My shopping problem and how I afford it by Katie Groome

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It all started when I was in elementary school, specifically third grade. My aunt and uncle, who are big shoppers themselves, decided to take me on a shopping spree to the mall for my birthday that year. Spoiler alert: this was the beginning of an era for me. I remember the trip to the mall vividly, from my discovery of the sophisticated clothing store I would soon become obsessed with, called Ambrecrombie, to the exilherating feeling wandering from store to store with bags upon bags of new items I couldn't wait to show off at school the next week. Oh, how naive I was to not realize this excitment and thrill of purchasing clothes, jewlery, shoes and more would cause me to develop this almost unhealthy fixation later in life. Sometimes I feel guilty, or rather ashamed, to have such a strong desire for materialistic products, but I like to look at it on the bright side; at least its not actually detremental to my health or anyone else! I've realized that as long as I control my "obsession", it is okay to live with. Something you might be wondering- how do I even afford to have an obsession with buying things? My answer: I never, ever buy things that aren't on sale, and to get the money to buy cheap items, I sell things I make, like jewlery and clothes. In middle school I made and sold tube tops to my friends, and I made a few hundred dollars from that, and I also made tie dye clothing, which wasn't as succesfull, but I still collected some profit from it. Later in middle school I made beaded necklaces with my friend, and we each made almost three hundred dollars. Recently, I have been working on making new necklaces to sell during the summer. If I'm being honest, quarentine has given me a chance to decrease my visits to stores and spend money, and I have saved more than ever. During this time, I have also reflected on my past decisons to spend most of my money on clothes, accessories, and items for myself. I decided I want to use my money in ways that will make me feel better about who I am, not just towards what I think I want or need, and that I want to begin donating more for people who really need help. Of course I am not "giving up" my shopping addiction- I don't think the little third grade girl who lit up going on a shopping trip for the first time will ever leave me- but I want to devote more of the work I do to earn money to others, because as I'm getting older, I'm starting to realize the importance of helping those in need to make the world better.

Woman carrying shopping bags in shopping mall - Stock Photo - DissolveSmart Money Definition

Comments

  1. DanielleJune 1, 2020 at 9:59 AM

    Are you doing lots of online shopping during quarantine?

    ReplyDelete

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