Can anyone point me in the right direction on where to start? I am getting to the point of not being able to pay my bills because I can’t stop getting and maxing out credit cards to shop. It feels like the only thing that brings me happiness is buying things.
1 Heart
How about - for one day, u force ur self, to do an activity?
Let’s say - badminton, or study/read a book,
Ur mind will constantly want to give up, but u stick w it, no matter what…
In short, pick the activity “do w clear head”,
No matter the urges - ride them out, no matter the thought, focus on the thoughts related to the act…
For one day…
Either way, i hope u become better my man…,
All the best.
I can relate to this. Currently, I am going through a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy (because I make just over the limit for Chapter 7 in my state). Its funny because for a long time I convinced myself that my shopping wasn’t a problem–that it’s just a normal human activity; but all the while I knew that I was racking up more and more debt and I just put the stress out of my mind. I did everything I could not to think about it and pretended like I would figure out how to pay it off later.
When I would order something I would feel so excited at the anticipation of getting that item everything kind of got classified as “life changing” in my mind which is how I would justify ordering it. Then It would get here and the excitement would just vanish.
I now realize that I am an impulse buyer and its a serious problem. One that is currently costing my $1900/month for the next 5-years. Do the math on that…
Considering I don’t pay rent and don’t own a home that is a lot of money to rack up in credit card debt. Truthfully, it snuck up on me. Interest rates are so unreasonable right now that I didn’t even realize the hole I was in until I looked last year and did the math. There was no way I would ever pay it off just barely making the minimums like I was.
Now that the courts are forcing me to live on a budget I am learning that it is okay to wait on things. I put things in my cart and I think about them for at least a week now before I hit buy and most of the time I end up taking them out of my cart because I can’t justify them. That kind of control for people who have a shopping problem takes practice to master and you may not always win out–but the harder you work at it the more it will become a permanent practive in your life.
3 Hearts
Welcome @Bebex, we are so glad you are here. If you have any questions, please let us know. Additionally, we have a recent blog related to Shopping Addiction we hope might be helpful, Shopping Addiction
-SG
I have the same problem. What I have done this week alone is got into counseling sessions that start at the end of this month, cut up all cards, and closed accounts. I would rather take the hit on my credit than keep going into more debt. I also have a joint account with my husband so he can see every single thing that I might be spending money on. I also stopped going into physical store locations without him so I don’t spend. I removed all shopping platforms from my phone as well. I need to stop and I know I have to be absolutely brutal in the first part of this journey to kickstart a better financial life.
1 Heart