Disclaimer: this article is about mild shopaholism. I did not go into debt, although I did feel shame about my purchases. If you really struggle with shopaholism, or Compulsive Buying Disorder (here is a list of potential symptoms), please consider reading this Psychology Today article for help.

I used to love shopping.

I shopped when I felt down, I shopped when I had free time, I scrolled through online stores when I was supposed to be doing homework. I had signed up for emails that told me there was a sale on, year-round.

I loved the buzz of finding a dress that flattered my body shape because it was so rare. I loved the thrill of owning something new, even if it was a shitty fabric and would lie hidden in my wardrobe for months after the first few wears.

I loved the universe of possibilities that opened to me when I rifled through the racks. I imagined all the people I could dress up to become, because I had no idea of who I was.

Most of all, I loved finding what I thought was a bargain – £5 for a new t-shirt with a sassy slogan, yes please! – and would tell people proudly how much of a bargain it was when they complimented it. These ‘bargains’, of course, are not bargains. I’d stop wearing them after a while because the material would crease, fade or stretch weirdly and I wouldn’t want to wear it again.

How I Fell Out of Love with Fast Fashion

I entered my first charity shop with a friend, and we picked out clothes together. I was amazed by the gems we found and started to shop second hand after that.

I turned the buzz of bargain-hunting to my advantage – I found bargains in charity shops beyond my wildest dreams. Belts for 50p? T-shirts for £3? Hoodies and jeans for £5? They were good quality brand names too! My bargain-stimulated dopamine levels shot through the roof.

I found some real gems that raised my standards of value for money, and I would no longer buy anything at fast fashion stores because I considered the fabric poor quality and not worth the price tag. I knew I could find something better for less at charity shops.

Charity Shops and Shopaholism

Instead of visiting fast fashion stores, I spent my spare time meticulously combing through charity shops on the hunt for a branded bargain that fit me. I would visit charity shops on my sad days and free days and peruse the rails.

It got to the stage where, if I went shopping with my family, I would wait for my family to get bored and finish their shopping to go home, then I would pop round the charity shops by myself, only revealing to them where I went after hauling bags home full of second-hand finds.

My wardrobe continued to fill up with clothes I impulse-bought because heck, there was only one, and I would save it from the landfill! I ended up donating a lot of my second-hand buys back to charity because I just didn’t wear them. I might have decreased my clothes spending a bit, but the volume of clothes only increased to compensate.

Getting Tired

After binge-shopping like this for several years, I slowly grew tired of inspecting racks of old clothes. The sheer effort of trying everything on then rejecting most of them started to put me off.

Yes, despite all the huge thrift hauls on YouTube full of gems, most thrift trips result in very few finds. It’s the nature of the process – the clothes probably aren’t going to fit you; if it does, it might not flatter you; it might not be your style or integrate into your wardrobe; it might have holes/stains/funky smells that you doubt will wash out; it might just be itchy/uncomfortable. The price might also be a bit high – if it didn’t meet my standards for value for money based on my best purchases, I don’t buy it.

In the beginning, this hard work was what made the gems even more valuable to me; but slowly, I grew tired of the commitment required to go charity shopping. However, my keen sense of value for money still prevents me from shopping at fast fashion stores.

An Abundance Mindset

Now when I go charity shopping, I tend to only visit one at a time. I still end up spending about 30 minutes there and often walk out empty-handed. I now understand that even though something might be 70% off, it’ll still be a waste of 30% if I never wear what I buy.

I also don’t get pulled into buying something I don’t love just because it’s the only one there. I know that there will be future pieces that I will absolutely adore.

So now, when I walk out empty-handed, I feel relief and gratitude. I don’t have to bear the burden of looking after one more thing, and I probably didn’t need anything anyway 😉

If you struggle with shopaholism or at least get pangs of desire to shop, I would suggest you identify what aspect of shopping gets your dopamine going, or what emotional triggers make you crave shopping. Then try to turn those around to your advantage and seek alternatives.

Slowly work on your philosophy towards new things and materialism. Hopefully, this blog will help you with that!