“We assign money to ‘mental categories’, and we spend money according to these categories.”
We find it too difficult to think about every possible alternative purchase, when making a purchase decision. This effect is called ‘Opportunity Cost Neglect’. Rationally, we should consider the fungibility of all our expenditures. But we don’t.
Instead we assign money to specific categories – known as mental accounts. Both the sources and uses of money are labeled according to these categories (housing, holidays, food, etc.). Some categories are broad, others are narrow. Some cover years, others only a short time. Balancing of these accounts happens daily for …