Compulsive shopper..
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| Tue, 03-08-2005 - 2:54pm |
I have to control my urge to buy things. No matter where we are, I always manage to blow money. Almost every day I find a way. When we dont go out, I am shopping online.
I know enough not to shop us out of house and home. Usually, I use my checking account, not credit cards. Our high credit card debt is from many different things, the least of it is from general shopping.
So, I have to stop making quick trips to Target b/c that usually means I spend $80 or more. I need to stop buying things online and visiting deal sites b/c Ill buy it, even if I dont need it.
I dont think Im to the point where I need professional help. I told DH that Im a compulsive shopper. He knows about our credit card debt. He is cool with it all. He told me, as soon as I say Im going to buy something, take that money and immediately write a check to the cc company. Im lucky to have such a supportive DH.
Im not really trying to ask a question or anything. I just figured if I came clean about my addiction to shopping, I might feel a little better.
nat

<> You're not alone in wanting to buy things. Look at the positives, though...like you said, you're not shopping yourself out of house and home, and you've got a very positive and loving husband who is willing to help you handle your shopping. So that's a lot to be thankful for. :-D
Do you have a library close to where you live and a library card? If you don't have a library card, just call to ask what they require you to show to open one, and apply for one. They're free, and usually they just need proof of your address, like a utility bill or something that shows you live where you say you do. The reason I suggest this is that it's a great place to shop for FREE! :-D You can bring your own tote bag or use a basket if they provide one. Then go shopping! :-D Think about all your interests...anything at all. For me, it might be old TV shows from the 50's, or after watching the Titanic at home, I figured I'd look for books on the titanic, etc. So shop through all the books. Then hop over to the magazines. Usually all non-current-month magazines are available to be checked out! Yippie! :-D I usually get a dozen or so of those in various titles....Dog Fancy, Good Housekeeping, Ladies Home Journal, etc. Then I go to the movie racks...but not just the movies in the adult section...the children's section too! I am a big fan of the Muppets, and our library has all the Muppet Movies on tape! They also have Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and lots of holiday favorites that I love also. So I drop those into my bag and keep shopping. Then it's off to the computer software area to see what they have there. Then of course, no shopping trip is complete without visiting the Books-on-tape section for books that I can listen to while soaking in the tub, exercising, or driving in the car. And my last stop is the music CD's. They are broken down into categories (Rock/Pop, Country&Western, Blues, Folk, Showtunes, Spiritual, Classical, Oldies, etc). So I pick up a handful of CD's to listen to and then head to the register. I pile all my goodies on the counter and watch as the nice librarian scans each one with her scanner...piles them up for me nicely so I can return them to my bag to take home...and then she happily hands me a looooong paper receipt and doesn't tell me a total for my purchases, but rather just the date to bring them back! FREE shopping! I walk out of there a happy camper. LOL! :-D I return home to my Dh proudly announcing, "Look what I got!!!", and show him all my free goodies that I get to keep for a whole three weeks before going "shopping" again. :-D
Good Luck!
Pat :-D