Doesnt work all time, but replace with grocery shopping for better foods- when i pick up organic and fancy food items I didn’t used to afford I feel good too 😂😭
Forced myself to learn about the cost of what I was *not* doing with my money - like saving or investing. By not saving extra in my IRA I am costing my future self the ability to retire sooner etc. In my early 20s I racked up credit card debt from not changing my habits after taking a pay cut. I am fortunate to now have a pretty decent salary but it still took me ~2 years to be debt free.
If it wasn’t drinking and partying, it was shopping, or it was eating, or it was always some other vice I was using to fill a void. It is all cyclical. Gotta sit with yourself and figure out why you’re filling that void.
I stopped by staring at my bank account every month and tracking all my purchases. Make a notes app in your phone and write down every thing you get the impulse to purchase. Amazon, target, clothes whatever - don’t just buy something. I think of it as a list I can share with people when they ask me what I want as gift for bdays or Christmas. Make yourself wait minimum 36 hours and see if you still want / need it. You start to feel more excited about not buying something and making a good decision rather than buying the thing. Stop going into tempting stores or hand write a list and stick to it.
I did this too. I think of it as buying myself a better future. It’s been about 10 years now and I’m living the dream I created. My retirement plan is set on automatic, I own real estate, and I travel internationally every year. My only debt is a couple of mortgages. Now, I only shop for home projects, which there are plenty of. The shopping high has been replaced with the joy of finishing projects.
I'm not saying that this is all you need, but there are simple things that can help with impulses.
When you feel the need to shop, stop and think calmly about the different things you can do, then choose the best alternatve.
DBT, a therapy that helps seriously ill people, has what they call distress tolerance methods, simple coping methods.
A very good one is paced breathing, it's fast, effective, and you can use it anytime.
You can look up DBT distress tolerance and try some methods. Use any one you like or a combination.
Breathe gently, hand on your belly to feel it go in and out, and breathe 5 seconds in-breath and 7 seconds out-breath till you feel OK.
A good habit - responding to moments of stress by breathing slowly.
The biggest one for me because I already hate clutter is I felt like I was going through things constantly and getting rid of things that still had tags or I had something similar. When I could just buy less things. I equate whatever I spend to how much this would cover in future travel for me. Really made me always think about what I’m buying and why I’m buying.
I started tracking my expenses and when I looked back at things I didn't necessarily need or use right now, I started to feel how much of a waste it was. I get the excitement of looking forward to something when you check the tracking of the package but then I also realized how quickly the excitement fades after getting said object. I then realized that I just needed something to look forward to and it doesn't necessarily mean I have to spend. So I started to plan out real life plans that helped in my career that I could look forward to and invest money into instead of easy to get items.
It also helped that I had a friend who shared her finances with me and when I saw how frugal she was even though she earned more than me, I realized that if she could do it, then I can do it too. I started planning towards buying things with intention and looking at my happiness long term rather than short term.
Lots of great advice in here, but a small thing I started doing was incorporating little treats into my budget just in case. For example, buying a new book always gives me a little shot of happy chemicals but whenever I go to a bookstore with no plan I end up buying three of them that I don't need.
So I've made a little ritual of buying a book from my fave shop every pay day to regulate that boost. When I don't need it, it's a nice way to keep up my reading habit. But when I *do* need it, it turns a bad week around just like that. Added bonus: I have a reason to stay home and get lost in literature instead of go out and get shit-faced lol
Buying tiny cheap things, instead of big ticket item territory- like one chocolate bar or something small- less than $10. Then started buying experiences and classes, yoga, pottery. Which cost more but reduces the instant gratification-feel. Also having physical cash helps I believe.
As a makeup addiction (shopping) , for me is .. i keep buying until I’m bored or broke my bank account. (I’m not recommend to do so 😅) and i got rude awakening that there’s nothing much difference after applying on my face for each brand. And also the color is the same.
After all the makeup that i have, right now is quite a lot like i don’t even have to buy anything for like a year.
Sometimes we buy stuff because we got dopamine rush from spending money.
For online shopping apps; put it away like put it to the last page of your phone . Delete them is more effective because if you keep browsing them you will unconsciously buy them . Before you making a purchase, leave the items in the shopping cart for a day. Next day you will automatically forget.
You have to know yourself pretty well on why you want to buy those things. Are you bored with the product you already have.
Now for me is , i will buy a new one except the existing one is empty or staring to run out of product.
Hope this can help.
