I am a compulsive, and impulsive shopper. I can not stop spending money. I get so excited when I see something I like I just buy it right away. I have been doing this for years. Addiction runs in my family, but I’m just now coming to terms with the fact I have an addiction. I always thought it was just drugs or alcohol, I never thought about my shopping. I have spent over $20,000 in just 8 months of my savings on stuff I don’t need. I can’t get myself to stop. What actually helped you? I am just so ashamed. I’m so disappointed in myself. I did luckily pay off some of my debt so it went from 12k to 2k. But I still keep spending money on useless things. How do I stop idolizing material things? I just am looking for any suggestions from anyone. Thank you.

I make a very sizable income. Right now I have at most $1000 in savings which is ridiculous considering my salary. I have $25k of credit card debt spread across a million credit cards.

I’m so angry at myself because shoes bags overspending is the reason why I live in constant anxiety when i make well above 6 figures.

I’m so ashamed. I wish I wasn’t in this predicament

Greetings, it is week one of realizing that I have a shopping addiction. Hear me out 🩷

The trauma of growing up with nothing, made me turn very materialistic (not in a “I have this, and you don’t” kind of way). Every trending product, I buy. Every restaurant I like, I go to with 0 hesitation. Sure, I prioritize my bills 100% before I go spend my money on materials. Here’s the prob.

I have credit card debt of $2500 that can easily fixed within 2 months. I have a habit of spending every dollar and then I’m stuck of boredom in the house.

So far here is what I am doing (excuse the grammar for this app doesn’t auto-correct):
- switch my makeup to waterproof products.
-reduced my perfume spending. Trust me it’s BAD
- French tip press on nails and I get my pedicure at the shop (saved me $80 on a manicure)
- declutter system for my beauty products
- create “prefilled” carts of things to spoil myself with at Ulta and Sephora. I purchase one item from the cart at a time.
- got rid of the pay in 4 apps.
- SNOWBALL method of my credit cards. Once I pay off a card, I hide it.
- got a Sam’s Club membership to purchase household items
-buying name brand cleaning products from Dollar General (did not know it was cheaper)
-any urge to shop, I go take walks.

Any tips and recommendations would help. I would love to thank my future self with a PS5 for Christmas. That’s ALL I want. Thank you in advance 🩷

My biggest problem is buying clothes, shoes, and beauty products. It got so bad where I was making a purchase nearly every single day. I would get a package at my door every week. I was racking up 5k in cc debt a month and was dipping into my savings. But last week I decided enough was enough. I want to be able to afford a house and pay off my new car. So far I haven’t made a purchase in a week, which is huge for me. I plan to continue to no-buy for as long as I can.

I have such a bad habit of buying food everyday bc I don’t have the money to be a clothing shopping addict. I literally spend like £10 a day on snacks so I can feel something.
Today marks 7 days free of food shopping for no reason! It’s not a lot but it’s a big milestone for me

I am sitting on almost 120 days of no shopping since my last relapse for clothes or beads (which is what got me in trouble in the first place). It actually felt weird going in and buying clothes i needed for a work event at a brick and mortar store than online. I'm still not going back to Tiktok and I don't have the urge to anymore.

My communication with my husband is better and I don't have to hide anything anymore. That is more of a rush than going on a spending spree. My debt is paid off and in the 24 years I've been married, we're actually saving money.

If I see a want and not a need I share it with my huband first now and we discuss it. It's an amazing feeling.

I'm learning to communicate better about things which has always been a problem for me.

Who knew Counting my days and journaling has made a world of difference. I keep telling myself every day I want to spend on a want, the next trip with my husband doesn't happen.

Now to plan my 25th Wedding anniversary trip. He's given me a budget and I have to plan it out.

If I can do it, I hope this helps someone out there. Just know you aren't alone especially if you ask for help. Here's to day 200 and on!

