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Dear Dish-It: I’m a Shopaholic!

Dear Dish-It,

I’m obsessed with shopping! I want to buy everything I see! But my parents won’t give me money anymore and with school and everything else I don’t have time to get a job. How can I kick my habit?

Shopaholic

I'm a Shopaholic!

Dear Shopaholic,

I totally get where you’re coming from – I’m sure that plenty of Kidzworld members can relate. Shopping can be fun … but it can also turn into an obsession or a really bad habit (there’s actually a term for compulsive shopping: oniomania). For that reason, it’s important to keep your shopping habits in check. Here’s my advice …

Find Out How You Really Feel

Some people say that they feel really good or happy or excited when they buy a new item. Is that how shopping makes you feel? If so, it can be a really good exercise to pay attention to your feelings – before, during and after your purchase. Sure, you may feel good while you’re buying something new, but how do you feel a few hours, days or week after you made the purchase? Chances are you don’t feel the same excitement about your purchase as you did when you were buying it – you may have even forgotten that you had had it! Remember, the “glow” or “thrill” you get from shopping doesn’t last – and that’s a good reason to keep your bad shopping habits in check and find other ways to fill your happiness quota.

Find New, Healthy Habits

Instead of shopping, why not avoid the mall altogether and start spending more time in places where the temptation to put down your credit card won’t be as bad. Hang out with friends or invite them over to your house; go to the park; start learning how to play a musical instrument. Anything to get you out of the mall and away from those cash registers! Besides, I’m willing to bet that the amount of happiness you get from these other activities will be much better and last much longer than buying another pair of jeans could ever give you!

Get Your Career in Gear

You may not have time for a job right now, but one day you will! When the time comes, you may find that your love of shopping could help you land a cool career as a buyer or merchandiser in, say, the fashion industry (if that’s what you’re interested in). By that time, hopefully, you’ll have kicked your bad spending habits and be in it for interest, rather than simply to keep your shopping obsession happy. Good luck!