How would you know, if you were a compulsive shopper?

Bags4Bubbles

Bubbles luvs Bbags
O.G.
Dec 23, 2006
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A hypothetical question aimed at a group that admittedly likes to shop! :graucho:

Reference thread: http://forum.purseblog.com/general-discussion/women-are-not-the-only-ones-who-shop-51897.html

I am not so concerned about this for myself at this immediate point in time... but for the future..., I've seriously been sitting around trying to figure this one out? How would you know?

Personally, I am a very materialistic person (I blame it on my astrological sign - Taurus... that is one of our main characteristics) and I've always been the one known to always have "new outfits" or "tons of shoes" within my circles... I do believe I'm constantly trying to improve myself, no matter how happy I am at the time being - so these were both called out as two of the main "personality traits" to be considered... Also, I am younger then my husband and he makes alot more money wise then I do... so does that tip the scales in my mind somehow about "stacking up"?

Here begins the problem... I've always had alot of stuff, I've always known I've liked to collect things, etc. It would be great to be one of those people that can pack for an entire weekend in one little bag, or only has one perfume or moisturizer on hand... instead of say - ten? However, that's NEVER been me...

So when is it a problem, not just a personality trait? Is it always okay if its not causing financial burden? Does it become a problem when you're not saving as much as you should be? When it affects the way your life operates on a daily basis? Or only when it becomes a financial issue, ...could it have harm just on the psychological level without financial harm as well?

In the past year or two, I've noticed more and more that I buy things and then just keep them hanging around in the bags for a while. And we're not talking the occcasional handbag that doesn't get used... EVERYTHING... I stock up the cabinets in the kitchen, mistakenly buying 3 or 4 of something not knowing we already had it. Is this just a sign of not having the good sense to make a list & stick to it? Currently, I have over 7 shopping bags (stores ranging from Nordstroms to Target) sitting in my room with new stuff in them... that I haven't gotten around to using yet. Some of the stuff has been sitting there since May. Am I just too lazy/busy to unpack it?? Or is this a sign of things to come....?

Any thoughts? Personal experiences, or fellow Tauruses care to comment?? :nuts:
 
fellow taurus here.

how do i know? when you have less than $50 in your bank account, nine credit cards nearing their due date that you haven't paid...but you keep shopping and keep buying crap you don't need and you can't stop.

when you shop until there is literally nothing left. when it's absolutely ruining you, but you can't stop.

oops.
 
Since you're asking for comments...:smile:

First, there are a lot worse things you could be doing then hoarding away new items. I'm not a psychologist, but I would guess there is some reason as to why you're doing so, beyond the Taurus pull.

My opinion (and I'm sure you're going to be getting many from all sides of the spectrum) is that if you're buying items that are sitting there since May, you really didn't want the item as much as you felt the need to purchase something. And, so I think that might be a 'problem'. (Again, if this is as 'bad' as it gets for you as a person....you're doing ok)

My personal philosophy about material things is this: I really enjoy having material things, but they don't define me.

It'll be interesting to see what others tell you. :smile:
 
My personal philosophy about material things is this: I really enjoy having material things, but they don't define me.

It'll be interesting to see what others tell you. :smile:

I'm interested to hear what people have to say too... and I like your philosophy! Right now, I don't believe its an issue for me - but I do have some of the "traits" of becoming one, I'm just wondering if I am going to wake up one day 15 years from now and realize it has become a problem...

LOL... partly - I'm sure we are all fond of the "thrill of the hunt". I think this is why I get along with bbags so well...

Also, I just thought it was an interesting topic to bring up in general, not in reference to any specific person - the fine line of enjoying shopping vs. shopping taking over your life. ;)

fellow taurus here.

how do i know? when you have less than $50 in your bank account, nine credit cards nearing their due date that you haven't paid...but you keep shopping and keep buying crap you don't need and you can't stop.

when you shop until there is literally nothing left. when it's absolutely ruining you, but you can't stop.

oops.

Thanks fellow Taurus!! :graucho: Our sign really has some stand-out attributes, doesn't it?

