Are you an EMOTIONAL SPENDER?

Does shopping soothe your nerves? Get a handle on your mental health and you'll tighten up your purse strings, too

While many seek comfort in the kitchen cupboards, when the going gets tough, some of us automatically reach  for our purses to buy ‘a little something’ to cheer ourselves up. The internet and ‘shop now, pay later’ payment plans make this easier and more tempting than ever – but also more dangerous. And with financial pressures mounting, there’s no place for this costly coping mechanism in any of our lives any more. Here’s how to manage difficult emotions, without making a dent in your bank account.

Shopaholic highs and lows

Soaring price tags on everything from electricity to eggs have highlighted that out-of-budget spending is a one-way ticket to chronic stress. In fact, 28% of us have lost sleep worrying over rising energy bills*, and a lack of proper rest only serves to make symptoms of anxiety worse. So if spending money we may not have doesn’t make us feel good in the long-term, why do we still continue to do it?