The news is all credit crunch! financial disaster! recession! And so books like How to Give Up Shopping are being published, landing on my desk and probably doing a roaring trade in the shops.

How to Give Up Shopping, by Neradine Tisaj through Hardie Grant, is a neat handbag-sized leaflet of a thing designed to school fiscal pygmies in the ways of avoiding self-induced debt.

Tisaj talks to shoppers in shopper-talk - not in financial planner or accountant mum/dad talk. She asks you why you need to shop so much and very briefly covers off the broad area of finding inner happiness. Guess what? It's not through shopping. PSYCHE! All those ads were lying.

In her brief none-too-in-depth book she has hit on one of the great things that may come out of the GFC - that people other than switched on philosopher nerds and new age buddhists might start actually thinking about what really makes them happy.

Like garlic to ward off a vampire, Tisaj recommendeds making a list of "top twenty things that make you happy" should you feel lured towards the shops.

I'd also recommend another list, that is, "things I actually need to buy". It's the list that gives you license to shop. Tick off the things you need as you buy them, and refer to it when you get stuck in a sale environment where you're tempted to buy all manner of crap you'll never use.

You may already know everything in this little book, but I suspect this will be a handy tool for those not as spiritually/fiscally advanced as your good self.