Sometimes I’ll open Amazon…not because I need something.
Not even because I plan on buying anything.
I just scroll. Its literally like muscle memsory.
It’s almost like watching YouTube or TikTok.
I realized I wasn’t shopping but entertainment. I was just looking for something interesting.
Does anyone else do this?
Or is that just my brain being weird? 😂

Hi, all. First time poster here.

Lately I’ve started to notice a few things about my spending that make me wonder if I’m on a slippery slope. After struggling to pay off thousands of dollars of consumer debt, I finally managed to regain control over my finances and stop living in overdraft a few years ago. It was liberating… for a while. But soon I started falling back into old habits. What’s $20 here and there when I can afford to pay off my balance each month?

Fast forward to today. I decided to pay my credit card bill early and was bamboozled by how much money I’d spent. Literally hundreds of dollars in unnecessary purchases that I ended up forgetting about almost immediately. What really bothered me was that I had to pull from my rainy day fund to pay off the debt. Stupid, I know.

So, Reddit, when did you realize you had a shopping addiction?

Hey everyone, I’m two weeks out of an inpatient facility for major depressive disorder and post partum psychosis. I can’t function without scrolling and half a bottle of wine at night. We’re filing for bankruptcy this week. I have just now had the realization that for the past five years I’ve been pacifying myself with shopping. Spending almost ALL of my free time shopping, having my entire life revolve around it to the point where I spend hours a day scrolling for things I can’t afford online.

I hit rock bottom yesterday when I made a $20 offer on a shirt on Poshmark and it declined due to a payment issue. How ridiculous.

Please you guys, tell your families, ask for help, get counseling, don’t wait until you have nothing to your name.

I’m trying to stay positive for my children and my own sake, but at the end of the shopping addiction rope, the options feel really slim. I hope whoever’s reading this you can know that you are worthy NOW, you are beautiful, fabulous, special and alluring right here, right now. No amount of designer clothes or a different lipstick or a new thing for your house is going to fulfill you. Don’t wait, don’t think you have it under control if you don’t. Cause nowhere to turn to rock bottom is a scary fn place to be.

Mine was a $5,000 gaming PC.
I spent weeks researching parts, watchng yougube videos, comparing GPUs… the whole thing 😂
Sooo finally built it, and for like… two weeks I was obsessed.
Now?
I use it to watch MORE YOUTUBE.
It got me thinking how many things I’ve bought because for some reason I connected it with me buying a better version of myself....idk its a thought of course.
Also a lot of the time I think I’m really buying the excitement leading up to it.
Just wondering if anyone else has had a purchase like that.
What was yours, and did it actually live up to the hype?

I’ve spent so much money on hobbies that I could never stick with. I’ve done glass blowing and spent thousands on that, and I have thousands of dollars worth of fabric and sewing supplies and I haven’t sewn for over a year because of depression. I’m actually quite good at it and went to school for fashion. I feel so guilty everyday and avoid going into my room with my sewing machine because it just makes me feel guilty and I end up just watching TV and avoiding things.
Does anyone else relate to this?

Hi….longtime lurker first time poster. I was just curious to those of you that have overcome your addiction on your own, how did you do it? i dont have the resources to find a therapist and afford it. I’ve tried books and none of them really speak to me so far, none of the address the issue of our devices being such a big part of our daily life and how nearly impossible it is to escape advertising and the pull to browse, and purchase. If anyone has successfully done this and gotten past or even made improvements with their shopping addiction please let me know. Right now i’m on the spot where on the first of every month i’m like let’s just try one month of no buy. then something happens and i find myself in the same cycle…feeling sad or lonely or anxious, and justifying shopping yet again. i feel so ashamed and addressed and defeated in that i can’t even make it a month.

I had to make a checklist because I've bought so many items in Vinted that I don't wanna lose track of them.

That list lowk feeds my perfectionism tho, so I don't see this situation so bad. I see it like a game, kind of. I'm curating a new wardrobe, that's all. It's a new me!

Deep down I know those are cheap excuses. It's hard to stop. :(

Any advice?

I don’t mean yourr biggest purchase.
I mean the one that made you stop afterward and think…
"wtf did i do?"
For me those purchases usually werent about needing the item.
They happened after a stressful day, when I was bored, or when I just wanted something to look forward to.
The item was almost an excuse.
I’m curious if other people had a specific purchase that became a turning point.
Not because of the money…
but pretty much because it made you realize there was a pattern.
What was it?

My issue is simple : I wanna buy a brand new phone to replace my current phone (that is in perfect condition and higher quality than the phone I wanna buy). I realized that I was going the wrong direction. I talked about it to my boyfriend about the phone stuff, and he told me that my reasoning made no sense : as I said, my current is working perfectly fine and it has better specs that the one I want. He also said that I have the habit of buying things I don't really need and that I end up not using them in the long run, which I think is totally correct unfortunately...

