“Spend even another penny and we will cut you out of our will.” You know you have a problem when this rather harsh statement comes out of your mother’s mouth. A few weeks ago, my parents sat me down in a makeshift intervention where they proceeded to tell me what I already knew: I have a shopping problem. Hey mom and dad, that isn’t news to me and if you happen to be reading this, just know that I’m on the road to recovery. Let me tell you where it all began.
At the young and impressionable age of five, my mother let me swipe her card for the first time at a clothing store. The way the card swiped so perfectly and the way it felt in my hand was something I enjoyed way too much. Ah, the memory of my first purchase. Let’s just say it all went downhill from there.
There is something so therapeutic about shopping. Like the way new clothes feel when you put them on for the first time and the way buying a new sweater has the power to erase the stress of a long week. I often find myself drawn to the city to take Newbury and the Prudential by storm after a long stressful week. Sometimes I don’t even remember how I got there and spent so much money in such a short period of time. It’s like I’m “sleep-shopping.” Laugh all you want, but I swear it’s a real thing.
I think the worst part of this addiction started when I did what every shopaholic should avoid at all costs, but sadly does not: I got a credit card. While it is a practical step when one enters adulthood, it is the worst thing in the world for avid shoppers (that sounds so much better than the harsh shopaholic term and makes me feel slightly better about myself). At first I was nervous to take the plunge and swipe it for the first time. While I had been swiping my own debit card since I was 16, I always had the assurance that it was basically paying like cash. A credit card on the other hand did not come with this assurance; rather it came with the fear of having to pay the bill at the end of each month. Once I swiped it for the first time, the fear was gone. I began swiping it whenever and wherever I felt the urge (this is where the sleep-shopping comes back into play because I swear I don’t remember half of the purchases my credit card company says I’ve made). Now I won’t tell you just how bad I let it get before I told myself that I could no longer swipe this magical but demonic card unless it was actually a real emergency. So far so good.
There are some things that cause me to occasionally slip now and then.
1. SALES. It is a crime to not buy something that is 50% off. It’s basically free.
2. EMAILS. J.Crew you know what you are doing and I need you to stop. The insane amounts of emails you send me are slowly ridding me of my will power. I give in and then I hate myself, so let’s end this vicious cycle. No Kate Spade, I cannot afford to shop your surprise sale right now because the cheapest thing is still out of my price range. Stop tempting me temptress.
3. FRIEND’S BIRTHDAYS. One for me, one for them. That’s an appropriate frame of mind, right?
While I have definitely cut back since the intervention (mainly because I don’t have a job this semester and therefore no means to pay for half of the things I want), I definitely still feel the urge to head into Newbury street and have it be like old times.
Photo Sources:
http://www.liveluvcreate.com/image/shopaholic_prayer-369322.html