Can't stop shopping??

I've been trying to save up money for xmas season since I'm going to my friend's house and I know I'm going to be shopping alot during December-Jan. (I used 600 dollars on shopping in one month last year =_= 200-300 went to Victoria's secret)

I've been REALLY trying to hold myself but it's nearly impossible. With the economic crisis I should really stop since my parent's can't send me money anymore (wons have **** value so my parents told me to support myself with money that i have. I'm a poor college stuent, they have all my summer funds.) so I should really stop but....

I went shopping on black friday. yay purses. Then i came home, went online shopping. yay skirt + shoes + jeans + dress + wallet =_=;;;;;;;;;;;;;


OMG the coupons. The sales. The freebies. They are so tempting!! GRR

And I'm the type when I want something, it doesn't go away. I NEED TO HAVE IT. once I get it, I move onto another item that I MUST HAVE!

It was easier when I was like this with electronics (I still love technology) but since they usually cost more, I didn't have problems with random purchases.


Anybody else have this shopaholic thing going on right now? (Especially GIRLSSS!!!)

T_T I picked up more shifts from my work so I could save money but T_T um geez.

I'm a shopaholic for sure. I know the feeling of "must have it". My household income was greater a few years ago and spending wasn't to bad on my finances then. I still wasted a lot of money on stuff I didn't need instead of saving it but my bills were still paid.

Now my the income coming in has dropped dramatically because of less work and changing my shpooing habits has been very difficult. Bills have gone unpaid because of clothes, shoes, you name it.

I am trying to train myself to not spend like I used to. I go to the mall a lot with a friend of mine but she only spends a tiny bit every week like $8 for a shirt or something and that is it while I spend way more. She knows I have a problem and she is helping me to shop like her. I was at the point where sales didn't matter...I would spend full price on items I wanted.

Black Friday was awful though. I went to the mall with my sister and everything was 50% off or spend $50 to get $10 off. Deals like that will break a person because in Aeropostle the week before I was going to buy a pair of jeans for $14.99 and didn't because I told myself I didn't need them, then on Black Friday all the jeans were $60 but 50% off. All the stores really jacked up the prices in order to give consumers a percentage off and some consumers who don't shop often at certain stores got totally ripped off because they don't know the regular sale prices prior to black friday.

It's actually a form of OCD.

i have this problem as well but i will make sure that my bills are paid first before i go to town shopping and i also know that i will be going to England the end of this month and how upset i will be to not have enough money to get whatever i may possibly want so i'm trying to practice extreme discipline with myself. i did buy two shirts this past weekend but i figure that is waaaay better than the damage i know i could have did this weekend and those purchases can just count as things towards my trip. but i also have a company christmas party next weekend so i really have to try and be frugal for this whole month...wish me luck

Sounds like you've been a spoiled child...I would probably treat it like any other addiction.

I have the opposite problem, I'm a penny-pincher, because I grew up poor and would rather know I have a good chunk of money in the bank than clothes or whatever.

You have a problem. There are support groups and help for people who cannot control themselves. Call your local hospital or community center and find a support group. This is something you need to get control of before you get into real trouble. Then take a class on how to manage money responsibly.

Yeah!  I have the same problem. I know where mines came from. I would eat when I was upset, and now I just shop a lot. Some thing I can't stop or control. I waste 800 dollars per month, and I can't stop it. I've tried. Really I have.. I even tried to limited myself to- 2 items, but it didn't work

Black Friday was good for me, because I only spent 200 dollars.
Then the day after Black Friday was awful, because I spent 600+ dollars on x mas for my kids, and I'm not done yet. I need to get a grip with the shopping.

Online.. I spent over 64.00.. I need help, but I guess this is a new way I deal with depression. Once it was food, now it's shopping. If I have something new, or won something new. I'm happy and I feel much better about myself. Do you think your shopping problem come from some type of depression? Or child hood drama.

You know, I don't consider myself a shop-a-holic, but I do shop online a fair amount, and I can be prone to impulse buys for good deals.  I'm kinda' curious what most people average per month in "shopping."

Last time I checked, I think I was running about $250 a month (which is $3K in a year, which just seems RIDICULOUS to me.... while as my husband spends like $250 for the whole year).

Vice, I grew up on welfare and I know where the OP is coming from. I don't think she's just spoiled. Especially with the deals, it's hard for me to hold back. I feel like I'm really getting something for a good price, though I'd have more money if I just didn't spend it.

