Stories

Thu, 27 Aug 2026

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 I was spending £700 a month: How I beat my late-night shopping addiction

Younger generations are thought to be more susceptible to impulse spending. The BBC looks at ways to get it under control.
A global study suggests that 7% of adults experience shopping addiction, an uncontrollable urge to spend despite financial consequences. Younger women are more susceptible. Ella Hewitt, a 24-year-old from Liverpool, was one such individual. She spent up to £700 a month on fast fashion she couldn't afford and sometimes never even wore. "I didn't grow up with much money, so when I got a job I would spend my wages as soon as they hit my account," she said. Hewitt would often make purchases on social media platforms like TikTok or Instagram when feeling tired or bored, lured by the latest trends on her feeds. She was "horrified" by the amount she was buying and began using diversionary tactics to control her spending. One strategy was to put items on a wish list and wait 30 days before purchasing them. If the urge persisted, she would buy the item. Another tactic was to imagine a daily budget of £1,000 for imaginary purchases, which "scratched the itch" of shopping without the cost. Hewitt also vowed to only buy something if she could afford to "buy it three times". As a result, her spending decreased by about 60%. She now works as an ethical fashion influencer and plans to launch her own clothing brand. The Ukat Group, which runs addiction treatment centers across the country, has seen an increase in people with shopping addiction, with 90% being women. Signs of shopping addiction include:
* Improving mood immediately after making a purchase
* Feeling guilty or ashamed afterwards
* Lying to loved ones about spending habits
* Having a home full of items that are not needed or used To combat shopping addiction, experts recommend:
* Waiting 48 hours or longer before purchasing something
* Deleting saved credit card numbers and shopping apps
* Writing a shopping list before entering a store or visiting a site and sticking to it
* Setting a small budget for guilt-free treats
* Unsubscribing from retailer newsletters and alerts and unfollowing influencers
* Imagining a daily budget for imaginary purchases Hewitt's experience highlights the dangers of social media and targeted advertising in fueling shopping addiction. Money and Mental Health, a charity, blames the design of online shopping sites for "minimising the friction around spending money".