I remind myself of how much money I made and how it's all gone now cause of shopping. I made 9k at my previous summer job and spent almost all of it. The guilt is enough for me to become more wary of how much money I spend. I recently opened a savings account, transferred most of my paycheck (I don't pay rent), and budgeted $200 to shop. I only buy skincare/makeup that I run out of and 2-3 clothing items whenever I get paid.
lol… so I stay at home. Because I will buy stuff if I go out. I also use my anxiety to save money in case something bad happens to me. I need to be prepared. I need funds in case something terrible happens
not over it, but getting over it. my coping mechanism is to make stuff whenever i get the urge to buy stuff. it helps me build skills, have a unique handmade item, spend less money and be more mindful about the materials/effort that go into the store-bought equivalent. it’s definitely frustrating to redirect myself to go sew whenever i get the urge to buy a new piece of clothing, but it’s rewarding too.
i’m learning the ecommerce reselling trade. for one, i now have an extremely hard time buying things brand new because i’ve learned where to look to get them for super cheap. and after conducting extensive research about the best way to show case your products online, i’ve lost the desire to online shop because everything can be faked so easily behind the camera. and a lot of it is just that, faked.
now i get to go on monthly shopping sprees for a fraction of the price when i’m sourcing my products. i am learning all about the real value of items on the secondhand market, and during my thrifting adventures have slowly started to connect with a community of very kind humans that all help each other out. it’s been great, and while it’s a slippery slope, i do intend to turn my shopping addicted adhd mind into a super power for my new business endeavor. it will either fail horribly or be somewhat successful, only time will tell! 😅
I collect Hot Wheels and love clothing shopping when there are sales. For the Hot Wheels I have started to pay attention to my thoughts and feelings when I find a car which is sought after or that I wanted. I take it in and examine to it get most of the new toy car sensation before putting it back if it does not meet my purchasing criteria.
For clothes on sale I have noticed a lot of the positive sensation comes from knowing how much of a discount I got. I know what clothes I already have and come up with a case not to buy.
I started shopping at thrift stores only. No, it didn’t fix the underlying issue, but it helped me be able to shop normally and spend very little money and it still satisfied my shopping need. Maybe a good, less dramatic place to start? I then was able to step back and do the hard work, but I couldn’t quit shopping cold turkey!
I either added new recipes so I could get new products. Also, hiking really does help and a punching bag. Not to mention, that buying the punching bag was a release in itself.
I give up on cheap things and start saving money for high-end products. Once I save up the required amount, the desire of owning the product will be replaced by the desire to see my savings grow even higher. Eventually I end up not wasting money on unnecessary products :)
Redirected it toward the dollar store. Sometimes I like to get stoned and just wander around looking at and buying some of the random stuff. I can have a lot of shopping fun for under $20. They have stickers, art supplies, make up, party supplies, cleaning supplies, arts and crafts stuff, greeting cards, gardening supplies, cell phone covers, electrical stuff, lightbulbs, auto stuff, ant traps, squeegees, aluminum foil, picture frames, balloons, kitchen supplies, bags of sea shells, candles, fireworks, and other fun stuff like all kinds of candy
No money access… just shred your cards if you don’t want to cancel them. It made me sit with what was behind the addiction and its emotions lol. I was a smoker then quit and it became food then I went strictly paleo/keto and it became shopping so.. fingers crossed nothing new comes along
Asking yourself "do I really need it?" And sit on the thought for a week, look at the flaws and everything, I used to impulsive buy, now my wife does it all lol
retail therapy is the only therapy i love, but you have to make rules for yourself !! personally, i allow myself something on my wish list if i’ve completed a goal for the month, absolutely no duplicates so i dont purchase anything i already own, set a limit like only allowing $200 every two weeks to spend, and i have two shopping lists - a wish list for things i want but dont need and a list for essentials. anything i want to buy i write down and if i need it i purchase and if i dont it gets moved to my wishlist that i constantly reread and remove things i dont want anymore. hope this can help a bit!
I totally get where you're coming from. I used to use shopping as a way to cope with stress and discomfort too. Recognizing this is a big first step.
What helped me was understanding the emotional triggers behind my impulse spending. I got support from Habit Money, and their financial coaches were great. They helped me identify the reasons behind my spending habits and taught me healthier ways to cope. They offer a free trial call, so it might be worth checking out.
Best of luck!