This time of year, I just get so spendy. I probably spent $300 in the past two weeks. In my defense, I had no pants which fit me any more because of lost weight and I really did need some clothes. I haven't really bought clothes other than a shirt or dress here or there in at least two years. Plus, I got everything on some sort of sale, lol! =)

They say women get a rush from finding a deal and purchasing it, sort of like hunting? I don't know, it's true of me!!

But you do have to, at some point, just stop. Or it'll continue and it will become a problem.

Maybe it would help to make a budget or something? I was tempted by the Black Friday deals too, but I just didn't go to the mall, since I didn't have much money to spend (I spend all my extra $$ around this time on presents for my family/friends since Christmas is coming up and two of my relatives have birthdays in December).

I used to want to buy stuff I didn't need, so I decided to stick spending with my debit card instead of a credit/store card. It really helps, because if you spend that money, you're out, whereas if you spend on a credit card it doesn't really seem as bad and you can tell yourself "I'll pay it off somehow..." That is how credit debt happens!

Seriously, if you are that tempted whenever you see something at the mall or online, just limit your time there as much as possible. I love the designer Free People, but if I don't have any extra cash, I won't go to the site or look in the catalogs or at the store. There's bound to be something that I think i "have to have" if I go look, and I'll just end up being miserable that I can't have it. But if I don't look, I just don't know about it. Ignorance can be bliss that way. Maybe unsubscribe if you get emails from certain sites talking about sales and stuff.

Good luck!

Original Post by tincognito:

Vice, I grew up on welfare and I know where the OP is coming from. I don't think she's just spoiled. Especially with the deals, it's hard for me to hold back. I feel like I'm really getting something for a good price, though I'd have more money if I just didn't spend it.

I grew up on welfare too. I can understand people going the opposite direction as me because they never had anything so they splurge a lot now. However she said her parents won't be sending her money anymore...sounds spoiled to me. I'm sure it's more than that at this point, but it probably started from that.

I have that problem too. We need help! lol I shop and now im broke cause of it but id rather look cute, is that bad? yes it is. I need to save, i need to get a job quick!

I had a really eye-opening experience this summer.

A friend of mine asked me to help her weed through her clothes to get rid of old/unflattering stuff. We went through her whole entire closet (it took all day) piece by piece and we made piles of stuff to keep vs. donate. (there was even a small pile of stuff that became mine. )

Anyway, I was so inspired to get rid of my old crap too, that I had her come over and spend a day on my closet. Seeing my stuff through her perspective blew my mind. For example, I had somehow accumulated at least 10 long-sleeve brown shirts (that all look pretty similar, some even had tags still on them from not being worn). When she asked me why I had so many...all I could say was "I like brown..and I didnt realize I had so many when I bought this one." Same thing happened with patterned waffle shirts. "Why so many?" "Didnt know I had that many". Same thing for tank tops. Same thing for flip flops. Same thing for black t-shirts. Same thing for khakis. Same thing for hoodies. We tend to buy the same things over and over and over.

The lesson I learned: take inventory of your stuff! Think about what is already in your closet while you shop. If you already have an item (or several) exactly like it at home, dont buy another one! Arrange your closet by color so you can actually see how many of the exact same thing you already own. I will never mindlessly grab a brown long-sleeve shirt again.

Original Post by vicereine:

Original Post by tincognito:

ice, I grew up on welfare and I know where the OP is coming from. I don't think she's just spoiled. Especially with the deals, it's hard for me to hold back. I feel like I'm really getting something for a good price, though I'd have more money if I just didn't spend it.

I grew up on welfare too. I can understand people going the opposite direction as me because they never had anything so they splurge a lot now. However she said her parents won't be sending her money anymore...sounds spoiled to me. I'm sure it's more than that at this point, but it probably started from that.

LOL as much as I WISH I was a spoiled child,  I'm not. I work for my shopping sprees. =_= It's more like I could spend my working money entirely for my allowance/food expenses before. Now I have to pay school fees with it. I'm still pretty poor and my parent's aren't rich either. I wouldn't go shopping when I was younger because I knew my parents didn't have money.

My parents send me small living expense through the year because I goto college and I can't completely support myself although I worked during the summer + got a scholarship so it's mostly my money to start out with

Anyways...

