r/shoppingaddiction

Recently came across someone online with a nice home library and now thats all I can think about. I keep obsessing over doing my own home library in one of the rooms and spending all that money on the work, the shelves and the new books. How do you stop obsessing over wanting to spend money on things that I didnt even think about a week ago? 😫

Usually I either get my books from the library or buy Kindle versions. I love reading and thought since I love reading so much id love to have a physical home library so I can keep all the books that I read

I'm 18f student with no job. So I don't have much money but I have blown all the money I do have on whatever I want. This is because I hate the restrcitive feeling of compromising on buying things I really want, because if I don't I will spend all day thinking about it. I have been diagnosed with depression and the only thing that makes me happy is spending money. Credit card maximums are usually only 1.5k here in the UK and so that is not enough for me to enjoy. Regardless, I'm thinking of getting one but I know I won't be able to pay it back for a while.

I finally paid off all my debt a few months ago but since then i've been really struggling to maintain savings. Prior to the debt racking up i was spending a lot but still managing to put away a decent amount as savings. Now I end up blowing pretty much all my money by the end of the month and can't seem to stop dipping in my savings. I have this thought process of not wanting to deny myself things that I want, even if those things then accumulate and make me feel sick with guilt. I'm wondering if giving a chunk of my income to a trusted family member each month to physically keep the money away from me and build some savings is a good idea? if it is an unhealthy way of building savings please do let me know. I have tried it with smaller amounts of money as a way of having "emergency money" that my mother keeps hold of to ensure I have no way of spending it unless i need to and that has worked well. I wonder if until i can work through my problem psychologically that this would be a good idea. What do you think?

Like wth does that even mean? Get your life together.
.....then yesterday i went fireworks shopping with my nieces...and legit blacked out. We three frolicked through the store having a good ol' time. I sent them in two directions, both on a separate mission. Doesn't matter, throw it all in the cart. It's like a temporary insanity overtook me. By the time we got to the register, i was shaking. Totaled $963. Wow. Just wow.
At least me and all my nieces, nephew, and baby cousins enjoyed lighting them and running away.

Looks like this cc is getting paid off maybe Labor Day 😅

Hi! 

I have a problem, which led me to do a lot of shopping. It is not that I bought a lot of things nor having any debt, but I have wasted many times thinking about and looking for stuff I don't need. 

I am slowly getting better at handling it, so I thought about writing it down for my own sake and for you in the hope that it may be useful to some. 

1. First thing is: does shopping bad?  Not at all, it is like alcohol. It is necessary to our world, the usage and the correct usage is upon us. For some, drinking alcohol needs more caution than others. For some, it is shopping for various reasons. We shop for our convenience, to be healthy and for status. 

2. Why do you shop a lot? It varies. Our life have changed, we use a lot more things and it needs more thing. I use a vacuum. It needs filters and additional cleaning heads. I could use a mop, but it is not as good. The truth is, sometimes it is good enough. If you feel you are managing a lot, set with good enough and expand after, not beforehand. 

3. The real question: why are you feeling bad about shopping? Trust your gut feeling. If you are feeling, that currently something is bad, it is bad for you, regardless if it is objectively bad or not. If you are buying just necessary and good things, you have to stop, if you feel it is bad somehow. 

4. Some guidelines of how to manage shopping. I could come up with many good ideas, but these are double - edged swords. The more you are into managing shopping, you end up thinking more about shopping and end up falling back.

 

4.1 I delete shopping apps, I don't care about forgetting my passwords or anything, I could always get a new one. 

4.2 I delete social media apps. I don't have TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube. The latter two is available from the browser, that seems good, because I don't really use them since. The reason being is that these places are more likely seduce you into wanting to get more. If not explicitly, implicitly by just looking at them and feel like, you are below average, and want to buy something to look better. 

4.3. If you feel like, you are feeling pushed by deals and deadlines, if you hesitate even for a second to buy that, skip, don't fall for that. Come back three days later. Don't overwrite that. You might want to go back to just empty the cart, that won't help. Three days help. 

4.4 Ultimate question upon buying: do I have one or similar to that? It is your necessary-test. Write down your "yes, but..." and wait. If still convinced and your gut feeling tells you, order it. Otherwise skip. 

4.5. Let yourself make mistakes. You can send them back, you can buy something similar for a higher price later, you can give it away. You can't always win, nor anyone. Handle your loss.

Hope these will help to someone, I am feeling better.