LOL... In all seriousness, I hope shopping isn't "ruining you", but we could blame it on RAOK too!! (And kallison if you do have 9 ccs, I used to have around 6 or 7, and I got them paid off by consolidating them down to one card... it was the saving grace. Just making one larger payment, instead of a crap load of small ones... I hate store cards, they are the devil.) RAOK is perfect for me... because I get the thrill of shopping, I get the thrill out of seeing someone open something they *hopefully* like, and its going to be something that will be used... It is a win-win. :cutesy:

I guess I'm interested in seeing whether people think its purely a burden from a financial standpoint or if you wake up one day in the middle of shopping bags & you realize you can't see your bedroom floor, if action should be taken regardless. :P Because also... something that starts out not being a financial burden, I would imagine could probably turn into one quickly....
 
i feel like i'm in sa (shopaholics anonymous)...hi, my name is katherine. and i knew i had a problem when all my shopping bags couldn't fit into my car and i had to make two trips so i could at least see out my windows on the way home, lol. but is it solely a financial problem? yes and no. going back to what mshel said, is it a matter of being defined by what you have? if that's yes, i think you have a problem. i know darn well that it's a big fat yes for me.

btw, raok is killing me! i justify buying more stuff WAY too much. oh, it's for my buddy, so it's okay...well...yeah. oops.
 
i feel like i'm in sa (shopaholics anonymous)...hi, my name is katherine. and i knew i had a problem when all my shopping bags couldn't fit into my car and i had to make two trips so i could at least see out my windows on the way home, lol. but is it solely a financial problem? yes and no. going back to what mshel said, is it a matter of being defined by what you have? if that's yes, i think you have a problem. i know darn well that it's a big fat yes for me.

btw, raok is killing me! i justify buying more stuff WAY too much. oh, it's for my buddy, so it's okay...well...yeah. oops.

It seems to go in waves for me, sometimes I'm shopping constantly - and other times I'm trying to figure out what to do with everything I've purchased! :P What worries me is that I always have this constant "need" for something... i.e. I have 5 perfectly good sports bras for working out, however I feel the "need" to have at least 2 or 3 more, "just in case"... :confused1: Not that I'm going to the gym twice a day right now, so maybe that is a bad example! LOL...

Here's what started this: I answered a question on a MySpace survey and one of the questions on there was "How many pairs of shoes do you have?"... the person before me (a female) had answered around 10 pairs. My answer? Between 60-70 pairs... :shame: then I realized that perhaps I had a few too many pairs, and maybe she should pick up a few more. :roflmfao:

im a taurean too. i know im a shop aholic, i got paid today and went out and bought three pairs of shoes. im ashamed to admit,i had to sneak them in the house.

Hmmm... I am wondering if this thread is going to turn into all Tauruses! ;) At least you're making me feel better... because I am supposed to be ordering two more pairs of shoes from Zappos today. (Seriously!! I need new shoes for the gym here... and a cute pair of brown wedges.) :rolleyes:
 
Another Taurus here, and yes, I like material items also. Besides bags, I'm always on the hunt for furniture/decor items for my home (decorating is another of my passions).

I do feel that shopping for me has somewhat of a psychological component. I have found myself shopping when I'm down for a little pick-me-up. I think maybe if there's something lacking in your life, it may be easy to buy things hoping that they will fill whatever void is there.

I tend to go through spurts where I wish I wasn't as materialistic, and then I stop buying things for a while. We have a huge house full of stuff and sometimes I think how nice it would be just to have a smaller home with less stuff in it that would be easier to take care of.
 
Another Taurus here, and yes, I like material items also. Besides bags, I'm always on the hunt for furniture/decor items for my home (decorating is another of my passions).

... I think how nice it would be just to have a smaller home with less stuff in it that would be easier to take care of.

Another Taurus!! :tup:

... On a side note, I may have figured out why all those things were left in the bags. :wtf: I dumped all of them out with the idea I was going to put them all away (except for some things I found that definately are being returned, because they will never get used...) AND.... I didn't have any room to put them away!

