Shopping Addiction - What Makes Us Want To Waste Money?

The New Year is almost upon us, taking with us the remainder of the cash in our bank account and possibly our sanity.

The kids are driving me up the wall and all I want to do is go shopping, which is odd for me since I hate shopping to begin with! But, unfortunately, I am broke with a capital B-R-O-K-E!

This brings me to the thought...

“Why is it when you don’t have any extra money to spend, you seem to want to splurge and shop until you drop?”

This is where I am at right now. I have this unsatisfied need to go to the mall, or Target, or Wal-Mart, or any place that will gratefully take my cash in exchange for merchandise.

I want to buy shoes; I want to buy jeans; I want to buy sweatshirts; I want to buy all sorts of clothing; I want to buy hair accessories; I want to buy picture frames; I want to buy lotions; I want to buy a new board game!

Really, it does not matter what it is, I just want to shop… and I hate shopping!

There are so many reasons to hate shopping, but most reason will most likely be personal in nature.

1. It is stressful. Many people claim shopping is therapeutic and relaxing. Yet what about those who go into a store for something simple - like a pair of jeans. After looking at several different styles, sizes, colors, they are lucky if they find one that even fits. Some styles don't look good on anybody, including the models that show them off. And if they don't look good on a model, I fear I don't hold a chance to impress anyone in them.
2. If you don't find it the first time, repeat the process all over again. Yep, that is right. If you are still in need of those jeans, you must either exit the store and complete the whole insane process all over again, or find different selections in the same store. This just leads to frustration.
3. If you are lucky enough to find something, you now must stand in line and wait to purchase your item.This means you must hold onto your treasure while other people run into you, shove you and do so without even an apology uttered. Not to mention, you then get greeted by someone who doesn't even know the word customer service.
4. Average size doesn't get much of a deal. When I go shopping, it is almost impossible to find something that works on the clearance rack for myself. All the clothes are cleared out before I even get a chance to look, leaving items under a size 2 or bigger than a 3X. I guess it is either squeeze or swim. The other option is to buy at full price, which only happens when I am absolutely 100% in love with the item. And since I rather dislike shopping, chances are pretty high I won't die without it!

This whole experience is supposed to put a smile on our face, yet for some of us, it just leaves us more and more irritated. It almost never goes as planned or how you want it too. When you are looking for someone to help, there is never a person around. And when you don't want any help and you just want to browse, you have them looking over your shoulder. A person just can't seem to win with this whole shopping business!

Around the holidays shopping is even more insane, as people push and pull there way past everybody else to get what they want. The holidays should be about spending time with friends and family, yet it has become one centered around gift giving and gift getting. People out in the malls trampling others just to get the sale.

During the holidays, I become one of those cranky people whom I don’t like that smash through the crowds. However, I am not doing this to get to the sale item, I am doing it to finally be free of the elbows that have stabbed through my personal bubble. I can’t find enjoyment in shopping when I can’t even move. In a way, I feel like a car stuck on the freeway in California during rush hour traffic, and all I want to do is get to the exit!

Shopping becomes even more of a pain when the only time you ever go is when you have children with you. While I love my kids, they are not shopping friendly. Every 5 seconds is followed by an “I want” or an “I need,”neither which gives them anything but an “I won’t!”

Eventually the whining gets to me and I proceed to look faster for an exit instead of a checkout, causing me to get absolutely nothing done! No satisfaction there, just pure frustration.

If my husband comes with me, it is 10 times worse. He can’t seem to step away from the electronics section. Afterwards he must stagger through the toy section. By the time he is done, I am not even in the mood to look at another thing in the store!

Sick of shopping in the stores. Keysocks: The First and Only No Show Knee High Sock makes the perfect gift and you don't even have to go to the store to get it.

Don't let your hate for shopping turn you away from The Joy Of Giving! Here is a list of gift ideas for the difficult to buy for!

In a Pickle about buying gifts? Here Are Pickle Themed gift ideas that are sure to give you a laugh.

Looking for Perfect Gifts for People you hate, or do you need a gift for the In-laws that you don't like, these lists should offer some useful ideas.

The older I get, the more it seems I despise shopping.

Maybe it was because I was taught to be frugal with my spending. My parents didn’t have a lot of money when I was growing up so I learned to save, save, save!

It might also be that when my daughter was younger she used to throw fits through the store. The fits were so bad we would get dirty looks as if we were beating our kid with a frying pan! We learned to speed shop. We ran through the store and got what we needed and got out. Unfortunately, not every situation works with speed shopping.

In away, I wish I enjoyed shopping a little more. It seems so many other woman are passionate about this hobby. I don’t understand it, but then again, I have never been much of a shopper.

Yet, for some reason, when I don’t have the extra money to spend, shopping is the only thing on my mind! No matter how much I dislike shopping, right now I just need a few hours by myself to walk through the stores! Maybe if I am lucky, I will find something on sale, and my unquenchable thirst for shopping will finally disappear!

Stacy Harris, also known as Barbergirl28, is a wife of 12 years and a stay-at-home mom of two beautiful girls and one handsome little boy. After high school, she joined the Army to become a photojournalist. To this day, she continues to have a passion for writing and photography. After leaving the military, she obtained a license in Cosmetology and also studied Massage Therapy. Her passions include writing, photography, cooking, crafts, health, and fitness. Currently, she is working on a book and freelancing at Hubpages.

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If you would like to check out her blog Ramblings of an Undiagnosed Mad Woman, click here.