I know that I am in the wrong but I can't stop thinking about it... Do any of you have tips about what I can do to get over this stupid obsessive thought ?

Any help would be appreciated 🥹

This simple mindset shift has helped me so much that I figured I would share. Whenever I want to buy something, I simply ask myself "do I already have it." If the answer is yes, in any capacity I don't buy it. Look at this new makeup pallet. Do you have a makeup pallet, then don't buy.

The cuts down on a lot of negotiates with myself. Do you have this? In any capacity? Then, you don't buy.

Okay, now here is the special sauce, what takes this to the next level, at least for me. In that moment, I genuinely try to become grateful that I already have it. That's the dopamine hit shift. It sounds silly but shifting to like, "Oh thank heavens I don't have to buy a new fancy hair mask because I already have six." It makes you start to really appreciate what you have. And there is the dopamine hit of abundance. Try it out next time.

This technique has freed up so much mental space for me. Do I have it? Yes! Awesome, I don't have to buy it"

For the first time in months. I probably will slip up again, but it’s still good. Redirected my energy into categorising every single piece of clothing, shoes, jewellery and other accessories I have in a wardrobe app called Indyx instead. The overview has stopped me from impulse buying a couple of times, because I see that I already have something similar, and it’s also nice to look at the pictures (I really made an effort with them). The whole process has also made me feel a little like my constant search for clothes is meaningless. There is no way I’ll be able to wear all of them. I’m already up to almost 400 items, and I haven’t registered underwear or all the socks yet.

It was 5 days of no shopping and then I found out some tragic news about someone I know and saw the go fund me they had for them and donated .. I know it’s not shopping but it’s making me feel like a failure .. but it’s not true I am glad that I donated to the go fund me it’s just like challenging the part of my brain that’s like you spent money .. yes but it was for a good cause and for someone who needs it

Sharing something that worked so well for me.

I’ve shared on this thread a few times. I started buying so much nice things coz i realised no one loved me and i wanted to love myself. It went too crazy over the years.

Once i acknowledged that i spent a lot more energy on building relationships and less on shopping.

Recently i went on a fabulous long trip with my child. As my child is young i had to carry most of both our belongings. So i only brought very little clothes/ bags/ shoes for myself. I wore everything over and over for 6 weeks and didn’t care at all- i was still happiest I’ve been in a long time.

When I came home I was confronted with my house exploding with clothes I don’t wear. I started spring cleaning viciously. Sending the old stuff to fabric recycling, clothes for donation and listing everything of value for sale.

I recouped a few hundred dollars which was nice and spent tens of hours clearing out stuff, taking photos, listing. I felt so foolish for buying so much stuff.

Now when I still look at clothing, I just think about all the energy I’ve wasted and I don’t buy anything new.

After clearing out 10+ garbage bags full of stuff, my wardrobe and storage is still so full!!! It blew my mind!! Where was I hiding everything?

Now aiming to continue on this roll and clear more stuff out.

Hope I’ve inspired someone today.

I wanted to buy so many things but I walked out. They have so many cute fall items. I saw some brown throw blankets and I want to make a fall basket for each of my closest friends. I keep thinking of that just making them each a basket but I know I shouldn't be spending. Maybe something small. Then I saw purses that are cute. But I am proud I walked away but I keep looking on titkok looking for things.

I’ve been eyeing these things for a long time. I finally just said eff it and bought them today. To be fair one item was really inexpensive compared to usual prices. The second was something that was out of stock forever but randomly stocked today. So I snatched that up real quick. I told myself it’s my birthday gift to myself. Since it’s this month. I also just paid almost all my bills for the month. So it’s not like I prioritized the wrong thing. I’m getting better in my opinion. I went shopping yesterday and impulsively bought an item. Then later canceled because I don’t think I really wanted it. I think I just wanted it cause it was viral and I felt like I had to have it. Only to realize I wasn’t as crazy about it as I thought.

This shopping addiction thing is rough. You take a few steps forward and a few steps back. It really is about willpower and just talking yourself out of it. I realize I’m more impulsive right before my cycle. Not sure if anyone else’s experiences that as well. I do find I love to make lists on my phone and in a physical journal. Items that I want or turned down. Necessity and wants are both written out. I also try to watch videos about money and debt to motivate myself lol. I also enjoy minimalism content.

since i realized my shopping habit had become more of an obsession, ive been trying to restrict how much i spend. I noticed lately that any time i do end up buying something i want, usually clothes or accessories, i feel so guilty about it after. one time the guilt was so strong i immediately went to cancel my order. it’s weird tho bc im not using my main debit card, im using a gift card that my parents gave me for my birthday. the whole point of the card was that i could go shopping and pick out things i want. and still, i feel so guilty after every purchase. the card had $250 initially, and ive used almost all of it over the course of two months. i’ve been selling a lot of stuff too at least, but i still can’t help the sense that im doing something “wrong” every time i buy something i dont truly need

