A few tips that help me

First, this community had been immensely helpful. I can really identify to the posts and everything has really resonated with me. I wanted to share some items that have helped me so far.

1 create an excel spreadsheet with formulas to automatically run math on my monthly budget. This shows me how many additional payments I can make toward my CCs.

2 start an eBay store. I’ve been reselling at a profit for a few years but really kicked that into high gear over the past 6 months. I restore, refinish and resell small antiques and vintage costume jewelry. Once I restore a piece, I take the time to photograph everything and create listings. This has been a great replacement for shopping dopamine because when something sells, I get that same benefit of some extra dopamine.

3 have an accountability partner to help you through this or a therapist. Or both! I could justify some new insoles for running shoes since I had a coupon and my partner asked if I’d buy it without the coupon and if I already had some. Which I do have some that are new. lol.

4 understanding triggers and patterns to buying spirals. If work was rough, life threw curve balls, emotional distress (father had cancer and mother in law had multiple heart attacks), etc. if most purchases happen after 10PM. You get the gist. Once I could ID mine, I allowed those triggers to happen, noted them, and distracted myself until the urge to buy passed. I workout, enjoy the sauna, TV shows and movies, video games, hikes, walking with friends, time with the dogs, adult coloring books to hyperfocus on, etc.

5 removing all digital payment methods from phone as well as shopping apps. Deleted Amazon, posh, and the only one I keep is eBay since I’m a seller on the side. Keeping up to date with Reddit to read the experience of others really helps validate my own experience.

6 search Facebook and YouTube for shopping addiction and no buy, anti consumerism, reselling, and then like a ton of the high watch count videos that come up. This turned my algorithm from luxury clothing to how I can spend less money. And less triggering videos.

Anyways - hope this helps!