Tips for Stopping a Shopping Addiction
The word “addiction” can be thrown around quite casually. Someone might claim they are addicted to chocolate, a TV show, or even a boyfriend or girlfriend. However, the overuse of the word in our culture undermines the severity of what a true addiction can do in someone’s life.
When you think of addiction, substance abuse is often the first thing you envision. But addiction can also include gambling, sex, and even shopping. Something becomes an addiction when you are no longer in control over doing, using, or taking something to the point that it becomes harmful to your life and well-being.
For the purpose of this article, we will focus on shopping addiction and how to rein it in when it feels like it’s gotten out of control. A shopping addiction, also known as a compulsive shopping disorder, is characterized as the desire to spend money or purchases to the point that you lose control of your actions. It can lead to great debt but can also affect your relationships, health, and quality of life.
If you are concerned you might have a shopping addiction, here are four helpful tips to curb your spending.
Hit the Unsubscribe Button
An easy way to help you if you feel like you’re spending too much money or have an addiction to shopping is to hit that unsubscribe button. If you’re receiving email after email from various stores, and you immediately head to that webpage to see what items or deals the store offers, it may be time to hit that unsubscribe button. This can be a huge help to reduce your urge to shop and spend money.
Leave Your Credit Cards at Home
Credit cards make it easy to spend money without being fully aware of how much you’re spending. All you have to do is swipe or tap your card, and you’ve made your purchase. If you want to spend less money, try switching to cash and leaving your credit cards at home. Make it a little harder on yourself to spend money. You’ll have to go to an ATM or the bank to take out cash, but be aware that you can only spend what you have in cash for the day or week. This may feel like an inconvenience, but it should. This can be a great way to try to break the addiction.
Find a Hobby That You Enjoy
Right now, you may consider shopping to be one of your favorite hobbies. Or it may just be an activity that you do when you’re emotional or even bored. Try to find a new and less expensive hobby that you can fill your time with instead. Take a look at the activities you’re interested in, and try to find out if there are classes or groups to join in your area. If you’re unsure of what you want to try out, see if one of your family members or friends has any hobbies in mind that would interest you.
Seek Additional Support
Shopping can be a quick and easy fix for solving your problems. You may try on clothes or accessories and immediately feel better, especially if you’ve had a bad day. But shopping is only a short-term solution to a larger problem. It doesn’t actually help resolve anything that you’re stressed about. In fact, it may cause more problems relating to your finances. If you’re having a hard time managing your money or feel that you or a loved one is struggling with a shopping addiction, we’re here to help. Reach out today to set up a consultation and see how we can help you break that cycle.