My name is Erin and I am a compulsive spender

Kia ora (hello in Kiwi)

On Thursday, I came out of the closet live on LinkedIn (thank you, Micha Goebig) and declared myself a compulsive spender.

An ex-shopaholic. 

Huh?

Well, twenty-four years ago, I stopped using alcohol or anything else that affected me from the neck up.

Alcohol sucked as a solution to deal with inner turmoil and was causing a ton of problems. 

Around ten years ago, I realized I was using money as a way to avoid emotional pain. 

Yup, just like alcohol. 

I tried to fix myself. 

Money seminars, accounting classes, real estate investment courses, budget counselors, books on money management, putting the credit card on the mortgage, sticking to a tight budget (then binging), taking second jobs, looking for side hustles to increase income, you name it.

No matter what I tried, money still stayed baffling, vague, and chaotic, and there was never enough.

It wasn't just the financial repercussions that were kicking my butt; the emotions were worse. Shame, guilt, fear, hopelessness. 

Finally, after a spending binge triggered by an argument (ironically, at a thrift store) that sent me into a spiral of regret, I realized I needed help. 

Since I'd already been sober for fifteen years, give or take, I knew there had to be a solution out there. 

I Googled Shopaholics (thanks, Sophie Kinsella) and found a community of people who also wanted to heal their relationship with money. 

And my life was transformed. 

Seriously, it got so much better; I'm still in awe. 

This will seem really weird to some people who know I have been helping other people shop as part of defining their personal brand. 

Kind of like an alcoholic hanging out at a bar, right? 

Actually, my time spent in recovery from shopaholicism helped them. I'm a much better shopper than I was and a much better coach.

Here's the most important question I ask them or myself. 

What are you really buying? 

I've been helping women recover from compulsive spending behind the scenes for the last decade. And now, I'm open about it.

I learned a method that works, and now I'm teaching it. 

If you'd like information on the free community I found, or if you think you might have a problem with your spending and want to learn more, book a chat with me here.

Thanks for reading. 

Here's to us all no longer being triggered by the past in a way that impacts our future. 

Lots of Aroha (love)

Erin 

Photo by Mike Petrucci on Unsplash