Compulsive shoppers often find no satisfaction

Many individuals have difficulties because of impulse buying and compulsive spending.

If you think you fit into either of these categories, you may want to answer the following questions:


Do you feel “high” or exhilarated after a spending spree? Is shopping a “fix” for you?
Do you shop to cheer yourself up? Does spending bring you out of the “dumps”?
Do you buy things you don’t need just because they are on sale?
Do you have unused items of clothing in your closet with price tags still attached? Are there tools in your closet that you have never used?
Do you hide bills from your spouse or sneak items into the house?
Are you unable to say how much you are in debt? Do you frequently use one credit card to pay off another?
Do you buy things even though you don’t need them?
Do you set out to “window shop” and end up buying a lot of things?
Can you admit that your buying is often based more on emotion than reason and need?

If you answered several of these questions as yes, you may want to look more closely at your attitude toward money and spending. Compulsive spending and impulse buying can be great causes of stress in many people’s lives.

Compulsive spenders and impulse buyers often are victims of advertising gimmicks and the “hidden persuaders” in the media. They may have grown to believe that everyone should have anything they want rather than buying things because they are needed.

These same individuals may be victims of:

Depression
Stress
Low self esteem

Following are some strategies that may help compulsive spenders and impulse buyers:

Learn to delay the need for immediate gratification. The spender should put time and distance between the impulses to spend in the moment of the purchase. If you see something you think you want while shopping, try walking away from it for awhile and later see if the same desire to buy this particular item exists.
Make a list before starting out on a shopping spree. Vow to stick with the list and not “eye shop”.
Be careful about spending too much time looking at catalogs, flyers and other material designed to convince people that because something says “sale” they need to buy it.
Seek pleasure in people rather than in things.


Increase times spent in hobbies, community activities, volunteer work and recreational activities. By devaluing possessions and valuing people, compulsive spending and impulse buying can often be reduced.

Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D. Copyright 2001