Shopping addiction occurs when an individual feels the need to shop each time they need to dispel some negative energies built up within them. Most times after going shopping, they get to discover that some of the items were not needed in the first place.

If you think that you are addicted to shopping or you know someone who is, this piece contains some tips to put shopping addiction at bay.

Acknowledge that you have a shopping addiction problem

One of the biggest problems that addicts face is accepting that they have an addiction problem. This is why many of them are often reluctant to seek help because they don’t want to be associated with the stigma that comes with addiction.

However, when you realize that you don’t behave like the average shopper, then you are likely struggling with addiction. Accepting your situation is the first step to controlling shopping addiction in the long run.

Talk to your trusted loved ones

Another way to control shopping addiction is to be accountable to trusted family and friends. Sharing your problems with them is a great way to unburden them, and they will be glad to help you overcome your shopping challenges.

Work with a budget

Anytime you feel the urge to go out and shop, try to create a budget. When you have a budget, you will realize that not all items have the same priority level. Some of them are more important than others.

Therefore, working with a budget makes you realize that you need to pay more attention to the more urgent needs, while you can always sort out the less important ones later.

Track your finances

Keeping tabs on your finances helps you to know what you are spending on so that you can cut down some expenses.

When you track your finances regularly, it becomes quite easier to control what you spend on because you are more aware of some unnecessary or less important items. You can leverage some expense tracker apps to monitor your personal finances.

The primary essence of shopping is to get items that would be useful for one purpose or the other. However, some people have become addicted to shopping without knowing it.

When an individual is addicted to shopping, it means they obsessively or compulsively buy items to release negative emotions like depression, anger, anxiety, sadness, pain, etc.

Just like other types of addiction, shopping addiction comes with some unpleasant effects that affect the individual physically and mentally.

In this post, you will learn about some of the warning signs that may indicate if you or your loved ones are struggling with shopping addiction

You shop in secret

One of the ways to know when someone is struggling with shopping addiction is when they prefer to shop where no one will see them.

Some of them think that other people might begin to query them about their shopping habits, so they would rather go to get things during times when no one would notice them.

You don’t like tracking your finances

If you want to know the extent to which you spend on shopping, you can know when you track your finances. Someone struggling with addiction knows what they will see on their financial statement so they avoid looking through it.

You shop when you are stressed

Someone addicted to shopping is likely to shop when they have a stressful or bad day. For instance, if they fall out with their loved ones, they might go out and shop to discharge the negative emotions so that they can feel better.

Your excitement fizzles out after shopping

Another way to know that shopping addiction is in play is when you feel excited before shopping and when you’re done, you begin to feel like you’ve made a mistake. So, even if it is a highly desired purchase you made, you don’t feel joyful or excited when you’re done.

If you feel like you have a shopping addiction, the first step is to acknowledge the problem so that you can feel motivated to seek help. It is also important to see a counselor and talk to your loved ones about it so that they help you get over it.

There are many advantages associated with shopping online. Ranging from the convenience of ordering things from the comfort of your homes to the ability to compare prices from different online stores.

In contrast to physical stores, its disadvantages outweigh the advantages it offers. Problems like standing in queues, payment difficulties, time consumption, and more are less associated with online shopping.

However, as the advantages and popularity increases, so are the risks and threats of shopping online upscaling.

Risks associated with shopping online

• Problems of full disclosure: extra fees like shipping, processing, and delivery fee may remain undisclosed to customers till payment is to be made or goods are to be delivered.

• Misleading reviews: A product having between 4.5 to a 5-star rating is expected to get more customers compared to a 2-star product. Fake reviews could help sellers push sales by misleading customers with false testimonies.

• Low product quality: since you only get to see the picture and features of a product rather than physically testing them, there is a tendency of getting goods that are below standard.

• Order arrival: some retail stores with little or no reputation tend to deliver goods late or never deliver at times.

• Other risks include identity theft, internet fraud, virus, and other malicious software issues due to unsecured sites.

Tips to stay safe while shopping online

• Never shop on an unsecured website or network: turn on your computer firewall to avoid the risk of getting exposed to potential internet malware. They can be used to steal your financial information and passwords.
• Shop from very reputable stores: shopping from stores with a good track record is very important to avoid delivery and fund scam issues. Do not get misled by fake reviews, shop from the safest store.
• Carefully read the terms and conditions: it is important to take cognizance of the terms and conditions attached to the sale of a product. To prevent problems of full disclosure, the conditions should be duly considered before purchase.
• Other safety measures include creating a unique password, using only sites with HTTPS:// not HTTP://, and checking the seller’s delivery and shipping conditions.

Shopping is one of the most exciting and productive moments for kids and adults. Nobody wants to go shopping and not get good value for their money. Smart shoppers consider several things before setting out to shop, whether conventional or online.

