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Are you a shopping addict? I know I have some addictive tendencies when it comes to the retail world. And like many addictions, I believe this one was genetic. My mom has always loved to shop, and she got me on that train. Special daughter/mother time usually involved shopping and my mom was a pro at talking herself into buying something. Of course, it didn’t hurt that she had access to my dad’s very large credit line. She also didn’t work for a living, so she never really understood the value of a dollar. She never felt her hard-earned money going away when she bought that dress or those shoes. It was somebody else’s money, and she had no idea what went into acquiring it. Unfortunately, she didn’t realize that A) she was passing on these habits to me and B) I wouldn’t be in the same comfy financial situation she was in as an adult. So I’ve had to learn ways to talk myself out of impulse buys.
Don’t go in the store to begin with
Just not going into stores has helped me tremendously. I used to love to “window shop” or “just look around for fun,” as I’d put it. But that was never what happened. The second I entered the store, something took over me. It was a rush of adrenaline. All of my reasoning and logic went out the window. It was as if I was possessed by something. Simply not going into stores is a huge help.
