What is compulsive shopping or overspending?
• Often spending online, because somehow that doesn’t seem real. • Spending in secret may involve not telling your partner for months on end. • Failing to acknowledge debt but nevertheless continuing to overspend. • Hiding goods that you have bought. • Always needing to buy the best before you can feel good about yourself: for example, you may feel you must have designer clothes rather than unbranded. • The amount of money spent causes arguments. • When you buy in a shop, the high you initially feel soon fades and you need to spend again. • Lying to yourself about how much you have spent. • Paying all the bill – in a restaurant, for example – to show off or gain approval. Are my spending habits out of control? Do you experience any of the following: • Spending more than your budget on a regular basis. • Always looking for the next credit card you can have. • Feeling of sweating and a fast heart rate when bills come. • Feeling frightened to open bank statements. • Not thinking through c
