The Zero Effort Method You Need to Quit Shopping Addiction
A real story — my own.
In the course of the past 3 years, I gave away 140 kilos of clothes. That’s over 300 pounds.
Together with them, I also donated a house load of furniture and decorative items: lamps, desks, vases, plants, plates, and various knick-knacks.
They were the physical embodiment of a lifetime of shopping addiction.
Since then, I bought a very minimal amount of other clothes and furniture. Only the bare necessities. I bought 0 decorations. I still have too many of those.
For example, when I started writing, I bought a desk, because I had been writing in bed, with my laptop perched on my belly. I also bought a white T-shirt. Because I go through them like underwear.
How is it possible for one person to have such a huge amount of clothes in their home?
Easily. I love clothes. I love variety.
So I kept buying them. And buying them, and buying them.
When you do that, you hardly ever get to wear most of them, so there’s no wear and tear and you never need to throw them away.
I also love interior design and home decoration. And I used to have a big house to fill. And fill I did.
In the meantime, I sold the house. But the desire remained. I now have a big apartment. With a big dressing. There is so much place in my life for so many blouses, skirts, vases, mirrors, etc. Oh, wait, I already have a lot of mirrors. But they were already here, so that was not my addiction acting up.
So how did I make the change?
Honestly, it happened without me even noticing.
But you can use my situation to actively create change in your life.
The following 3 realities concurred to help me quit:
- I suddenly had very low income.
- I had no more room to store them.
- I was very busy and had no time to go shopping.
I had no intention to quit. I knew all the clothes were useless and the closets were full and I wore very few of them. But I loved the process so much that only from time to time did I think about quitting. Like any addict would. I had no real intention of doing it, though. It was just a thought that maybe, one day, in a future far far away, I should.
But then life happened and I had no more income. I had to move out of my house into a smaller place. I rented the house. Obviously, I couldn’t keep my clothes there anymore. I had them in bags and into storage. Out of sight, out of mind.
And when I didn’t have them I realized I really didn’t need them. I only loved the process of searching, trying on things, and then buying them. But once they were mine, they were of no use to me. They were just clutter.
At some point, I decided to sell the house and I realized all the decorations would have to go too. I sold what I could and donated the rest. I also donated the clothes that were in storage. Before I did, I weighed them box by box. A total of 140 kilograms of clothes!
Because I had so much space to put them, I didn’t realize I was actually a hoarder.
It was a bitter truth that disgusted me about myself and the whole shopping situation. I felt dirty and gross. And I felt the need to clean myself, get rid of the clutter, and clear everything around me.
I kept as few clothes as possible and as few items as possible.
I am now well on my way to a minimalist life and it feels amazing.
One day, however, I remembered my old shopping addiction and decided to go on a shopping spree. I remembered how much I enjoyed it and wanted to feel that rush again.
Addiction never sleeps.
I went to the mall and started to go from store to store, looking at clothes, feeling the materials, and putting them against my body.
And you know what I discovered? It was boring AF.
It gave me no joy. Yes, I did notice that the clothes were beautiful and some of the materials were fine but it did nothing for me. I didn’t feel like trying them on. I didn’t feel like taking them home. They were beautiful but of no real interest to me. I didn’t feel the need to own them. I did enjoy them and that was that. That’s where it ended.
I actually rather feel the need to dress in uniform. Like Steve Jobs used to do, or any number of people who would wear the same outfit every day. It wouldn’t work where I live because we have seasons and the weather changes a lot during the day, but I no longer want the trouble of picking clothes out of the closet and deciding what to wear day after day.
I want to be a Trekkie. Just give me 10 pairs of those arrowhead overalls and let me be.
I want to invest my creativity and energy elsewhere. In writing, painting, enjoying life.
So if any of you are struggling with a shopping addiction, this is what worked for me:
1. Distancing myself from the stimulus. It wasn’t by choice, but life forced me to stay away from shopping malls through covid, low income, a very busy schedule, and lack of space. I was working long hours, not making a lot of money and at the end of the day, I just wanted to lie in bed. Little did I know, but it was a blessing in disguise.
2. Being disgusted by my habit. When I associated everything I gathered through shopping with hoarding, dirt, and disarray, I wanted nothing more to do with it. I wanted to be as far as possible from it.
In my case, it happened by itself. I can take no credit for it because it was l that knocked me down but then it also helped me get back up. I’m happy it happened this way. My money no longer funds useless addictions and fancy companies and I am no longer in addiction jail.
Thank you, life.
If you enjoyed this story, buy me a coffee!
Thank you for reading until the end, and let’s keep in touch! Subscribe here to get my articles in your inbox.
If you like my stories and want to support me and others or write yourself, come join the Medium community. Sign up for a membership using this link. For only 5$ a month, you get unlimited access to all the stories on Medium, and I also get a small commission. No extra cost to you, and I’d be so grateful!
If you liked this story, you will also like:
