Help for Compulsive Shoppers
How to Know if You Have a Spending Problem and Where to Go for Help
Mar 23, 2008
Sometimes an afternoon of shopping after a bad day can give you a little boost. But when you turn to spending as a kind of therapy, it will not only hurt your bottom line, but your mental state as well.
5 Signs You Might Be a Compulsive Spender:
- You get a feeling of satisfaction every time you pull out your credit card. You feel a sense of empowerment. The purchase gives you immediate gratification. But within a week, that feeling is gone and you repeat the cycle again. The act of spending is somewhat of a release. It’s as if your troubles go away once you enter the store and pull out your wallet.
- You seek solace not in your relationships but in your mall purchases. Instead of confiding in family and friends, you head to the store. Purchases begin to replace people in terms of time and commitment. You lose sight of what you’ve bought and instead focus on the act of purchasing as a distraction for real-life problems.
- You are in over your head with debt. You figure you’ll come up with a way to pay your credit card bills down the road. You rely on someone else to bail you out. Making the minimum monthly payment on your card is your only concern. Paying the entire bill is something you simply refuse to deal with.
- You won’t admit you have a problem. Every other area of your life might seem in perfect order, and you rationalize your over-spending as a means to an end. You need to "look presentable" for a job, or you’re overworked, so shopping is a "little treat" for yourself.
- You hide your bills. If your spouse or significant other doesn’t know about the amount you’re spending, yet wonders about your ever-burgeoning closet, you have a problem.
How to Get Help for a Spending Addiction:
Spenders Anonymous offers a 12-step program in several states similar to Alcoholics Anonymous. If you can’t find a group near you, consider talking to a therapist who specializes in spending addiction.
Remember, your spending problems won’t go away until you realize you have a problem and begin a plan to help yourself. Create a budget and stick with it. When you feel the need to go to the mall, take a brisk walk instead or call a friend. Take a look inside at what’s really bothering you and work on the problem instead of masking the symptoms with shopping and spending.
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