‘I have shopping addiction – I don’t even open my packages’
A woman has confessed to being “addicted” to shopping, filling her home with unopened packages.
She took to Reddit‘s r/confessions page to admit that her spending habits are spiralling out of control. Her “serious shopping addiction” has resulted in unopened boxes and random purchases scattered throughout her home, most of which will never be used.
She posted: “I’m a 19-year-old woman and I have a serious shopping addiction. I buy gadgets, clothes, and random stuff online almost every day. Most of it I never use or wear.
“My apartment is filled with unopened packages, and my bank account is suffering. I can’t seem to stop, even though I know it’s harming my finances and mental health. I feel ashamed and out of control.”
Members of the r/confessions community have since offered advice to the original poster. The post received a range of responses, from comforting comments to blunt reality checks. One user commented: “It will stop once you can’t pay rent.”
Another user suggested that the habit could be beneficial if channelled correctly. “See if you can find the same excitement but buying shares of the S&P 500 or deposits into a savings account lol,” they advised.
“But seriously, you’re seeking dopamine. Buying stuff gives you dopamine. Find other things that give you dopamine and cut that s**t out, it’ll ruin your life.”
Other users rallied to support her decluttering efforts, empathising with her spending struggles. One sympathiser shared: “I get where you’re coming from; it’s like a temporary high. What helped me was channelling that buying urge into investments, like a game where the score is how much my savings grow.”
They continued, offering a strategy for change: “It started slow but turned into a whole new satisfaction watching my financial stability improve over time. Maybe try redirecting that impulse into something that builds your future instead of cluttering your present. It’s tough, but every small step is progress.”
Another user chimed in with advice on setting a “strict entertainment/shopping limit”, though they confessed “it was like a diet that my brain hated” initially.