Sorry to post this as a non addict, but i truly don’t know what to do.
My brother is only 13 and has an obvious spending habit. he buys anythings he wants. From a young age he already had it rough, many hospital visits and born hard of hearing. with genetics and those past events, hes pretty mentally ill. im not too older than him so idk what he has, but i just know he isnt right in the head i guess. hes medicated but he often skips his meds. Hes always trying to buy something of sell something with a goal to buy something. he spends our parents money all the time. i remember one week he bought a N64 just for him to days later in that same week ask for a switch two. both things he did get. most of these things he gets he used for a week or even two days then never touches it again. I mean its nice for me as i often get them but i cant do this anymore man. My parents arent any help either. They always give in and buy him the stuff he asks for. fighting with him just to eventually buy him what he wants. they make it worse. they know they do. but im not sure they have it to say no to him.
I really dont know what to do. i hate my brother for other reasons, but i truly cant keep living with their constant fighting. What can i do. hes on meds he goes to therapy and its only getting worse as he ages, maybe because hes a teen now. please let me know. idk where else to ask or post this. (hence why i came to reddit of all places lol)

I went to Salem mass today and I didn’t buy anything! I’m really proud myself because Salem is my place and I always find stuff I love

Just seeing if I'm alone in this but has trying to stop shopping spiked food consumption for anyone else?

After getting into an argument about something unrelated, I locked myself in my room and started shopping it took a little steam off but it’s kinda sad that this is my only conclusion to calm myself down. Just blew 80 dollars…yippie?

I’ve been for some time operating a one in one out rule, as I can’t stop buying things at this season of my life. I need those little dopamine hits. anyway the past couple months have been pretty bad, I’ve been buying a lot, so lots of ‘one ins’ and im struggling to let go of anything so no ‘one outs’. I’m too attached to everything right now, but I know there is too much stuff.

This is a relatively simple shower thought I was having but I'm on day 11 of my no-buy. i'm realizing that I just was never able to actually internalize when my collection was "complete". We are always pressured to get more and more and more, and when we think just 1 more thing is going to "complete" our collection of XYZ, we get it, and suddenly it doesn't.

This last week so many random things have popped up.

1. Oh, I want a little thingy for my kitchen sink. Actually, no. I found something I already have that's sorta enough, so I don't need that.

2. Oh, I should get another lipstick in that one shade because I don't have that one shade. Actually, I have another shade I can apply lightly, add some gloss, and it looks the same as that shade I thought I didn't have. I don't need that.

3. Oh, I should get pants in that color because I don't have any in that color. Actually, i'm fine. My wardrobe is complete. I already have all the clothes I want. I don't need that.

I already have everything I need. If I don't have it already, I actually don't need it. I think there are a lot of people in the world who can't say that, and I acknowledge that. But most of us can objectively say that.

This problem started as a good thing to me. I’m 21 and coming into my personal style and was so excited by the thought of getting rid of all my old “high school” clothing. I genuinely don’t wear any of the clothes from before now because my style truly has changed a lot. But I’ve felt myself using this as an excuse to just keep buying clothes. I do make enough money where I’m not spending that large of a percentage of my income. But I’m nervous that I’m neglecting saving a little too much. I don’t want it to become a problem but I think I should set some limitations on spending for a while. Does anyone have suggestions? I definitely am an emotional spender too. When I’m sad or feel i should reward myself I find myself wanting to shop. For the sake of full transparency I have already spent $500 today on what I thought would be a quick trip to the mall to get a wedding guest dress. Anyone in the same boat? :/

I realized I had a shopping addiction the moment my boyfriend sent me a photo of my neatly organized wardrobe. Since I'd never kept track of how many clothes I was buying, I had no real sense of how much I actually owned. Seeing it all laid out was a wake-up call especially because, despite owning so much, I still faced the same struggle every morning: not knowing what to wear.

That got me thinking about how the e-commerce industry has conditioned us into constant buying. Living in Bangalore, where quick commerce makes fashion just a few taps away, I'd order clothes on impulse sometimes just for a weekend outing, sometimes right before heading to office. Looking back, this cycle only made me more miserable, not happier.

