AM I SHOPAHOLIC?

A racing heartbeat. The euphoric feeling after a purchase. Houston, we do have a problem. At first, it was still very innocent, but The Monster is taking on larger forms. Hi, my name is Kiki and I am sensitive to designer bags.

Although I am very happy with all the kids I have been able to add to my family over the past few years, I notice that it is now getting a bit out of hand. The periods between purchases are getting shorter and shorter. I initially thought it wasn't that bad, but when even May-Britt tells you that you really need to take it easy regarding the bags, it's serious. It all started with this a loyal friend from Lanvin. Then came some small Furla pieces (evidence 1, evidence 2). Then the trippeldetrap of the pink Jimmy Choo piece towards my Oh.My.Gucci, and uh, it's already getting embarrassing, then from Marc Jacobs still steady on to my latest Louis Vuitton named Loulou. And then I also write for a personality-driven lifestyle magazine, so everything is documented and the last three bags were all bought this year. Confronting shit. Note to yourself, Kiek: greed is not sexy. Throwing money around to feel ‘a little’ better isn't either. Recognizing the problem is often step 1, right? Maybe I should do an official shop stop to curb the designer madness.

I have a shop stop. That was necessary because I was shopping too much. And I mean that my bank account is empty at the end of the month and there is still a lot of clothing ...

There's nothing wrong with a nice day of shopping, but if you go home feeling dissatisfied when you haven't bought anything and therefore buy something medium just to have ‘something’, then something is wrong. How does it happen that you MUST buy? You don't know, but you do it. Even if it's a silly watermelon cushion for the bench on the balcony; you come home with something when you go to the city. I did this last week. After some field research, I discovered that there are four types of shopaholics: the comfort buyer, the collector who buys the same type of items (uh, check), the impulsive buyer who gets heart palpitations from words like ‘sale’, and then you have the ‘compulsive buyer’, who has a bit of all three. They buy because they see deals, look for the same products, and comfort themselves with it. Do you sometimes doubt whether you are a shopaholic? Then take the test.

These are the characteristics of a shopping addiction:

• You cannot resist the urge to buy something.
• Before you shop, the tension increases.
• After you have bought something, you often feel relieved.
• You keep buying more expensive items.
• You hide purchases before others see them.

Maybe you recognized yourself in this story – and yes, you know it exactly when I am addressing you a little extra – well, for those people, I would say: keep an eye on the site tomorrow, because then I will share a shitload of explanations, painful confrontations, and tips. Bis morgen!