What Is Spending Addiction?
Indiana has a great resource on spending addiction. Here’s how they describe it:
People who “shop ’till they drop” and run their credit cards up to the limit often have a shopping addiction. They believe that if they shop they will feel better. Compulsive shopping and spending generally makes a person feel worse. It is similar to other addictive behaviors and has some of the same characteristics as as problem drinking (alcoholism), gambling and overeating addictions.
Compulsive shopping or spending can be a seasonal balm for the depression, anxiety and loneliness during the December holiday season. It also can occur when a person feels depressed, lonely and angry. Shopping and spending will not assure more love, bolster self-esteem, or heal the hurts, regrets, stress, and the problems of daily living. It generally makes these feelings worse because of the increased financial debt the person has obtained from compulsive shopping.
If you have a serious time keeping a budget, you may have an addiction.
TheSimple Dollar offers some steps to defeating an addiction to spending.
I think that is the first step to fixing any problem: acknowledging its existence.
Where can I find help for a spending addiction?
If you or aloved one has a spending addiction, here are some resources to check out:
- Debtors Anonymous
- 5 ways to stop the urge to shop
- What is spending addiction
- Are you stressed and overspending?
Real Life Stories of People Climbing out of Debt
Having a spending addiction can be overwhelming with all your debt. However it is possble to get out of debt.
- The Road To Financial Armageddon #1: The Earliest Mistakes
- 7 Stupid Financial Mistakes I’ve Made
- Mistakes and Corrections
- How I overcame $35,000 in debt
- My Best and Worst Financial Decisions
- Where My Debt Came From
- How I Got Out Of Debt: Follow The Posts
These are real people who made mistakes and are learning.
I’ve improved with my spending habits, but I have plenty to work on. This blog is a online diary of my journey to living a debt free life.
Has anyone dealt with this issue? How did you work through it?
If you’re a blogger and have a post about it, please email me and I’ll update my post with your story.
Related Posts -
Personal Growth and Achieving Financial and Life Goals David is the writer at Pimp Your Finances - a personal finance blog aimed at young adults, but full of information that everyone can use. Just over five months ago, I did something I’ve never done before - started a blog. It’s been a lot of work, but it’s also been fun, and...... -
Taming Your Shopping Demons Dawn Handschuh has earned a living putting pen to paper for 25 years. She worked for 10 years in financial services, writing widely on retirement planning, personal finance and specific investment products such as annuities, mutual funds and 401(k) plans. Dawn is also a regular contributor at http://www.CreditFYI.com, a......
Here are Some Other Great Thoughts -
How in the world did I get here? Ever ask yourself: "How in the world did I get here?" If your current situation isn't a good one, generally there is a huge emphasis on the word "here". I cannot tell you how many times I've asked myself this same question over the past 4-5 years. Fortunately a...... - Win Back Lost Love From Long Ago If you want to win back lost love that is from a long time ago there may be an uphill battle ahead for you. If you are like many, you have reached a point in your life that you realize that things might have been better for you if you......
