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10 Signs of a Shopaholic

Compulsive shoppers struggle with an addiction like any other; shopping and buying make them feel good, and that feeling is something they must satisfy at any cost. Ninety percent of shopaholics are women, and anxiety is considered the culprit. They have a need to feel special and cared for and to banish loneliness. But the high of purchasing is soon followed by the downer and guilt of debt. To push those feelings aside, the shopaholic goes shopping again.

  1. 1. Buying Makes You Feel Good

    • What do you like to do most? If you enjoy shopping and buying more than you enjoy owning and using the things you buy, it's likely you are a shopaholic. The consequences of buying things you don't need are irrelevant; you feel great when you shop.

    2. Buying Makes You Feel Bad

    • If other people found out you owned 100 pairs of gloves, most of which you never wear, they would be shocked. You keep your spending a secret to avoid being confronted about it. It feels humiliating to have to shop.

    3. You Overdraft

    • You write checks even though there's not enough money in the bank to cover them. You know you can't afford what you're buying, but you buy it anyway. Your income is forever insufficient.

    4. Plastic Is Your Friend

    • It feels like getting something free when you use a credit card, and you forget you'll need to pay the bill. You buy things with a credit card that you would be unlikely to buy if you had to pay cash for them.

    5. You Have No Savings

    • You know there are big purchases you need to make in the future -- a car, furniture, home repairs, and the like. But whenever you have extra money, you buy clothes or toys. You don't use a windfall to pay down a credit-card balance or save for something you really want.

    6. You Carry a Balance

    • You can't pay off your huge credit-card bill, so you pay only the minimum, month after month, ignoring the interest. You are in serious debt.

    7. Compulsion

    • You've tried to stop but you can't. You say things to your friends like, "Don't let me buy anything today; we'll just look," but you often go back to the store later and make the purchase anyway. When you can't fill your hands with shopping bags, you feel out of sorts.

    8. Comfort

    • When something unpleasant happens, you soothe yourself by buying something. When something great happens, you buy yourself something to celebrate. Shopping produces euphoria --- briefly.

    9. Multiples

    • Instead of buying just one CD or pair of shoes, you buy a bunch of them at one time. You have piles of unused, unworn items still in their shopping bags.

    10. Excuses

    • You have reasons why you HAD to have something. It was one of a kind; you can always use another one; it was on sale. You lie to others about buying things.

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