Once upon a time, I was a normal girl with no money issues. Then I turned 18 and I got my first credit card. Thanks, Capital One!
In my 20s, I started working full time. Full-time salaries support much higher credit lines. Higher credit lines support more shopping. The jewelry started innocently enough with a Tiffany bracelet. There was something so satisfying about that white bow. Not the aqua box. Just the perfect white bow. Intoxicating little devil. There were several more bracelets that followed.
Once, a friend and I decided that for our New Year’s Resolutions, we would not use our credit cards during January. So, in late-December, I bought a Yurman bracelet that far exceeded the amount that I would have spent on my credit card during a normal month. It made perfect sense at the time because I didn’t buy it in January.
I bought a house on a whim at the age of 22. The first one I looked at. Because I liked the kitchen. The house needed decor. Not to mention coffee table books; they were critical.
I was a shopping pro by my mid-20s. I got a new job that I interviewed for. I was dead broke. BUT I GOT A NEW JOB. I deserved a reward. Like a Gucci watch. Then, when I completed my civic obligation (jury duty, in which I was not selected for a jury), I bought myself diamond stud earrings. (That’s the traditional gift, right?)
Oh, and then there were the cars. I went through five cars in five years. Because I didn’t like them. One got a flat so it had to be traded in. I was eventually driving a Beetle on a five-year lease for almost $400 a month. Wise spending, I know.
Eventually, I went to law school and the shopping settled down a bit. Then I moved to Las Vegas and passed the bar. All hell broke loose when I got the job that paid me a base salary of $100,000. The shopping habits from my 20s were back with a vengeance. Even though I owed a fortune in student loans. Even though I owed my grandfather $45,000 (for saving my ass when the real estate market bottomed so that I wouldn’t have to sell a house as a short sale).
I kept spending and spending and spending. Some of it was on medical care. Some of it was on shoes. Really beautiful shoes. Some of it was on food. Some of it was simply living beyond my means. Way, way beyond my means.
In April 2009, I went batshit crazy about money. I had four credit cards that were almost maxed at nearly $37,000. My total unsecured debt was about $167,000. I made too much to qualify for bankruptcy. My student loans were in forbearance and would be in repayment in February 2010. I had no clue how I would be able to afford it all.
I turned to Consumer Credit Counseling Services. They saved my ass. They worked with my creditors to lower my interest rates and get me on a fixed payment plan. I budgeted like crazy. I cut out shopping. But then I realized, when life got stressful, I would immediately hit a store and spend $500.
It took a while for me to admit the truth. Hi. My name is Danielle. I am a recovering compulsive shopping addict. It was damn hard to accept that I was an addict. Let alone a shopping addict.
Since that April 2009 meltdown, I’ve been on the path to recovery. It’s been slow and steady. I’ve paid off tens of thousands of dollars in credit card debt. My student loans are out of forbearance and I’m making my payments. I’ve continued to pay my grandfather $500 a month, never missing a month.
Most importantly, I’ve come to terms with the label of compulsive shopping addict. I’ve talked to reporters about my debt and my addiction. I have talked about it on this website countless times. I am happy to be the internet poster child for compulsive shopping addiction. It gets better. There’s hope. I’m proof.
Every month, I track the progress that I’ve made on my debt in the money category on this blog. You can watch me at every step along the way.
