[Artchic528]

I have this tiny thing where I may or may not compulsively buy things online that I don't necessarily need with my money. Like, just now, I bought 5000 mealworms and 5 lbs of bedding for them, even though I own no reptiles. I do have hamsters and they do eat mealworms on occasion, but not quite that many. I suppose I could feed some of the worms to the wild birds who may want them.

I....may be a shopaholic, so I don't know if this falls under a mental health issue, or an addiction, which in itself is a mental health issue.

I already checked to see if I can cancel the order, but there is no option to do so from the seller.

Is this a problem?

[Weownthesky]

I also compulsively shop- a lot of times at my work and sometimes online. It's mainly bras, panties and phone cases - and stuff for my cats.

[Artchic528]

Glad I am not alone. At least you buy things you can use. How can I possibly find a use for 5000 mealworms?

I guess I have this need, this desire to be content and what makes me content, at least for a brief few hours, is receiving things in the mail. Like, gifts to myself. My bedroom is kind of cluttered with things I've bought online and my mother often complains about it, threatening to take my debit card away and remove my bank account from existence. You know, just letting me have physical money and removing the ability to shop online.

I understand where she is coming from, and I do feel as though I have a problem, but doing drastic things to curb the problem instead of solving the reason as to why I compulsively buy things isn't the answer. At least in my honest opinion it's not. I need to understand why I feel the need to feel content so damn much.

[Weownthesky]

Instant gratification! I get these obsessions where I see something I like and I HAVE to have it. And If I don't have it, I won't stop thinking about it. My room is also cluttered with clothes and stuff I've purchased.
At least you have animals that sometimes consume the mealworms and it's not like you'll never use even a bit of it ever.
I wanna know the reason behind why I'm like this too! I always say I'm gonna save my money and thenI'm like... Oh I need 3 more screen protectors for my phone, they're $2 on eBay.

[Artchic528]

I think there's an emptiness inside me that craves to be filled. And I fill it with instant gratification. But that only lasts for a short while and then I'm empty again. Maybe there is a way to find a long lasting way for me to fill that emptiness. Hmmmmm.

[~Christina]

If your asking if "its a problem" then 9 outta 10 times it is.

[Tsukiko]

I'm guilty of compulsive online shopping as well. Lately, I've been visiting Etsy almost everyday and buying handmade nail polishes (which I'll wear once and then forget about completely.) Before the nail polish, my obsession was handmade hair accessories (which I'll wear once and then forget completely.) I assume I'm trying to fill the perpetual emptiness inside me and, like you, it works temporarily but then I'm left with the emptiness and nails painted the wildest of colors once the thrill dies down.

yes, can defenetly relate

i've baught lots of stuff on amazon which i really don't need, hell, stuff that i'd not have use for

it upset me once because when i wanted something (for real), i had no money to actually buy it with- and it left me quite angry.

still go some stuff in my house i got ages ago that's unopened (things that i'll never use)

[Yoda]

Originally Posted by Artchic528

I understand where she is coming from, and I do feel as though I have a problem, but doing drastic things to curb the problem instead of solving the reason as to why I compulsively buy things isn't the answer. At least in my honest opinion it's not. I need to understand why I feel the need to feel content so damn much.

As a former shopaholic I disagree with this. It is not so important that you need to understand why you buy things online. You just need to change the behavior.

In my situation I was obsessed with model horses. I began to choose buying model horses rather than pay the mortgage on my farm where I had a real, live horse. I spent as much as $2500 on a single plastic horse (and later sold it for $3200, a nice profit). It was a beautiful model but it cost more than my real horse!

It was only after I received a letter from the mortgage holder saying if I did not start paying my mortgage they would take legal action to reclaim the farm that I stopped my destructive, impulsive buying.

[splitimage]

I compulsively, impulse shopped on-line, my way to 44,000 in credit card debt and an eventual bankruptcy. Stop before you get out of control. I too liked the instant gratification of placing the order, and then in a couple of days getting a package in the mail.

It was just the latest in a series of addictive behaviours for me, that I've received treatment for. My addictions Dr. finally admitted to me, that expecting me to give it up completely was probably unrealistic, but that I should set a budget that covers all my needs, and budget in something like 30 or 50 dollars a month for impulse CD/Book/yarn purchases. It's almost the end of January and so far I haven't impulse bought anything this month, because I haven't finished making my budget for the year, so the concept at least seems to be working.

splitimage

[shezbut]

Wow, splitimage, thank you for sharing your experience!

I often fight this horrible impulse to buy stuff ~ it leaves me horribly depressed when I can't afford to buy anything at all. Not that I'm in dire need for these items (usually), but just $20/month to go to Salvation Army or whatever really does cheer me up. Amazing!

[Blue_Bird]

I had an issue with this, I used to spend hundreds to a thousand dollars a month of stuff from Amazon. I literally would be on the site filling up shopping carts and adding stuff to my wishlists to buy later.

