Trends for January 21, 2001

Lisa Ferguson

Monday, Jan. 21, 2002 | 8:19 a.m.

Cashing in

Here's a query you may not often hear: "Are You Normal About Money?"

Hmmm. Good question. It also happens to be the title of a recently published book penned by Bernice Kanner, a woman who wears many hats including marketing expert, newspaper columnist and radio and television commentator.

"Do You Behave Like Everyone Else?" is the subtitle of the book (Bloomberg Press, $12.95), which is fitting since its pages are packed with tons of questions about your personal spending habits even those you wouldn't think would make much difference in the real financial world.

"When you played Monopoly, what was your favorite property (to buy)?" Turns out 13 percent of players snatch up the utilities first, followed by the green-colored squares (3.9 percent) and the yellows (1.9 percent). More than 24 percent buy just a few properties and plunk down hotels, while the overwhelming majority (56.6 percent of players) simply buy the spot on which they land.

"Do you reuse tea bags?" Surprise more than 68 percent of people do engage in such thriftiness, while 23.6 percent contend that one bag is enough to brew an entire pot of tea.

"Ever bought counterfeit goods, like a 'Gucci' handbag, on the street?" Come on, fess up. It seems most people 67.5 percent pass the, um, salespeople by, while 4 percent have bought such goods and tried to pass them off to others as the real deal. Another 28 percent bought, but didn't delude themselves into thinking they had the authentic item.

So stop stressing: Chances are good you're spending (or not) like the rest of us.

Sweet success

Speaking of spending, here's the burning question the inquiring mind at Trends wants to know: How many boxes of Girl Scout cookies are you going to buy this year?

Just in time for that healthy New Year's resolution of yours to bite the dust, the Scouts are back in business, forms in hand, hawking their irresistible baked goodies.

Pre-order cookie sales began Saturday and continue through Feb. 4; the treats will be delivered in late February. You'll find the girls selling them by the box outside grocery stores starting in early March.

Here's a bit of trivia to ponder (courtesy of the website girlscouts.org) while placing your order for boxes of Peanut Butter Patties, Lemon Pastry Creams, Carmel deLites and Thin Mints:

Having trouble finding a Scout to take your order? Call the Scout's local Frontier Council at 385-3677.