about that store and its ‘savings’. I’ve always… ignored those summaries, as to me it’s a frightening reminder of how much I spend on groceries!
“I’ve been using this delivery service since it started and have racked up 230 deliveries for a total saving of R35,430. That includes the delivery fee, Xtra Savings deals and the ‘10% on one in-store shop’. I hope that you do make use of the 10% discount on one in-store shop per month (up to R2,000). That way, you really do get your R99 per month back.”
Gloria said: “My entire life, I saved more than I spent. Then at the tender age of 72, one of my major investments went belly-up, leaving me with a huge hole in my portfolio. I regret now that I did not spend some of that money enjoying life… It was a big blow. Oddly enough I still find myself saving. I think it is in my DNA.” DM
This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.
