I think my habit stemmed from childhood, coming from a family who really had to watch their pennies, and on top of that a family who strongly believed that if you can't afford to pay for it outright, then you can't have it. A lot of my clothes were hand me downs, and from good old jumble sales interspersed with the occasional shopping trip for essential clothing, which had to be hard wearing, usually a little bit too big, and definitely not fashionable. Presents were strictly reserved for birthdays and Christmastime. I know some of this was due to my father being a tight fisted beggar which didn't help my cause very much. When I became financially independent, I bought fashionable clothes for myself, music albums, make up etc and swore that my kids when I had them would never want for anything and have what all the other kids had. I stuck to my promise, even though it meant using catalogues and credit cards - Thankfully I never became financially unstuck, but it was a struggle. Like I said before when it was just me at home with my little part time job, I discovered the shopping channels and spent a small fortune, and would live for the next parcel arriving on the doorstep. Thankfully I managed to get myself a decent paid full time job, so I was able to buy even more. I can't actually pinpoint the exact moment when I decided enough is enough - probably during one of my many decluttering exercises, then seeing my Q statement and all the crap I'd bought over the years! Nowadays, I only buy things I need, and replace stuff when it's run out. I'm glad that I have an inexpensive beauty regime and have found some wonderful budget brands that I stick to. I think I enjoy talking about shopping rather than the actual act ,which can't be a bad thing!