Upon further inspection... I realized that I had drawers & drawers full of clothing that was TOO small for me. I had finally come to grips with the fact that I definately needed to be wearing a different size & had begun buying new clothing that *fit*, however I didn't realize until I went to try to put the new things away... NONE of the new clothing had been moved into my closet or drawers... If it was being used, it was being pulled from an odd place, like on top of a shelf in the closet, etc. So I spent the next hour stowing the clothing that doesn't fit away in the guest bedroom closet for when the day comes that it hopefully will fit again.... That freed up some space. We may have found part of the problem. :Push:

I too alternate between clothing spurts & home spurts... it seems right now I'm transitioning from a clothing spurt to focusing on stuff for the house. (Partly out of necessity...)

Part of it too, is that I just *enjoy* shopping... I enjoy looking in stores, walking around, seeing different displays & people... etc. :smile:
 
My dad is a legit compulsive shopper, and I know I share some of his tendencies. This is what I've observed:

-Money or lack thereof can indicate compulsive tendencies, but you can have a problem and not be desperately in debt. Just like there are "functional alcoholics," there are functional compulsive shoppers.

-I find myself shopping to make myself happier or more calm (my dad does this constantly). Using shopping as a method of escape I think can be a sign.

-My dad has literally filled our house floor to roof with stuff. That's a pretty good sign!

-When you find yourself preferring to interact with or seek out stuff more than to interact with people and the real world, I think you've got a problem. I found myself daydreaming about purses and what I'd like to buy frequently while my bf was around, and I really knew I had to quit shopping.

-I think my dad shops to perfect his "collections," of which there are probably a hundred. I tend to shop because I feel like I need to perfect myself or my wardrobe. Of course, no amount of clothing can do that!

I would say that if you feel like you don't have perspective on shopping anymore, it's not an indication of a compulsive shopping addiction, but more a sign that you need to step back and start replacing shopping with things that really matter in your life. I'm at this point right now. If you find that, really, you need to shop daily and only shopping makes you happy (you can't imagine life without it, plan your day and vacations around it, etc), you may have a real problem.
 
Another Taurus here!

I don't think I'm a compulsive shopper but I sometimes buy or get other people to buy for me clothing items that even though they fit me great and look great, I still never wear. I guess I just like to look at them hanging in my closet.

And I buy high heels too even though all I ever wear are my Rainbow flip-flops. But sometimes I just like to put my heels on and walk around the house a little bit and then put them back in my closet. It just makes me feel better knowing that they're there.
 
Virgo here I went to work 2 hours early (i got the times wrong) hit the shops to kill time sent £100. I buy a bag I want a different bag, Yes I'm a shopaholic why? I like stuff :shrugs:

I can't collect things is I want a collection I want them now, oh what's a girl to do?

So I don't fit with the Taurus pattern at first BUT Virgo is also an Earth sign along with Taurus so similar traits AND my BF my best shopping buddy is yep you guessed it Taurus!
 
I'm also a Taurus and I definately have a shopping problem. Everytime I buy something I feel like I need to go back and buy more of the same thing. I guess I feel like I might need it one day. I always feel the need to buy more. My mother describes me as a very materialistic person and I must agree with her it's the truth. I've just always been that way, so it's a good thing I'm a Taurus.
 
i know a lot of shopping addicts and none of them are taurus. to be honest, sometimes star signs are used as an excuse - not saying this is hte case here but some people are very blunt or temperamental and when you tell them they will say: oh i am ...., we are like that. eh, what? lack of self-control maybe?

as for shopping - yes I can get addicted. i used to have an awful sales habit which I kicked when I realised that too much stuff just didnt match my style etc. but I still like to shop. what to me is a habit may seem trivial to others, e.g. I don't have tons and tons of bags (have quite a few shoes) but rather a careful selection. i buy a lot of clothes, and sometimes I don't wear them straightaway but I only buy what I can wear in the future as well. so it is ok. there will be a time that I do'nt have the spare cash and I will be happy with what I have. (oh, who am I kidding, I will always want new stuff)
 
fellow taurus here.

how do i know? when you have less than $50 in your bank account, nine credit cards nearing their due date that you haven't paid...but you keep shopping and keep buying crap you don't need and you can't stop.

when you shop until there is literally nothing left. when it's absolutely ruining you, but you can't stop.

oops.


uh oh...