Lessons Learned from Confessions of a Shopaholic

We watched the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic the other night and I found it quite amusing.  The main character, Rebecca Bloomwood, is absolutely in love with shopping.  She can’t pass by a store window without seeing something that she wants to buy – and she does – and ends up racking up $16,000 in credit card debt.  She knows she gets a sense of satisfaction from shopping.  She feels happy when she buys the items and then afterwards she is discontent again, until she goes on her next shopping spree.

After a while she realizes her destructive pattern and when her own parents are willing to sell their beloved RV in order to pay off her debt for her, she finally realizes that things need to change.  She ends up having an auction and selling all of her stuff in order to pay back her debt.

A lot of people purchase things for emotional reasons.  It might make them feel better for a while just to make that big purchase.  Others purchase products in order to make them appear to be successful or happy. I remember watching a TV program about debt a while ago where a woman whose husband had passed away, continuously bought clothing and other items she couldn’t afford for both her and her sons.  She thought that by doing so she would be consoled and that she would make it up to her sons for not having a father.  She also hoped it would make it appear that everything was okay even though it wasn’t.

Shopping really can’t make anyone happy for the long term.  Material things just don’t cut it.  Emotional issues need to be dealt with but shopping isn’t the proper therapy.  The next time you go on a shopping spree, take the time to consider why you are doing it: Do you really need the stuff you plan to buy or are you just trying to make yourself feel better?