Shopaholic?

I’m not sure if it’s an ADHD thing, or just a me thing, but I really love shopping. I know some people who hate the mall; complaining that the dry air makes their eyes water, and the crowds make them claustrophobic. Not me! I walk into the mall, take a deep breath of the recirculated oxygen, and breathe a sigh of relaxation. I love clothes, shoes, purses, sunglasses, books... I even get excited about going to the store to buy deodorant.

The only problem is that I never ONLY buy deodorant. Or just the one pair of shoes I needed. Or the one magazine to read at the gym. Usually, I don’t even realize I bought so much extra until I get home. I get to the register, swipe my card, throw my bags in the backseat and head home. Later, I look in the bags and say "Where did this shirt come from, I didn’t buy this!" or "I didn’t need all these flip flops, but wow, I only paid $3 each. I guess I’ll keep them." In my life, there’s no such thing as stopping for one quick thing.

Everyone knows that if I’m going to the mall, or even to Target for a quick errand, I won’t be home for a few hours. Sometimes my mom sends my sister with me on simple errands just to keep me focused on buying only what we actually needed. Often my friends or family call me to check that I’m still alive, and ask why it’s taking two hours to buy milk.

I get so distracted in stores. I can’t help it; everything I see draws my attention. Needless to say, I probably end up looking like a crazy person wandering around lost. Sometimes I do get lost.

Very often I don’t come home with what I set out for, but I do end up with lots of other stuff that I bought just because it was on sale. That one-dollar section at Target really kills me. People try to warn me that it’s only one dollar if you buy one thing, not 30 things that you don’t even need, because they were only one dollar each. But I can’t help it, I love shopping.