RIGHT NOW i'm just saying screw it because i usually don't go insane through out the year, it's just this time of the year really. The sales are really great so I guess I'm sorta stacking up?

I'm pretty good about buying different items... well I do repeat alot of things I like but they look different (like over the knee socks, plaid skirts, etc) I make a conscious effort to buy things that look different;..

I actually have a pretty small closet because when I move (every year) I donate my stuff. Also since my home's in another continent, I also donated alot of stuff back home. Right now on top of working some extra shifts at work, I'm also selling my clothes on the internet/ebay.

Original Post by fairydust125:

I have that problem too. We need help! lol I shop and now im broke cause of it but id rather look cute, is that bad? yes it is. I need to save, i need to get a job quick!

I agree. I rather look cute. HAHAHAA.

Original Post by petitechick:

I'm a shopaholic for sure. I know the feeling of "must have it". My household income was greater a few years ago and spending wasn't to bad on my finances then. I still wasted a lot of money on stuff I didn't need instead of saving it but my bills were still paid.

Now my the income coming in has dropped dramatically because of less work and changing my shpooing habits has been very difficult. Bills have gone unpaid because of clothes, shoes, you name it.

I am trying to train myself to not spend like I used to. I go to the mall a lot with a friend of mine but she only spends a tiny bit every week like $8 for a shirt or something and that is it while I spend way more. She knows I have a problem and she is helping me to shop like her. I was at the point where sales didn't matter...I would spend full price on items I wanted.

Black Friday was awful though. I went to the mall with my sister and everything was 50% off or spend $50 to get $10 off. Deals like that will break a person because in Aeropostle the week before I was going to buy a pair of jeans for $14.99 and didn't because I told myself I didn't need them, then on Black Friday all the jeans were $60 but 50% off. All the stores really jacked up the prices in order to give consumers a percentage off and some consumers who don't shop often at certain stores got totally ripped off because they don't know the regular sale prices prior to black friday.

 

I HATE aero. They always say they are having 50 percent off or something but the thing is they ALWAYS HAVE THAT SALE. They never sell anything full price (and imho aeropostale is not worth full price).

I walked into saks, they were saying Rock and republic jeans 50% off but it was still 150 dollars =_=.... stayed away.

I only went to guess during black friday :)

Original Post by naruelle:

 With the economic crisis I should really stop since my parent's can't send me money anymore (wons have **** value so my parents told me to support myself with money that i have)

 whats a wons?

... but besides that, i guess it all depends just how tight your budget is. If buying new things means you need to start eating catfood... well.. thats probably not a good idea (but i doubt its that bad!). If it means you need to just sacrifice eating out as much...well...thats fine, its just a matter of which one you enjoy more.

Thats what it comes down to, spending your money on what gives you the most benefit.

Original Post by loriklorik:

Original Post by naruelle:

 With the economic crisis I should really stop since my parent's can't send me money anymore (wons have **** value so my parents told me to support myself with money that i have)

 

 whats a wons?

... but besides that, i guess it all depends just how tight your budget is. If buying new things means you need to start eating catfood... well.. thats probably not a good idea (but i doubt its that bad!). If it means you need to just sacrifice eating out as much...well...thats fine, its just a matter of which one you enjoy more.

Thats what it comes down to, spending your money on what gives you the most benefit.

Wons are korean money. It used to be 900 won to a dollar, (1000 won's about a dollar so wons were worth more) and now it's 1500 wons to a dollar thanks to the economic crisis.

I'm sacrificing my grocery shopping actually. I plan on not going grocery shopping for this month since I'm flying out on the 18th and I have tons of stuff in the fridge. >_<

Original Post by vicereine:

Sounds like you've been a spoiled child...I would probably treat it like any other addiction.

I have the opposite problem, I'm a penny-pincher, because I grew up poor and would rather know I have a good chunk of money in the bank than clothes or whatever.

 I totally agree, I grew up on second hand clothes, potatoes and trees (tree huts also) were my best source of entertainment...
I cant stand spending large amounts of money on items like clothes or other items that are only for vanity.
There's just so much better things I could buy, like more plants for my vegetable garden! lol.

To Naruelle, I would say...
Treat it as any other addiction.
Read up on google for tips to distract yourself from your addiction.
Even if the tips are for alcoholism, they should still work for you!
... Though they might require some alterations.