People tend to make some mistakes while shopping or setting out to shop. These mistakes often cost them one thing or the other in various ways. Some popular shopping mistakes include:

• Not having a list of things you want to buy
• No scale of preference
• Buying from unsecured and unregulated websites
• Buying from retailers with little or no reputation 
• No prior knowledge about the product

Things to consider when going shopping

• Have a detailed list of what you are going to buy: Since you do not want to buy just anything that you see, then you need to have a detailed list of what you want to get.

Without a list, you will only end up buying things you do not want, leaving out the items you need.

• Prepare a budget: This is similar to having a list of things to buy, just that a budget is a list of your expected inflows and your estimated outflows. With a budget, you can plan your expenses in a way that does not outshoot your financial tolerance bounds. A budget also helps you to scale your needs in order of importance.

• Shop online: shopping online saves you a lot of stress and time wastage. Online stores often give discounts and coupons that reduce how much you pay for a product.

However, when shopping online, you might want to take note of a few things. Shoppers should patronize reputable stores to avoid credit card fraud, identity theft, and financial details falling into the wrong hands.

• Research well on the product: people often make the mistake of buying low-quality products for high prices due to lack of information. Avoid going for quantity or lower prices over quality.

Similarly, for online shopping, read on the terms and conditions, shipping and delivery policy as well as their refund policy.

A craving is defined as “an intense, urgent, or abnormal desire or longing.” But what many people fail to realize is that cravings don’t just apply to those who struggle with a sweet tooth – or a love of certain foods; for they affect addicts all the same. Consequently, there are times in which the individual will find himself/herself experiencing a craving so strong – that it almost breaks them – or causes a relapse to occur. That’s why it’s important to understand the factors that come with these desires – to better prepare for the long journey ahead; for it’s all a part of the road towards recovery.

One of the biggest factors – that contributes to cravings – is the type of environment that the person is in. For example, the last place a recovering alcoholic should be – if he/she is trying to overcome cravings – is in a bar. Being there can even result in him/her thinking tempting thoughts – such as “one drink won’t hurt”. In turn, these times call for an escape – as the person must be strong enough to walk away – and/or leave the current location that he/she is at. It is only then that he/she is effectively coping/managing with his/her cravings.

Although it may be hard, you might also have to separate yourself from potential places – or people – that you know will only lead you back down the same path. Doing this may make you feel alone in your recovery – but finding the right support system will help you a whole lot more than you might expect. Not only that, but this can help you get rid of bad habits for good – and avoid the potential of relapse altogether. In turn, get involved with a group of recovering addicts – or a trusted person – to help you combat cravings. 

In conclusion, cravings may seem harmless to some – and even something that they have the willpower to control – but for others, they can cause a plethora of problems. In fact, they can even affect those who feel as though they are strong enough to overcome. Fortunately, if those who are still in the process of recovering from their addiction – they can learn how to manage such cravings – instead of just coping with the dreadful longing that they might bring. Not only that, but having the right support system around – in addition to medical expertise – can help a lot as well, so that the person who is facing hardship can remain on the right track.

In a world where shopping is so accessible, whether it be online or physical, it can be challenging knowing when to say no, and avoiding racking up unnecessary debt. The temptation to shop surrounds us on all sides, and sometimes causes us to splurge on things we later regret. For, we’ve all been there. Purchasing a certain item impulsively, and then finding ourselves wondering if it was really worth it after the fact. Do we really need that waffle iron? Is the merchandise that we buy beneficial for the now, or for a lifetime? These are questions that some might oftentimes ask themselves, and in response a reliable budget might answer these inquiries, as well as solve many of the problems that they are having difficulties tackling on their own.

First and foremost, we find ourselves making lists, whether it be a to-do list for the week, and/or our daily plans to help us reach our goals, and/or accomplish all that we need to for the day. These can be in the form of grocery lists, planners, memo pads, post it notes, etc. But even as we make time to order all of these lists, many of us fail to make one of the most important lists of all—in regards to our finance—a budget.

In turn, a budget is defined as, “an estimate of income and expenditure for a set period of time.” As a result, “a budget is a plan for spending the income you have, building savings and using credit wisely. In short, a budget allows you to control the direction of your financial future.” An example is as follows; let’s say that someone has 500 dollars for the week. They want to set aside enough money for groceries, savings, phone bill, credit card bill, and a hundred towards his/her rent payment which is due at the beginning of next month.

Hypothetically speaking, let’s say that groceries are $100, money set aside in savings is $100, phone bill is $100, credit card bill is $50, and money towards rent is $100. When they form a budget for these things, they then have more money that they can either put into savings to put towards future goals/purchases, money they can put towards other expenses/bills to get ahead, and/or even money they can use on themselves for trips, and/or other enjoyable miscellaneous expenses. In turn, budgeting allows this, which we see an example of in the makeshift budget above—as the individual has $50 left that they can use on other such things after all of his/her important expenses have been paid.

In conclusion, budgeting can be beneficial to those who chose to make use of it—and/or stick to it. It’s through such that they will begin to see a significant change in their finances, and will no longer have to deal with the stress that comes with not having enough money to pay for important expenses, and/or accumulating an abundance of debt due to careless spending—and/or careless purchases that can be avoided otherwise.