Even the modern hedonist cannot participate in the markets without money. Money is a major determinant of both the external conditions for production and consumption and the relationship between those conditions. In the national economy the ceiling for consumption is determined by the total volume of income (and assets). The income distribution among population groups, in turn, regulates the balance between production and consumption and draws the limit for the satisfaction of needs and desires. It is important, therefore, that the sociology of consumption does not ignore the economic dimension of consumption.