HELP!!! Shopping Disease

[Bestwifeever]

I had (past tense ) a good friend who truly was a compulsive shopper (she had the money for it) but then she took it to the next level and morphed into a compulsive returner of what she had bought. The stuff never even made it out of her car into her house--she would wait a couple of days and then return it. So first she got a rush from the shopping experience, and perhaps a bigger one from the returning part of it.

 

[Rustic23]

For most of our w*(king years we had a salary. This allowed us to pay our bills and put a percentage into savings. Money left over we spent. We did not do debt/credit cards to buy stuff, and this has lead to a very comfortable retirement.

Now how does this blend with 'I want a new XXX'. Well for most of the past 42 years there has always been a list of things we thought we 'needed/wanted'. These generally added up to about $1,000 worth of stuff. The funny thing is yesterday I thought of a couple of items I would like to get, camera, printer, gps, you know about $1,000 worth of stuff. We can easily afford it, I just can't bring myself to get it. Besides, most of the stuff will have a new model out next month/year.

Now that does not count a boat. We live on a lake, and I have been thinking a boat would be nice. A small one, just big enough to get in the water and throw money out of.

 

[TooFrugal]

Of the people I know who are compulsive shoppers they: 1) are all women; 2) are unemployed or have boring jobs; 3) don't have a lot of hobbies to keep them busy and out of the stores; and 4) have trouble resisting instant gratification versus working hard for longer term goals; and 5) are divorced or have really unhappy marriages.

This obviously isn't a scientific sampling, but all of the above applies to the four people I know who I would classify as compulsive shoppers. Oh, and they are in two sets of co-shoppers, so maybe having a close friend who is also a compulsive shopper is part of the problem.

 

[Midpack]

We live on a lake, and I have been thinking a boat would be nice. A small one, just big enough to get in the water and throw money out of.

You clearly understand what you're signing up for, puts you ahead of most boat owners (from ongoing experience). Better to have a friend with a boat, than a boat...

 

[Rustic23]

Right now I would rather have a Saturn Sky! Entry price more, but I'll bet it is cheaper in the long run!

 

[GoodSense]

When I have an urge to buy something I usually measure it against two things:

1. What does it do to my FI? (or in other words, how many hours do I have to work to make that much?)

2. Will it contribute to more clutter in my home or make moving difficult?

If I buy something, I need to know what I can get rid of before I buy. I hate moving and sorting through stuff, so the less the own, the better.

I seem to recall that you are already close to FI. It sounds like these purchases are within your means and well researched. I wouldn't sweat it, as long as you also built into your retirement budget such discretionary spending, so there will not be a huge lifestyle change when you retire.

 

[freebird5825]

I am proud to say that I overcame my secret splurge - nursery grown flowers and plants.
It is very difficult for me to resist a hanging basket with vibrant colored flowers or to not pick up too many 6-packs of veggies or annual flowers. I started a few of my own veggie seedlings for an earlier harvest.
I limited myself to 1 pansy pack and 2 veggie packs this year.
At $12-15 or more per hanging basket, the choice was easier on a budget vs. when I was w*rking. Fewer container plants means less watering.
Seeds are the way to go. I've even gotten serious about saving seeds from year to year for flowers and using leftover large veggie seeds for up to 3 years. I just plant more and thin out the extras.
There is hope...

 

[unclemick]

And that's why I learned to love auto deduct/auto invest - that money belonged to some 'mysterious stranger' to be gifted back at retirement.

I could be silly/frivolous/party on in life with the rest - provided bills got paid.

Agonizing over planned purchases was part of the fun during the accumulation phase.

heh heh heh - I had an 8-10% compound interest table - for what I spent in the then now projected to age 63 my original planned retirement.

 

[Midpack]

I am proud to say that I overcame my secret splurge - nursery grown flowers and plants.
It is very difficult for me to resist a hanging basket with vibrant colored flowers or to not pick up too many 6-packs of veggies or annual flowers. I started a few of my own veggie seedlings for an earlier harvest.
I limited myself to 1 pansy pack and 2 veggie packs this year.
At $12-15 or more per hanging basket, the choice was easier on a budget vs. when I was w*rking. Fewer container plants means less watering.
Seeds are the way to go. I've even gotten serious about saving seeds from year to year for flowers and using leftover large veggie seeds for up to 3 years. I just plant more and thin out the extras.
There is hope...

I know how I overcame something similar, set a firm limit on yourself by limiting garden space and/or potted plants. If you buy another potted plant, something has to go. If you run out of garden space, you can't plant something else until next year/harvest.

I love to read books, my parents and my sister have way too many, they just keep buying more and they have books all over their homes. I decided I would limit myself to two bookcases - PERIOD. I have stuck to it my whole life and will continue to. Makes me think twice about buying new books, I just read them from the library and buy those I must have to read again or refer to. And if I buy one, something has to go (usually given away at work).

 

[Moemg]

.

I love to read books, my parents and my sister have way too many, they just keep buying more and they have books all over their homes. I decided I would limit myself to two bookcases - PERIOD. I have stuck to it my whole life and will continue to. Makes me think twice about buying new books, I just read them from the library and buy those I must have to read again or refer to. And if I buy one, something has to go (usually given away at work).

I also love to read books and sometimes the book I want is not in the library or has a long wait so I buy it ,read it and sell it on amazon . It eliminates the clutter and instead of costing $16.00 it ends up to be more like $3.00.

 

[Midpack]

I also love to read books and sometimes the book I want is not in the library or has a long wait so I buy it ,read it and sell it on amazon . It eliminates the clutter and instead of costing $16.00 it ends up to be more like $3.00.

I do that too, but I usually buy used excellent condition on half.com in the first place.

 

[freebird5825]

I know how I overcame something similar, set a firm limit on yourself by limiting garden space and/or potted plants.
If you buy another potted plant, something has to go. If you run out of garden space, you can't plant something else until next year/harvest.

Firm limit...

Limiting space or plants...

Can't plant something else...

Just kidding...I hear ya loud and clear. And you are absolutely correct.

I am conquering my disorganized overgrown garden with nice organized rows and landscape fabric in the walkways. This project keeps me from reorganizing poor dh2b.
I posted pics at "what did you do today" on Monday.