I hate shopping.  Between the variation in sizing, high prices for low quality, crowds, and useless/no service in the shops, I can barely drag myself to the stores even when I neeeeeed something.  Though I do have to admit that since I've lost weight, shopping is slightly more enjoyable because things fit better once I find the correct size.

I'd say I average about $50 - $100 a month maximum.

Original Post by restless_girl:

Original Post by vicereine:

Sounds like you've been a spoiled child...I would probably treat it like any other addiction.

I have the opposite problem, I'm a penny-pincher, because I grew up poor and would rather know I have a good chunk of money in the bank than clothes or whatever.

 I totally agree, I grew up on second hand clothes, potatoes and trees (tree huts also) were my best source of entertainment...
I cant stand spending large amounts of money on items like clothes or other items that are only for vanity.
There's just so much better things I could buy, like more plants for my vegetable garden! lol.

To Naruelle, I would say...
Treat it as any other addiction.
Read up on google for tips to distract yourself from your addiction.
Even if the tips are for alcoholism, they should still work for you!
... Though they might require some alterations.

I don't understand. =_= so apparently if I don't live off of second hand clothing I'm a spoiled child? Once again, I work for these shopping sprees, this isn't from my parents. my parents only take care of my college apartment (1/2 of it paid with my own money and my college loans) so I have to make my own living expenses. I mean I don't understand why you would spend money on your vegetable garden but I'm not judging you. Just like you would rather spend money on your vegetables I would rather spend my money on clothes and make up.

I'm sad about not having money saved up but I'm not sad about going shopping. I never even said it was an addiction, I was wondering if people were having the same issues especially around this time of the year. =_= why is everybody judging me all th sudden? excuse me.

Original Post by jenningermany:

I hate shopping.  Between the variation in sizing, high prices for low quality, crowds, and useless/no service in the shops, I can barely drag myself to the stores even when I neeeeeed something.  Though I do have to admit that since I've lost weight, shopping is slightly more enjoyable because things fit better once I find the correct size.

I'd say I average about $50 - $100 a month maximum.

I think I usually average there for clothes and stuff like that most of the year. It's just november, december, january.. and summer that tends to be the biggest problem. o_O I also agree I like finding the right size or going down a size ^_^ I think that might have started this shopping spree though -_-

I have a major addiction to shopping...i'll always buy something at the weekend. Its worse now Ive lost weight, but thats mainly as I now have no clothes that fit...even my jeans fall down with a belt. I think I'll calm down once ive got my new, slimmer wardrobe sorted though.

It is an addiction...I just love the feeling of having something new and the buzz that comes from the whole shopping experience. One thing that I will say is that sales dont really do it for me. If I wanted something I would have bought it, so there is usually nothing in the sales that I like. If I go to sales, I usually walk straight past the reductions to the full price.

I also ALWAYS make sure that all my bills and travel are paid before I shop. I have them come out of my account automatically so that Im not tempted to spend that money.

Original Post by vicereine:

 However she said her parents won't be sending her money anymore...sounds spoiled to me. I'm sure it's more than that at this point, but it probably started from that.

She's a Korean girl going to university in the US. Her having a summer job makes her more independent than any of my Korean friends here in Korean. Even my friends who are out of university... none of them had jobs until they got their bachelor's degree. All of my Korean friends who even just did 1 year abroad, their parents financed everything. I only have one friend who has paid for majority of his year in London but he's also older than my other friends have been when they've studied abroad. 

You have to keep cultural differences in mind before automatically calling someone a spoiled.

naruelle-- I've been pretty bad with shopping lately but I blame a lot of it with the fact that my sister was here visiting for two weeks. However, I did just spend like 150,000w on stuff on GMarket. haha It's become my new favorite site since many things are cheap and I can buy western sizes there (more often than actually going shopping) and they carry larger shoe sizes. 

Put yourself on a strict budget. If you're going to buy something new, donate something you don't wear or sell it to a place like Plato's Closet (is that just an Ohio thing?)... a consignment shop that will pay you for clothes that still look nice that you don't want...

ETA: I hope the Won-Dollar exchange rate improves soon. I've lost the equivalent of $800 off my monthly salary in the last 2 1/2 months because of the crap exchange rate. I want to cry. If uni doesn't work out here, I won't last much longer teaching here.