I Am Addicted To Spending Money | Compulsive Shoppers Documentary | Absolute Documentaries

I remember a customer like Ebony when I worked retail and she was a beautiful person who filled voids in her life with shopping. When she died last year her estate sale was huge, and so much was still in packages and had tags, whole rooms and closets. It was so sad realizing she worked daily to buy things that ended up being sold for pennies.

As a reformed shopaholic I can say that the key to healing from it is to really grasp the concept that the person who is shopping is robbing themselves of their own abundance and to get at the reason why they are doing that and to heal that.

21:30 the only thing worse than being "sure" she'll have children one day is the fact that she's already made them responsible for her own happiness 😔

Online shopping, especially Amazon, and social media (for example, unboxing/shopping haul videos on Youtube) really has made this problem way worse, I'm sure. It's easy to shop 24/7 and you get inundated with ads all the time to buy more stuff and get "deals". It is a dopamine rush to click the button to buy and to get the package and open it, but beyond that the thrill usually wears off quickly.

When I was in my early twenties I also spent insane amounts on clothing and make up every month. I was severely depressed and looked for those moments to make myself feel better. I started with a 1 week no shopping ban and just carried on. I haven't bought any new makeup for three years or new clothing for myself for one full year. In the previous two years before that I bought two items of clothing which I actually needed. Having stuff didn't make me happy, as that feeling would fade but it was always something to look forward to for the next month.

I spent my money on therapy instead.

If I was the wife of the online buyer, I would sell everything online and keep the money, since its has the tags and he forgets about it.

The young lady Dipna, single, no kids, and addicted to shopping having kids or a "partner" will not stop her from shopping. All that will do is "shift" her spending habit and instead of constantly shopping for herself, she will just start shopping for the children and the partner. DUH. It will never stop. Dipna is obsessive and a compulsive shopper, she has to want to curve this and make herself stop.

The amount of denial is mind boggling. And all of these people are using shopping to fill huge emotional voids in their lives. I hope they get help.

i was wondering why the partners stay in situations like that, and then she said "Dean is on his fourth marriage" LMAOOOOO

Can’t help but think of the number of times Dean was bidding against someone who truly wanted/needed the item only for it to go into a storage bin.

I'm a shopaholic, definitely always trying to fill a void from being an extremely poor child. Only way I've been able to curb it is building a house. Now I've got no money as it all goes to paying that off!

Good to see that Dipna is doing so well now with her restaurant - called 'Brilliant Restaurant' - and as an author, and with her supportive dad too! Also she got married this year

A bargain is only a bargain if it’s something you need or were going to buy anyway and it’s cheaper. I do feel for these people and hope they’re now ok x

I think Dipnas case is especially sad, she places so much value on material items that don't fulfill her in the slightest. It's not bad to like nice things, but she has nothing in her life that brings her joy except for material items, it must be such a miserable, empty experience
Edit: Her father is in COMPLETE denial too.

I dont think a man and kids is the answer here. I think Dipna should move out and pay her own bills and find her independance. I dont see why ppl always think a romantic relationship is the solution. Co dependency is worse.

I am fascinated by this, because I really dislike shopping. Clearly, Dipna’s parents have failed her by not raising her to be passionate about real achievements and truly important things. How incredibly sad. As for Ebony, she definitely needs to seek therapy. She is covering up some deep pain with layers and layers of denial.

People shop to get a high. Unfortunately for most it’s so brief that they’re looking for the next purchase to feel the same. You have to realize that material possessions are not what you need to be happy. People like these need relationships, hobbies, passions that don’t involve things.

Makes me sad that guy never thinks of his wife or buys her anything its all about him just watching him open packages broke my heart he better treat her right she's devoted and he takes advantage

It’s a need to fill a void that never gets filled...these people need psychological help it’s some kind of trauma that never got fixed.

The quantity of stuff in some cases gives me anxiety. I don’t mind spending on something luxurious that I will use. But collecting stuff I will never use stresses me out.