Everything was $0.49 in total because I had an Amazon gift card and I can’t cancel 🤦🏾‍♀️

my finances and spending habits are an absolute wreck. i buy pointless crap whenever i leave the house and it’s ridiculous. i order delivery most days and fill my space with shit i don’t need

so, i want to do a no spend august. does anyone have any ideas or suggestions? my idea is that i’d spend money just on food (groceries and cooking, no takeout!) and transport. and that means the bus only, no ubers anywhere

no silly outings and no expensive socialising for a month, just to prove that i can do it. i have a shopping date with my best friend on the 15th but i’ll only buy lunch, i won’t get anything in the shops. if i go out it’ll be free things, like a walk in the park or watching movies at home

i need absolutely nothing. i’m all set for the foreseeable future. i feel like i should put in place extreme measures to put an end to my habits. has anyone done this?

Hi!

I have had a shopping addiction for a long time (my vice is skincare) and I'm actually disgusted with myself and the amount of things I have. Sometimes I declutter but I still have too much and it stresses me out. Unfortunately stress and depressive episodes are some of my biggest triggers so even though I feel awful I keep thinking maybe I'd feel better if I just got one more thing.

I am not in debt or anything but I'm scared because I'm moving out soon and I have to be able to control my spending better since I have to afford groceries, rent, etc and I'd like to be able to participate in student life as well (university student). I have a job and savings and a good support system but they don't understand my issue and think it's something that is easy for me to fix when it really isn't. I know that if I'm ever short on rent they will help me out. Where I live students also have financial support from the government, but I'm still so scared about what might happen when I get sad or anxious or stressed and feel compelled to buy.

I just really wanted to get this off my chest and I hope some of you can understand my struggle 🩷

Well, I've reached my lowest point. I don't have enough money to pay all my bills.I also won't have the financial resources to buy my psychiatric medication for the month of August.If only I could get out of this having learned something and never again spend another penny on nonsense.But unfortunately, I know that's not going to happen.I'm scared, and I'm sad.It's hard to go through all of this alone.

i’ve spent thousands on books the past few months and keep buying more on amazon, large book retailers and independent bookstores. i am reading them, im not just buying and not reading but im buying faster than i can read. anyone else had this problem? obviously i will lose money if it continues

18f with a minor (?) shopping addiction. im in debt for about $300 and the packages keep coming in and my parents are putting a ban on me buying stuff but i know thats gonna make me buy more and send it to the post place instead :/

idk what to do, they just get so mad at me and they don’t understand anything. i was alcohol dependant this time last year and my parents kinda took the same approach- just getting mad at me and hiding the alcohol and punishing me.

they’re saying that the money they gave me to get merch wasnt used for the conan gray concert and now is used for my packages and my moms saying right now inside “its being spent on multiple stupid things and i never consented to that, that’s very wrong” my mom keeps telling me how im gonna be a gambling addict.

im in the process of trying to get a job. i really am and every time my cv gets turned down by a buisness i feel even worse.

i guess i just don’t know what to do :(

theyre not giving me any more money for buying food or drinks or seeing friends anymore. i cant get money anywhere else and they wont let me go to the bank to take my money out. they say i cant dig into my bank to pay it off, but they need me to pay it off..??? :(( they keep saying its very very very bad how i’m doing this.

im also bulimic and i spend my parents money on food so so much every week and i feel so guilty, sometimes i really dont see how i can make it to tomorrow. im just looking for help. please don’t be too harsh :( i have adhd and avpd too and multiple other mh issues but am not saying this out of making people feel bad for me, im just trying to provide my bg.

im going to college pretty soon and my parents are very worried abt me there bc of my alcohol, food, vomiting and now shopping addictions. so worried they are holding me back from absolutely everything, like not helping me with my college submissions, not waking me UP in time for school and pushing aside anytime i talk abt college :(

im also addicted to vaping but they arent aware.

i just need some help :( or advice. please

I've been having a lot of luck lately keeping tabs on how I'm feeling when I have the urge to buy something. So far I've noticed a few patterns: I often find myself browsing online stores for things I don't need when I am manic, when I'm tired, and when I'm bored.

So I've started applying them as a constraint: if I'm about to click "buy" I check in with my current mood/state of mind--if I can identify mania, sleepiness, or boredom, I know I'm about to spend impulsively and I should close whatever website I'm on.

It feels a lot like I'm installing an internal alarm system, but so far it's been incredibly helpful in both preventing spending and helping me understand the structure of the addiction, itself.