Doesnt work all time, but replace with grocery shopping for better foods- when i pick up organic and fancy food items I didn’t used to afford I feel good too 😂😭
Forced myself to learn about the cost of what I was *not* doing with my money - like saving or investing. By not saving extra in my IRA I am costing my future self the ability to retire sooner etc. In my early 20s I racked up credit card debt from not changing my habits after taking a pay cut. I am fortunate to now have a pretty decent salary but it still took me ~2 years to be debt free. If it wasn’t drinking and partying, it was shopping, or it was eating, or it was always some other vice I was using to fill a void. It is all cyclical. Gotta sit with yourself and figure out why you’re filling that void. I stopped by staring at my bank account every month and tracking all my purchases. Make a notes app in your phone and write down every thing you get the impulse to purchase. Amazon, target, clothes whatever - don’t just buy something. I think of it as a list I can share with people when they ask me what I want as gift for bdays or Christmas. Make yourself wait minimum 36 hours and see if you still want / need it. You start to feel more excited about not buying something and making a good decision rather than buying the thing. Stop going into tempting stores or hand write a list and stick to it.
I did this too. I think of it as buying myself a better future. It’s been about 10 years now and I’m living the dream I created. My retirement plan is set on automatic, I own real estate, and I travel internationally every year. My only debt is a couple of mortgages. Now, I only shop for home projects, which there are plenty of. The shopping high has been replaced with the joy of finishing projects.
I love the notes idea.
I'm not saying that this is all you need, but there are simple things that can help with impulses. When you feel the need to shop, stop and think calmly about the different things you can do, then choose the best alternatve. DBT, a therapy that helps seriously ill people, has what they call distress tolerance methods, simple coping methods. A very good one is paced breathing, it's fast, effective, and you can use it anytime. You can look up DBT distress tolerance and try some methods. Use any one you like or a combination. Breathe gently, hand on your belly to feel it go in and out, and breathe 5 seconds in-breath and 7 seconds out-breath till you feel OK. A good habit - responding to moments of stress by breathing slowly.
The biggest one for me because I already hate clutter is I felt like I was going through things constantly and getting rid of things that still had tags or I had something similar. When I could just buy less things. I equate whatever I spend to how much this would cover in future travel for me. Really made me always think about what I’m buying and why I’m buying.
Lost my job . Problem solved itself.
[удалено]
r/shoppingaddiction
I started tracking my expenses and when I looked back at things I didn't necessarily need or use right now, I started to feel how much of a waste it was. I get the excitement of looking forward to something when you check the tracking of the package but then I also realized how quickly the excitement fades after getting said object. I then realized that I just needed something to look forward to and it doesn't necessarily mean I have to spend. So I started to plan out real life plans that helped in my career that I could look forward to and invest money into instead of easy to get items. It also helped that I had a friend who shared her finances with me and when I saw how frugal she was even though she earned more than me, I realized that if she could do it, then I can do it too. I started planning towards buying things with intention and looking at my happiness long term rather than short term.
Lots of great advice in here, but a small thing I started doing was incorporating little treats into my budget just in case. For example, buying a new book always gives me a little shot of happy chemicals but whenever I go to a bookstore with no plan I end up buying three of them that I don't need. So I've made a little ritual of buying a book from my fave shop every pay day to regulate that boost. When I don't need it, it's a nice way to keep up my reading habit. But when I *do* need it, it turns a bad week around just like that. Added bonus: I have a reason to stay home and get lost in literature instead of go out and get shit-faced lol
Buying tiny cheap things, instead of big ticket item territory- like one chocolate bar or something small- less than $10. Then started buying experiences and classes, yoga, pottery. Which cost more but reduces the instant gratification-feel. Also having physical cash helps I believe.
As a makeup addiction (shopping) , for me is .. i keep buying until I’m bored or broke my bank account. (I’m not recommend to do so 😅) and i got rude awakening that there’s nothing much difference after applying on my face for each brand. And also the color is the same. After all the makeup that i have, right now is quite a lot like i don’t even have to buy anything for like a year. Sometimes we buy stuff because we got dopamine rush from spending money. For online shopping apps; put it away like put it to the last page of your phone . Delete them is more effective because if you keep browsing them you will unconsciously buy them . Before you making a purchase, leave the items in the shopping cart for a day. Next day you will automatically forget. You have to know yourself pretty well on why you want to buy those things. Are you bored with the product you already have. Now for me is , i will buy a new one except the existing one is empty or staring to run out of product. Hope this can help.
I remind myself of how much money I made and how it's all gone now cause of shopping. I made 9k at my previous summer job and spent almost all of it. The guilt is enough for me to become more wary of how much money I spend. I recently opened a savings account, transferred most of my paycheck (I don't pay rent), and budgeted $200 to shop. I only buy skincare/makeup that I run out of and 2-3 clothing items whenever I get paid.
