Am I a shop-a-holic?

We laugh at the idea of shopping addictions but the reality is that for some people spending can become out of control, compulsive, and highly destructive. Before you go diagnosing everyone around you however;  let's look at the misconceptions around compulsive spending:

1) you might enjoy shopping a lot. This does not automatically mean you have a problem.

2) there is no magic amount of money that you need to spend in a given shop-a-thon to meet the criteria for an addiction.

3) you don't have to be rich. Compulsive spending is no respecter of persons

4) Men spend compulsively just as much as women.

5) You don't  have to buy high end stuff. Many compulsive shoppers just can't resist a good deal.

Now let's look at what might tip you off that you have a problem with spending

1) You hide your purchases or the true price of your purchases in fear of what others will think.

2) You go shopping for nothing in particular even though you don't have money.

3) You are unaware of how much money you spend on a given trip to the mall/grocery store/hardware store etc.

4) You have multiple failed attempts at keeping to a budget.

5) You feel guilt or shame after spending money.

6) You say yes to door-to-door salesmen and regret it everytime.

7) You lie about your income, debt, or spending habits to those closest to you.

8) You have a room or house full of stuff (books, clothes, gadgets) that you have never or rarely used.

9) You shop to try and make yourself feel better.

10) When unable to pay for something you wanted, you strongly considered stealing it.

11) You are unaware of how much you spend each month.

12) You are unable to manage your debt payments.

If any of these hit home for you, make sure you check out my next post on treatment options.