Are you a Shopaholic? The 20-Question Test
Your friends tell you you’re one, but you deny it; your family is worried it’s becoming an addiction, but your brush aside their concerns with the sweeping statement that you can stop anytime you wish. But there’s that niggling feeling inside you that you may be going over the limit, that you are in fact the shopaholic that others see you as. The first step to conquering your weakness is to accept that you do have a problem, and that’s just what this test is designed to do – help you decide if you are a shopaholic, and if you are, to what extent.
1. You’re feeling down in the dumps, and thing that is most likely to cheer you up is:
a. Going on a shopping spree and coming home loaded with bags full of stuff you actually don’t need.
b. Buying yourself that dress you’ve long admired from outside the shop window
c. Spending some time with people who make you feel better.
2. When you’re back from a shopping expedition, do you:
a. Try to get your bags into the house, unpack them, and put away your things and throw away the packages without anyone being wiser.
b. Show your spouse/partner/family what you’ve bought.
c. Come back empty handed because none of the shops had what you wanted
3. Among the things lying around your house are:
a. Clothes and other items that are brand new even though it’s been ages since you bought them
b. A wide variety of items, both essential and non-essential, that you use on a regular basis
c. Items that are bare necessities only
4. You’re offered a new credit card with a tempting rewards program to add to the 5 you already own. You:
a. Jump at the offer, the more the merrier.
b. See if the rewards are good enough to warrant another card.
c. Shred not only the offer but 3 of the credit cards you already own
5. You accompany a friend on a trip to the mall and you:
a. Find your purchases are more than his/hers
b. End up picking up an item or two yourself
c. Dissuade him/her from buying anything superfluous.
6. When someone asks you the price of something you bought:
a. Lie and say it was on sale when you actually bought it at full price.
b. Admit after a few probes that you bought it at full price
c. You have no trouble telling the truth, because it really was a bargain buy
7. There’s a sale in your local mall. Your credit cards are maxed out. You:
a. Don’t care, you have to be the first in line when the stores open.
b. Check to see if there’s some way you can squeeze out a few extra dollars to buy something you have been wanting a long time.
c. Stay home, you couldn’t care less.
8. Your relationship with EBay and other auction/shopping sites can be summed up with the words:
a. Just short of 24/7
b. A random visit now and then, more so when you’re looking for something in particular.
c. Never been there, done that, and not likely to begin anytime.
9. Your shopping habits cause:
a. Constant strife, because of the amount of time and money you spend on purchases
b. No more than the ordinary “Do you really need that?” look.
c. Raised eyebrows – you’re not the shopping kind.
10. Your feelings during and after a shopping expedition are:
a. Exhilarating and depressed – you crave the high that shopping gives you only to crash down to earth when you realize how much you’ve spent on what you don’t need
b. Excited and excited – you enjoy shopping and love showing off your purchases
c. Anxious and anxious – you don’t like shopping and are never sure if you’ve bought the right things.
11. You buy some things you absolutely do not need at half price. Do you feel:
a. You’ve saved yourself a bundle of money
b. A small twinge of regret, but push it aside since it’s a one-off thing.
c. Why would people buy things they do not need even if they’re offered at half price?
12. Your regular store refuses to offer you credit. You:
a. Dip into your children’s emergency money to buy that dress you’ve wanted for a long time
b. Come back when you’ve scrounged up enough money to buy that dress
c. Forget it, the dress is not that important to you.
13. When you watch TV:
a. Your phone is within reach and you’ve memorized all your credit card numbers
b. You search for your credit card to buy something you saw advertised for the fifth time
c. You switch channels when the ads come on
14. You have some free time on your hands. You:
a. Hit the malls, each and every time, and never return home empty-handed
b. Go out with friends, you stop by the shops once in a while but you always buy something when you do.
c. Spend it reading, gardening, cleaning – well, doing anything that does not cost money
15. Your non-personal mail comprises:
a. Mostly catalogs and preferred-shopper offers
b. A few credit card offers, one or two catalogs and the usual business mail
c. Just your bank account statement every month
16. You’re on your way on an emergency call when you see a SALE sign at your favorite mall. You:
a. You make a detour, it’s the last day of the sale.
b. You look longingly at the store, but reluctantly go on to take care of your crisis
c. It’s just another sign among the thousands on the road
17. There’s a big sale coming up but your day is absolutely packed with appointments from dawn to dusk. You:
a. Reschedule all your appointments to make time to shop
b. Get a friend to go in your place and buy the things you actually need
c. Don’t bother. You never shop anyway.
18. When on vacation, you:
a. Hit all the shops in your vicinity and also the duty free outlets at the airport
b. Buy a few souvenirs of your visit, for yourself and friends back home.
c. Only go sightseeing, you don’t see any reason to spend money unnecessarily
19. If you leave home without your credit cards, do you:
a. Feel like you’re going into cardiac arrest every few minutes
b. Feel like a fish out of water but manage anyway
c. Feel confident that you can manage any monetary necessity with the cash you have on hand.
20. You see an outfit you love that’s two sizes too small for you. You:
a. Buy it anyway, you can lose those extra pounds
b. Work hard to lose those pounds before you visit the store again
c. Decide you don’t need that blouse that badly
So are you a shopaholic or not? Here’s how you can find out. Give yourself 5 points for each a you choose, 3 for each b, and 1 for each c. If you’ve scored 30 or less, you’re probably not likely to become a shopaholic anytime in the near future. If you made between 30 and 50, you’re normal, you do tend to get tempted by the odd sale or two, but you know your limits and stick to them. Any score above 50 is a danger signal. The closer to 100 you get, the more in trouble you are – shopping is definitely an addiction for which you need to seek benediction, either professionally or through the support of friends and family.