An Introduction

Hi. I’m SRD and I am a person recovering from addiction.

I finally understand the key to quitting my addictive behavior. When I say “addiction” it’s likely that certain images come to your mind. That of someone battling their uncontrollable urges around alcohol or other substances. Nope, it’s not that. My addiction is in the form of shopping.

Shopping is addictive. I know this not only on a personal level, but also as a professional. In my role as a clinical psychologist, I work with many individuals who struggle with shopping or other forms of compulsive acquiring.

I believe shopping is one of the last, if not the last socially condoned addictions. I would say in many cases socially encouraged. This is one of the reasons that compulsive shopping can be so difficult to identify as a problem. However, it is estimated that between 6-7% of the US population struggles with compulsive buying, according to one study published in 2015.

But, I’m fighting it.

What you will read in upcoming posts is how a trip to the mall or shopping excursion is not the same for a shopping addict as it is for others because the addict’s brain lights up at the sights and smells of freshly displayed gazingus pins.^[1]A gazingus pin is something you waste your money on because you already have enough of said thing, but keep acquiring more. This term was coined in the book Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin. There are those who do not enjoy shopping or in the least are neutral to it. I can only imagine what it would be like to live with one of those brains.

However, I now know how to fight my shopping addiction and successfully practice financial sobriety. This website and blog will serve the purpose of experimenting with applying principles from a program created by Susan Pierce Thompson called Bright Line Eating (BLE).

Dr. Pierce Thompson’s BLE program has helped individuals successfully overcome their eating addictions. Borrowing from and modifying the principals of BLE, I have developed a process that has significantly changed the way I shop and spend for the better.Through this blog I hope to help others reclaim their lives from the conveyor belt of shopping and consumption.

What does FITE have to do with it?

FITE stands for Financial Independence Transition Early. It is possible that you have heard of FIRE, Financial Independence Retire Early, the more well known acronym. FITE and FIRE represents the concept of living below one’s means to speed up the time frame in which one can be free from relying on a job. For simplicity’s sake, I will primarily use the acronym FITE.

I have been following the movement since 2013 and aspire to FITE one day. I want to believe that even those of us who have struggles with financial sobriety can achieve financial independence. Indeed, financial independence can take on a whole new meaning for those of us who seek recovery from a shopping addiction.  

In my on-again, off-again attempts to rein in my shopping, I have learned that the roots of my behavior run very deep. As uncomfortable as it may be, I will share my personal journey including triumphs and pitfalls along the way.

Whether you are here for shopping addiction, FITE/FIRE or other information on psychology and wellness, I hope you find and take what you need and leave the rest.