I no longer do that, at least, I haven't felt the need to in the last several months. I think it was more of a manic thing. I've calmed way down since adding Depakote to my med regimen

Originally Posted by Blue_Bird

I had an issue with this, I used to spend hundreds to a thousand dollars a month of stuff from Amazon. I literally would be on the site filling up shopping carts and adding stuff to my wishlists to buy later.

I no longer do that, at least, I haven't felt the need to in the last several months. I think it was more of a manic thing. I've calmed way down since adding Depakote to my med regimen

sounds exactly what i used to (and still sometimes), do

you would have thought i'd have learnt my lesson when the time came where i actually wanted something and their was no money left to get it.

but nope

[ptangptang]

Haha ( as Nelson Muntz) would say. Sorry but 5000 mealworms for no good reason. PMSL. Sorry not laughing at you i'm laughing with you. Seriously, this time last year i got caught up in Amazon's lightning deals. Bought an electric ukelele ( your turn to laugh), a pre amp, headphones and other bits , none of which i've used. Also clothes that i've never worn and now hate and wouldn't wear. I've recently been buying clothes from the £1 rail ( things reduced to £1) in the local charity shop ( like one of your goodwill shops) new and nearly new , which i love and get a big kick out of.. Got some real bargains. Plus you can try them on. Bought a tumble dryer yesterday and only realised afterwards that it won't fit where i want to put it. DOH!!! I can put it in the living room though and use it as a heater haha. Love watching the shopping channels for their enthusiasm but i can hold off buying.

Dear Artchic, I'm a wild bird lover, so I'm happy that you bought something that the wild birds will benefit from so much during the winter months. (Only some species eat worms - you can Google if you want to.)

Your post made me giggle, just because of what you bought.

I'm a compulsive shopper, too. I can't even begin to guess the hours I've spend trying to figure out why I do it. The best answer I ever came up with was relief of anxiety. I think it's a similar behavior to overeating.

I can't tell from your post just how bad your problem is from a financial sense. Are you spending money that you need for essentials? Are you in debt as a result of online shopping? (Those are rhetorical questions - just something for you to think about.)

My problem extended to not being able to handle credit in general and I eventually stopped using credit cards and lines of credit. I read a book by Jerrold Mundis, the founder of the Debtor's Anonymous 12-step group that somehow got through to me.

I hear the people who are saying that it doesn't matter why you're doing it, just figure out a way to stop it. Part of me totally agrees with that.

I have known people, though, whose compulsive buying is a problem and those for who it becomes a disaster.

Another point of view (one that I don't think I ever considered back in the years when I was buying on credit) is to consider what you might prefer to have instead of the items you've bought.

What opportunities are your compulsive shopping costing you? Do you have financial goals? A house? A graduate degree? A vacation? Nice furniture? Investments?

I found that budgeting and keeping track of everything I spent helped me. Money is so abstract now that paying closer attention to where it's going is almost always helpful.

A mental health checkup is good, too. *Do* you have a problem with anxiety? Are you possibly taking any meds that make the problem worse? (I had a problem with Ambien & online shopping for a while. I also got amnesia with it, so the packages were a total surprise when they turned up.)

Good luck to you in dealing with this and don't forget to feed those birds when your mealworms arrive! (Don't put them all out at once.) You can put them out in any kind of container that will keep them from crawling out unless they're outdoors on the lawn or something. It should be a lot of fun to watch the birds go nuts when they see them.

Originally Posted by Artchic528

I have this tiny thing where I may or may not compulsively buy things online that I don't necessarily need with my money. Like, just now, I bought 5000 mealworms and 5 lbs of bedding for them, even though I own no reptiles. I do have hamsters and they do eat mealworms on occasion, but not quite that many. I suppose I could feed some of the worms to the wild birds who may want them.

I....may be a shopaholic, so I don't know if this falls under a mental health issue, or an addiction, which in itself is a mental health issue.

I already checked to see if I can cancel the order, but there is no option to do so from the seller.

Is this a problem?

I used to be a compulsive online shopper and used to buy things from Amazon all the time. Not anymore, because I was going broke. So I stopped and feel great!

[MoralityMortality]

*Sigh* I just spent £300 that I couldn't really afford on stuff from ASOS and Rains.

As soon as I'd made the order I felt an instantly guilty and anxious. I know for a fact that I am trying to fill an emptiness that I fill with **** off the net, food- I eat heathy then binge, I just to smoke weed and drink, but not anymore.

I go to therapy for my depression and take Lyrica for my anxiety, but they just don't seem to fill that hole. I am filled with a constant longing but I don't really know what I'm longing for.

[Yoda]

I don't know if you would have transportation but another thing I have done that helped me was to set aside a small bit of money and go to the dollar store once a month or so. You get the gratification of buying something new without spending lots of money.