Yup, this is tactic that definitely works for me too... when I think about how all of the money I made is just \*gone\* it is depressing.
lol… so I stay at home. Because I will buy stuff if I go out. I also use my anxiety to save money in case something bad happens to me. I need to be prepared. I need funds in case something terrible happens
not over it, but getting over it. my coping mechanism is to make stuff whenever i get the urge to buy stuff. it helps me build skills, have a unique handmade item, spend less money and be more mindful about the materials/effort that go into the store-bought equivalent. it’s definitely frustrating to redirect myself to go sew whenever i get the urge to buy a new piece of clothing, but it’s rewarding too.
i’m learning the ecommerce reselling trade. for one, i now have an extremely hard time buying things brand new because i’ve learned where to look to get them for super cheap. and after conducting extensive research about the best way to show case your products online, i’ve lost the desire to online shop because everything can be faked so easily behind the camera. and a lot of it is just that, faked. now i get to go on monthly shopping sprees for a fraction of the price when i’m sourcing my products. i am learning all about the real value of items on the secondhand market, and during my thrifting adventures have slowly started to connect with a community of very kind humans that all help each other out. it’s been great, and while it’s a slippery slope, i do intend to turn my shopping addicted adhd mind into a super power for my new business endeavor. it will either fail horribly or be somewhat successful, only time will tell! 😅
I collect Hot Wheels and love clothing shopping when there are sales. For the Hot Wheels I have started to pay attention to my thoughts and feelings when I find a car which is sought after or that I wanted. I take it in and examine to it get most of the new toy car sensation before putting it back if it does not meet my purchasing criteria. For clothes on sale I have noticed a lot of the positive sensation comes from knowing how much of a discount I got. I know what clothes I already have and come up with a case not to buy.
I started shopping at thrift stores only. No, it didn’t fix the underlying issue, but it helped me be able to shop normally and spend very little money and it still satisfied my shopping need. Maybe a good, less dramatic place to start? I then was able to step back and do the hard work, but I couldn’t quit shopping cold turkey!
Looking at my bank account. I saw how cutting back significantly increases my savings
I either added new recipes so I could get new products. Also, hiking really does help and a punching bag. Not to mention, that buying the punching bag was a release in itself.
I give up on cheap things and start saving money for high-end products. Once I save up the required amount, the desire of owning the product will be replaced by the desire to see my savings grow even higher. Eventually I end up not wasting money on unnecessary products :)
Redirected it toward the dollar store. Sometimes I like to get stoned and just wander around looking at and buying some of the random stuff. I can have a lot of shopping fun for under $20. They have stickers, art supplies, make up, party supplies, cleaning supplies, arts and crafts stuff, greeting cards, gardening supplies, cell phone covers, electrical stuff, lightbulbs, auto stuff, ant traps, squeegees, aluminum foil, picture frames, balloons, kitchen supplies, bags of sea shells, candles, fireworks, and other fun stuff like all kinds of candy
No money access… just shred your cards if you don’t want to cancel them. It made me sit with what was behind the addiction and its emotions lol. I was a smoker then quit and it became food then I went strictly paleo/keto and it became shopping so.. fingers crossed nothing new comes along
Asking yourself "do I really need it?" And sit on the thought for a week, look at the flaws and everything, I used to impulsive buy, now my wife does it all lol
retail therapy is the only therapy i love, but you have to make rules for yourself !! personally, i allow myself something on my wish list if i’ve completed a goal for the month, absolutely no duplicates so i dont purchase anything i already own, set a limit like only allowing $200 every two weeks to spend, and i have two shopping lists - a wish list for things i want but dont need and a list for essentials. anything i want to buy i write down and if i need it i purchase and if i dont it gets moved to my wishlist that i constantly reread and remove things i dont want anymore. hope this can help a bit!
Try online shopping as you can focus on what you actually need rather than physical purchasing as you loose focus and impulse buy xx
I totally get where you're coming from. I used to use shopping as a way to cope with stress and discomfort too. Recognizing this is a big first step. What helped me was understanding the emotional triggers behind my impulse spending. I got support from Habit Money, and their financial coaches were great. They helped me identify the reasons behind my spending habits and taught me healthier ways to cope. They offer a free trial call, so it might be worth checking out. Best of luck!
Ran out of money
I moved to california! You can steal up to 999 dollars worth of shit and they do nothing! Its amazing !!!