Hi guys! Basically last year to this April I had a really bad makeup addiction (mostly lip gloss) and recently I've been keeping it under control. Since April until now I've managed to only buy two things from Sephora and I also deleted the sephora app from my phone. However, I'm seeing new sephora sets and it's sooo tempting to purchase it. I've been doing so good at not buying and want to keep it that way. Please give me advice 😭😭

Hi all! I guess I'm seeking the Internet's permission to buy an insulated water bottle. I have one already that works perfectly fine, but is not insulated, and technically I could go on using it for years until it breaks. But it melts ice, water warms up in the summer, etc. I have been following YouTubers who say to use what you have as the best way of safeguarding the environment. OTOH, I'm positive that if I go to a thrift store I'll find dozens of water bottles that don't leak and are insulated and the size I want. Honestly, this whole "use what you have" thing is a huge source of guilt to me (yes, I have depression and feel guilty all the time) because I have only just started trying to cut down my shopping and I can't fit into the ideal of using only what you have. Advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

I am big clothes collector (only 20M, always loved fashion but didn't have a job before), particularly clothes from high fashion brands

Most of the time I buy some stuff thinking i do it for "the love of the game", "expanding my collection" but I realized I have a problem lol.

Most of these vintage pieces are way more expensive than my means, and I'm not that well off.

So today I almost splurged into a 500 euro jacket (which is beautiful if you were wondering) but managed to stop myself and invested those 500 euros instead in a safe place.

Genuinely, it made me so much more happy. I got way more dopamine from knowing I did the right thing with that money than I would ever get from the jacket.

I hope I'll be able to have healthier habits in the future and manage to save up for one big piece that I really like once in a blue moon, instead of spending way more money on stuff that I don't even like that much.

If it's not sales season or trying to find some crazy good deal on second hand selling apps, I wouldn't shop for unnecessary stuff at all. I can sit for months on a decision to buy something and then forget about it, if it's full price. But if I see someone selling it for super cheap, it's instant "omg, this is my chance, it's now or never!"

The weird thing I knew this about myself for the longest time, but I was still convinced that it's actually fine to shop like that. I'm paying much less for stuff. That's good, right? And if I only pay a fraction for this item, then I could get another item (if I come across a good deal, of course). And another. I was even doing some rough girl math in my head. 70% off means it's ok to buy 3 dressed instead of 1.

Ugh.

I ordered a purse and i took too long to cancel so it was shipped already. Then my headphones suddenly broke… it’s ok! The month just started! I can get past this!

Usually buying things gives me a mood boost but since stopping it cold turkey almost I cant help but feel low and down and a bit depressed. Any advice on how to improve such mental state?

Mine thinks she loves having "variety", like she wants denim shorts in various washes, also some rigid denim, some stretchy, a few different lengths would be good too. You know, for different purposes.

In reality I need one pair for summer. Light blue. With stretch, because I hate restrictive clothing. And not too short, because I don't want my thighs to rub together. Easy.

Every time I'm looking for something I need, it's like this daydreaming sequence kick in when suddenly I'm this person who's excited to have all those options in her closet. But the reality check is I'd wear it once and immediately get reminded why I had preferences in the first place and how they all could have been accomplished by one single item.

I cringe every time I call myself this, but for all intents and purposes I’m a nerd. I’m a huge fan of all these pop culture franchises. I genuinely engage with the media. I watch the Star Wars cartoons, re watch the movies more or less annually, and read the expanded universe books.

Unfortunately, I’m having a real hard time with buying toys. It’s this constant endless cycle of desire. I want this ship, that character, this costume etc. I’m really indecisive with what I want.

I keep falling into these traps because I want representation of these characters and ships that I love. But it’s just getting out of control. I keep looking for that perfect toyline but none of them end up being perfect. Legos are too blocky to be accurate and are too expensive, black series are more accurate but also expensive and I don’t enjoy posing figures, etc. It’s this constant cycle of “well this is better” and “we’ll do course I need this”

Right now, I have a bunch of black series, small ships, vintage collection, and toy lightsabers in a box in my closet. Out on display are my Legos, physical media (blu ray set and books) poster, and retro collection figure (Hasbro remakes of Kenner figures). I feel so overwhelmed because I still want more when I know I absolutely do not need more

9 months of no spending beyond groceries, rent and bills have brought me to the point I've been looking forwards to: I paid off all my debts in full, and am completely free of any financial burdens brought on from my needless spending. Seeing my credit card read "0$" was the best feeling I've ever had. I'm not fully sure why I'm posting this, but I don't know where else to celebrate.

To make this post useful:
I think the most important lesson I've learned: The people around you will remember the stuff you did, the stuff you accomplished. They won't care about the stuff you bought, and none of it will come to the grave with you.
It sounds dark, and it is. But it's true.

Everyone moves at their own pace, and YOU (yes, YOU), are capable! Don't give up!!

If my dumbass can do it, so can you!

With love <3

I've had an issue with shopping for years. To the point where I've shopped before eating.

My fiance and I managed to buy a home this year and it's been great! But my shopping issue is becoming worse because I want to consistently decorate...