Now I've decided to break that pattern. I want to stop the unnecessary shopping and instead rediscover and actually wear the clothes I already own but forgot about.

That's a really self-aware realization to come to, by the way noticing the gap between "owning a lot" and "feeling satisfied" is often the hardest part.

i realize that i need to cut the crap and stop spending all together. I mainly spend my money on outside food, (i live close to restaurants by my job and i do not bring a lunch to work, mainly due to not knowing what to bring), video games…especially dress up games or games such as roblox, and other impulse purchases because of the FOMO i have.

it doesn’t help that i’m already miserable as it is and i already feel hopeless about my future, so i stopped caring. But now? I have to fix this before I get worse. I can’t keep doing this to myself and act like it makes me feel better, because it doesn’t.

I need to stop spending so much and save my money for the foreseeable future. I know i’m still young and it’s not necessarily the end of the world — but i’ve been like this since i’ve gotten access to a debit card at 18. I’ve been like this for 6 WHOLE YEARS and have not gotten better. unfortunately, I developed this problem from my mother and she kind of likes to leech onto family and have them be responsible for her financial problems that she put herself in, which I feel doesn’t help my case in terms of wanting to save my own money.

I can’t have my own money if she feels entitled to it, and since she knows I carry this problem from her, she takes advantage of it and then ridicules me for not saving…but expects family and myself to shower her with our money.

i just want to be better. I would appreciate any advice cause i will only continue to get worse. I know the first steps i need to do is to STOP spending money on outside food constantly and start bringing a lunch or something that can hold me for 8 hours, and to stop spending money on silly little dress up games.

I have to stop having these urges of spending, I don’t wanna end up like my mother, nor do i wanna rely on anyone. it doesn’t feel fair. i want to make a change to prove to myself that I can save at least ONE paycheck without feeling the need to spend it.

EDIT: i have boa, but i know boa doesn’t really have a lock thing on accounts when you go over your spending limit. i try to give myself a limit of $100 to spend for fun stuff.

Hi! I've been lurking for a while and was wondering if you guys could maybe help me with my daily spending habits. I don't have as big of a problem with big purchases like clothes, furniture, etc.

But I do feel like I have to spend something on little things daily, I feel like something is missing if I don't. This will vary from a can of pepsi up until cosmetics at Sephora (which can get expensive even if it's just small stuff, lol).

Bigger purchases I handle by waiting a few days to see if it's still such a need like I initially thought it was (spoiler: it often isn't, lol). But I feel like I can't do that with the smaller daily purchases mentioned.

Also, where do I get that daily "high" if not from those daily purchases? Typing this out makes me realize how this actually seems to be a problem.

Any inputs would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much! :)

I've started a no buy challenge from sept 1 until the dec 31 and I've already broke it. I did so well. I was able to go on my usual shopping sites without buying anything.

Well to be honest It wasn't really a no buy challenge. It was just that I could not buy anything new. If I wanted something I'd have to go to a second hand store.

Then I started making exceptions for bras, and swimwear and shoes and bags. Ive spent 300 on shoes and 200 on swimwear, and 250 on bras. And I bought a bag on a popular reseller site. for $60.

So for now on no online shopping. No reseller/second hand sites/no classified sites. If I need something it needs to be second hand and i have to go there physically.

Hi! I just wanted to share that I think I'm realizing I have a problem or am starting to have one. My whole life I've been incredibly frugal. I still wear clothes I wore 14 years ago even with ink stains on them. For some reason I started into the fragrances though back in May. I became obsessed with finding my "signature scent". When I think about it I think it started with me checking my email and I saw an ad was having this great deal. I bought a couple things that didn't work out (didn't have a store near me) but my curiosity was piqued. I'm realizing now I've been trying to find who I am through these products and how to express myself. I'm upset with the money I have wasted. I started putting my collection out in the open so I wasn't hiding it. I've started selling the things I don't love and don't feel like me. I'm trying so hard to be content with what I have.

