June 30, 2014 by Debbie Roes

How a Shopping Hiatus Can Help

The following is a guest post from Jill Chivers. Jill is a former shopaholic who completed a major challenge – a full year without clothes shopping! She later went on to create the first online membership site for women who want to stop overshopping and learn to shop consciously. Read on as Jill shares her wisdom on the value of taking a shopping hiatus.

Taking a break from shopping, whether it’s a week, a month or longer (anyone for a year without shopping? More on that soon) can be an extremely effective way of getting on top of a shopping problem that has spiralled out of control.

Woman with shopping bags and credit cards

Is your shopping out of control? Perhaps a hiatus can help…

I know first hand how effective a shopping hiatus can be, as my own path to healing from an unhealthy shopping habit started with an extreme personal challenge: a year without clothes shopping. Continue reading →

May 15, 2014 by Debbie Roes

A Small Wardrobe for Less Stress and More Happiness

The following is a guest post from Terra Trevor, who is sharing her journey as part of my new “Stories of Recovery” series. Terra is an essayist, memoirist and nonfiction writer of a widely published diverse body of work. She is also a good bean cook, soup maker, dreamer, and reformed shopper. Visit her weblog where she writes about simple life, the sea, the beach and the joy in becoming more with less, probing life’s complexities.

If you would like to be profiled in the “Stories of Recovery” series (you can be anonymous if desired), or if you have an idea for another type of guest post on “Recovering Shopaholic,” please connect with me to share your thoughts.

Terra has been able to cultivate a small workable wardrobe.

Continue reading →

April 28, 2014 by Debbie Roes

On Social Exclusion and Compulsive Buying

The following is a guest post from Dagmar Verheij, a recent graduate of the Rotterdam School of Management. Back in January, some readers of “Recovering Shopaholic” assisted Dagmar with her master’s thesis in Marketing Management by completing an online survey on their compulsive shopping thoughts and behaviors. Although Dagmar’s hypothesis was not originally revealed, her research explored the relationship between social exclusion and compulsive buying. In today’s post, Dagmar shares her findings, which are quite interesting and thought-provoking! I know I could see myself in a lot of what Dagmar reports, and I’m sure many of you will, too…

How does social exclusion affect compulsive buying? Read on…

A few months ago, some of you helped me by filling out a questionnaire for my master thesis on the impact of social exclusion on compulsive buying. I would like to thank you for your help by sharing my findings.

It is ironic that for many people, compulsive buying seems to be strongly tied to their need for affection and support from others, but it also often results in distancing important others. Alienating other people could lead to a life of social exclusion. Continue reading →

April 17, 2014 by Debbie Roes

Change, Without Making a Purchase

The following is a guest post from Lisa at Shopping Brake. Motivated by a challenge from her husband, Lisa is a shopaholic who is tackling her overshopping and overspending habits head on. Her blog is dedicated to providing personal insights during her journey to change her shopping habits.

NOTE: This post marks the beginning of the new “Stories of Recovery” series which will appear periodically on the blog. In this series, other recovering shopaholics will share their stories of how they’ve been able to overcome their shopping and wardrobe challenges in their own unique ways. I look forward to sharing diverse recovery stories that will help inspire and empower my readers.

If you would like to be profiled in this new series (you can be anonymous if desired), or if you have an idea for another type of guest post on “Recovering Shopaholic,” please connect with me to share your thoughts.

In the Beginning…

I don’t know why I am here and I don’t care. I just want to feel beautiful, happy, and loved. So I tear through the racks, a woman on a mission. If I can only find that perfect pair of jeans, and then the perfect top to wear with them, and finally the perfect pair of boots to round out my outfit, I will purchase it all, and then I will be that woman. The woman who is not me at this present moment in time… I will become a new woman, and she is perfect, because she is not me. Continue reading →

April 10, 2014 by Debbie Roes

The Ins and Outs of Custom-Made Clothing

The following is a guest post from Maharani, a regular reader of this blog, who is sharing her experience with having her clothing custom made. Awhile back, Maharani had suggested this option for me in response to my pants shopping difficulties. Since I was intrigued by the custom clothing possibility but knew so little about it, I figured others would also be interested in learning more. So I asked Maharani to share her experiences in a guest post, and the rest is history! Read on to learn lots of useful information about custom-made clothing and how it might be an option to consider for your wardrobe.