I want to fix my debt, and to do this I CANT spend on anything but essentials :(

How can I do this? I've started by deleting online shopping apps.

Yes, 80k in credit card debt. This was accumulated in 3 years. 3 years ago, I had around 40k. I finally confided in my husband and while devastated at the breach of trust, he very generously forgave me. I told him right before I received a bonus at work that more than paid for the debt. So that was that. We moved on and I quit my job in finance after our second child. All of our accounts are joint except we each have a credit card that we put monthly miscellaneous expense on. I pay for all groceries, kids needs, house needs, vacations etc.. basically everything except the set bills. When I quit my job, we decided I needed to keep my credit card balance at a certain amount. I would go over each month thinking I’d catch up the next. I truly don’t know how it got to this level. I’m not buying designer items or anything crazy at all. No crazy beauty treatments. I get a pedicure once a month . It would almost be better if I had evidence of how it got to this point . Instead , it’s just random purchases from Target or Amazon I don’t need. I can’t wrap my head around this . I know this sounds crazy. The thing is we are very well off and have the money to pay it off. I just kept saying I was keeping things within check each month. My husbands monthly income is about 40 percent of his annual compensation . His annual bonus all goes towards paying our house down or investments. I plan to go to therapy and tell him soon. He deserves to know and I can’t keep living with this shame. I’m not sure he will ever trust me again and I wouldn’t blame him. If we didn’t have two children and an otherwise good marriage/life together, I am sure he would leave me. I’m hoping therapy helps me wrap my head around all of this . I’m drowning on so many levels.

i’m 17 and shopping for makeup and other random stuff is one of the only things that make me happy. I feel like when i see something i want i get very bad anxiety about not buying it ☹️. i mostly online shop because i live in a very rural area, does anyone have any tips/advice? thank you!!

I have a shopping addiction specifically with bags. Yesterday, i saw a bag for sale I’ve had my eye on for a while and was about to purchase it but i immediately came to this subreddit and searched for posts related to bags and it truly helped me ease my mind and stopped myself from purchasing it. And then today i got hit with a broken appliance that’ll cost about the same as the bag to fix so I’m glad i did not splurge on something unnecessary. Crazy how life works.

I recently went to a postal exchange, if don’t you know what that is, think of it kind of like target. It’s usually on a military base. I think different military branches call it different things, but it’s all basically the same type of store. They have a lot of great deals on a lot of stuff. You can pretty much get anything from chips to dog food to Victoria’s Secret perfume and bath and body works hand soap. My husband is in the army and currently away from me and at another army base. I couldn’t go with him. :( When he’s not here, let’s just say my mental health isn’t that great. I do have a tendency to go off the deep end when he’s not here, as a way to cope with the separation. Well yesterday I went into the PX and I was looking at the VS perfume. I told myself that I don’t need any more perfume and I walked away. I then went to the shoes and told myself the same thing. Then I decided to just leave the store. And that’s what I did! I think this is the first time I never actually bought anything while going to that store. I then went to the commissary afterwards. If you don’t know what a commissary is, it’s a grocery store on a military base. I did spend $50 there but normally I usually spend over $100, so I think I did good even with that! I’m trying so hard to not buy anything unnecessary. It’s still really hard to do though.

Hello! I'm new here and getting started on my journey. My husband and I both quit drinking December of 2023 after years of abusing alcohol. This caused me to lose 35lbs and by early the next year I was pregnant after years of not being able to and a loss earlier in our relationship. Unfortunately, that ended in a loss as well. Over the next two years we went on to have 4 more losses. It was devastating to us. During that time my stepdaughter also came to live with us permanently and a lot of changes happened with that. Now, my husband is asking me for a divorce. Over that time period I was moving money without his knowledge from our savings account to my checking to compensate for bills, shopping and food. Some months, I moved a great deal and some months I was able to put it back when I got paid but I never made up the difference. I recently had to tell him about this as we were making changes to our accounts and understandably he was devastated that not only did I take the money, I was lying to him this whole time. I feel like it is so much of a blur what was going on when I was shopping and taking money. Almost like a blank in my memory. I can't explain what I was thinking or feeling but I know that I THOUGHT I was being strong and dealing with everything well. I was not. I do not want to end my marriage. I love my husband with all my heart and I didn't mean to hurt him. It's hard to say that I just can't explain why I was doing this. I also have ADHD so that doesn't help with the organizing of my thoughts. I don't even know if I SHOULD be asking him for another chance as maybe I'm just not a good person to be married to. I love my stepdaughter and I have promised her I will never give up on her. I'm just not sure how to make this right. I gave him access to all my bank accounts and credit cards and closed my shopping apps. I just need some encouragement on where to go from here or if there is anywhere to go from here.