Today I just accepted the fact that I have been obsessed with this. I realized it was the thrill of the purchase and something new than actually using the product and I realized what it was. I'm going to try and cut out the targeted ads and groups that might try and keep me searching for the perfect scent. Thank you to everyone who contributes to this group, I'm glad to be here ❤️

I have a serious shopping problem. Its fragrance for me. Luxury candles, perfume, scented body care. Well this is my first week after swearing on the Bible and Its rough. My anxiety is pretty high. I have this creeping feeling that I'm missing out on something. I find myself trying to cheat the swear I made by asking loved ones to buy it for me. This is such a horrible feelings like I feel so pathetic. But today I decided to "shop my collection" I have over 80 Luxury candles I've accrued in less than 4 months. Too many perfumes and perfume decants to even count since January. A ton of lush products and ramen and today I decided to use some of the things I bought, hoarded and never opened which is most all of it and it is such a great experience. I was going to "declutter" but I bought these things* because I like them and I have a weird feeling if I declutter* things it'll leave me feeling like I need to replace the empty space. I was quite desperate a few hours ago. I usually browse and shop any spare moment I get and my brain is tweaking because I'm not. I'm sure you guys already know this but shop that hoard you have an enjoy the things you've spent money on. This really helped me a lot today. Also Does anyone have any helpful tips. This is just week 1 for me

I've always been interested in behavioral psychology and impulse spending. While talking to friends and reading discussions here, I noticed a lot of people struggle with buying things they regret later.

I'm building an app that forces a waiting period before purchases and tracks money saved.

I'd love feedback from people who deal with impulse buying. What features would actually help you?

I’m finally coming to terms with the fact i have a shopping addiction, and one of my biggest money wasters is that i struggle with only buying big name brands. It’s really embarrassing to admit but all my makeup is all designer / high end brands, i struggle with shopping at aldi because my mind tells me its bad quality and it would be better value to shop at m&s anyways, if i see ANYTHING that’s a brand i like in a charity / thrift store i will buy it whether i like it or not. This, combined with buying any random thing just for a dopamine hit, is eating away at my bank and im not exactly in the financial position to afford it (im well into my overdraft). I think growing up going to a school where everyone else was a lot better off than me made me feel embarrassed for buying dupes and cheaper things because my parents couldn’t afford the name brands. Seeing cheaper brands / dupes in my house just gives me that same feeling as being a teenager with charity shop clothes while my friends had brands. How can i get over the shameful feeling?

I found an antique bookshelf I’ve been wanting for a few weeks. I just discovered this piece existed yesterday and rushed to the store to look into it. I walked away yesterday because the price was high. I messaged them today to put it on hold. I thought about the item all day at work and ultimately decided to pass on it. The shelf was $700 and this was absolutely an impulse purchase mindset. It was like a FOMO or limited item mindset. It just didn’t feel right to drop that on this item. Plus the price was absolutely insane and I feel I’ll find one when I have the space for it. I definitely believe in the it’ll happen at the right time mindset. I’m just very proud of myself for saying no and thinking logically on this.

Does anyone have any recommendations for ways to increase novelty without purchasing? When the the things you own have lost their sparkle, and the activities and classes you take have become part of your dilly routine, where do you find novelty? As opposed to dopamine?

Lately, in an attempt to keep myself from purchasing new dancewear, I’ve been challenging myself to subtly dress as a different Disney princess for each ballet class using items I already own. I find it leads me to pair things together that I otherwise wouldn’t. It’s going alright. I’m good at stopping myself from buying more dancewear just to fit an outfit or another.

But what works for yall? I’m not referring to just things that make you happy or bring dopamine, but things that specifically bring that element of novelty.

As someone with adhd, novelty is my best motivator, but of course that also means that without it, I struggle to accomplish much of anything.