The Cost of Retail Therapy
We're all guilty of committing retail therapy once in a while, but when those splurges and sprees become uncontrollable, it's time to take a step back and question your spending habits. You might think a small purchase here and there won't hurt, but the costs can quickly add up, and before you know it your pockets are empty. So, how can you tell when it becomes a problem? From hiding your purchases to buying things you'll never use, here are five signs you spend too much money on shopping.
1. You Hide Your Purchases
A clear sign that you spend too much money on shopping is when you start hiding your purchases from your friends and family. You might feel guilty or embarrassed about your addiction, and to save yourself from having to justify your spending habits, you simply place your items out of view.
2. You Have Items You Forgot You Owned
When you buy too much stuff regularly, you're bound to forget about some of it. You might, for example, only rediscover old clothing items when you clean out your closet or when decluttering your space. And before you found them? They were just sitting there collecting dust.
3. You Experience Buyer's Remorse
If you're an impulsive shopper, you'll likely have experienced buyer's remorse many times before. You see something cool and shiny at the checkout counter or on the sale's rack, and all of a sudden it's in your cart. By the time you regret your purchase, it's either too late to return it—or you're too lazy to.
4. Your Credit Card Balance Is Higher Than Expected
Every month when you look at your credit card balance, you're always surprised (or maybe not at all) by how much you've spent. Forget about sticking to a budget—you're always overshooting far beyond it. You might even be piling up debt.
5. You Buy Things You Don't Use
You don't just buy things you forget about later—you buy things you might already know you won't use much. But you can't help it: sometimes, a deal is too good to pass up, or something looks too nice not to buy, even when it's not of much use to you.
