   Sometimes I wonder if I’m a compulsive shopper… maybe not in terms of buying everything and anything out of a need or desire to spend money, but rather that sometimes I’ll see something that looks like a great buy… and I’ll just buy it without regard to the budget or spending plan. Take today for example… my son wanted a nice shiny red apple to give to his first grade teacher. On the way back from some errands I stopped at the grocery store… “I’ll just run in and get an apple” I told myself. I knew I would look around the store a bit, and as it turned out I spent about $50 on groceries. Dang! But I rationalized my purchases by only buying items on sale that we needed. Or that I “thought” we needed. So in terms of my actions, I spent money without planning for it just by stopping at the store (businesses thrive on people like me!).  Realistically, I could have lived without everything I purchased, even if I did only buy sale items at an excellent price. I don’t think my actions meet whatever definition there is for compulsive shopping, but let’s see- I’ll check around the web for a minute…
    Okay, not surprisingly I found a lot of data about shopping and debt!  Here is some great information on compulsive shopping from the Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery (I didn’t really think of compulsive shopping as an addiction before, but it makes sense):Â
Behaviors typical of compulsive shopping and spending include the following:
- Shopping or spending money as a result of feeling disappointed, angry or scared
- Shopping or spending habits causing emotional distress in one’s life
- Having arguments with others about one’s shopping or spending habits
- Feeling lost without credit cards
- Buying items on credit that would not be bought with cash
- Feeling a rush of euphoria and anxiety when spending money
- Feeling guilty, ashamed, embarrassed or confused after shopping or spending money
- Lying to others about purchases made or how much money was spent
- Thinking excessively about money
- Spending a lot of time juggling accounts or bills to accommodate spending
Identification of four or more of the above behaviors indicates a possible problem with shopping or spending.
    After reviewing that definition I would safely say I’m not a compulsive shopper in terms of addiction. I might be an undisciplined shopper, or even a “whim shopper” however, and I need to be more aware of my spending habits. The research behind shopping as an addiction indicates people shop compulsively as a way to feel good about themselves, or replace something that is missing in another area of their life. The problem is that compulsive shopping can spiral out of control and become a viscious cycle, especially in a society which rewards consumption and makes credit too easily available.  The end result is unchecked debt accumulation with little understanding for how to “get out of the hole.”  From a personal perspective, the greater hazard to my undisciplined spending over time is the insidious drain of money that could take place without being aware of it. I think that’s where keeping track of your spending can really be helpful. So I’ll work harder to not spend simply because I can… or to buy three bags of groceries when I only went to the store for an apple!  What do you think? And how do you keep from spending money on a whim? Â
    For more information on compulsive shopping, here’s an excellent article from Indiana University. On a similar topic, there’s even an organization called Debtor’s Anonymous, helping people recover from issues relating to compulsive debt accumulation.
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