There’s a fine line between love and obsession, and when it comes to shopping, the line is even finer. We’re not ones to deny the primordial joy of walking in a cozy boutique and smelling a new of pair of jeans.
It’s one thing to give into the occasional call of the heart and ignore the pleading cries of our bank accounts. But if you find yourself with one designer bag too many, it may be time to look in the closet and dig for skeletons.
Read on and find out if you’re one sign away from being a legit shopping addict. Here are six signs you’ve become a shopaholic:
Sign #1: You can’t go into a store that’s on sale and not buy something.
A mental debate of “should I or should I not?” is to be expected whenever we come face to face with shop that has a big 20% off sign on the front. But along with the stubborn impulse to buy, there’s a rational voice trying to muffle it. Try to ask yourself several times if you really need one more pair of heels when you still have boxes of unopened shoes at home.
Sign #2: Your default reaction to stress is retail therapy.
No one’s saying a little retail therapy isn’t good for you. But when it turns into a habit, it’s no longer a remedy to an emotional and physical crisis. There are lots of options for dealing with stress, such as going for a run, taking photos, reading your favorite book, and hanging out with your friends. Don’t make retail therapy your default de-stresser.
Sign #3: You feel guilty after a purchase.
Whenever you buy something that you need, or think you need at least, it’s supposed to make you feel happy and fulfilled. Buying something that even you don’t think you need is a whole different story. Guilt is usually the result.
Sign #4: You buy things you don’t need or didn’t plan to buy.
Have you ever looked at an item–something without any foreseeable purpose–yet have had an intense feeling about buying it? Do you feel the need to buy items put on display even if they’re not necessities? This is probably the most telling sign that you’re slowly succumbing to an addiction.
Sign #5: You have many unopened items in your storage.
We’re not talking about the photo frame you got from Lola for Christmas last year. We’re talking about the things you’ve bought with your own hard-earned money sitting lifeless in your closet, with tags still waiting to be ripped. You might even have completely forgotten about some of them.
Sign #6: You try to hide your buying habits.
If you find yourself compulsively lying about your newly bought lipstick to your mother or looking over your shoulder to make sure your roommate is not spying as you browse through an online shop, it means you’re aware you’re committing something that mustn’t be committed. Only a guilty person would feel the need to lie about her innocence after all.
But here’s the good news: precisely because the line between the so-called ordinary shopping love and shopping obsession is thin, it doesn’t take much to cross it. If you believe you’ve traveled to the wrong side, it’s never too late to make it back.
Featured image from Confessions of a Shopaholic courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures