Whenever I’m depressed, I go shopping. Retail therapy has always been one of my favorite ways to de-stress.

The decoy of the hunt. For that special something that catches your eye, with an incredibly low price or with such a great discount. 70% discounts in stores often turn women like women into wild beasts. Everyone who wants to buy the latest piece from a sought-after designer should be priced at 70% or even 90% of the regular price.

It always works for me … initially. As long as I can make ends meet after these binges. I love the excitement of buying things and knowing that I have them below the usual retail prices.

Leave me alone in a mall for 10 minutes, even with 2 preschoolers, I guarantee. I’d carry shopping bags, kids in tow, when you get back.

There is the thrill of the hunt. Going to a sale, not knowing what great purchase you might find. Then you see it. That coveted designer brand that is normally beyond your budget is suddenly priced low enough that you can comfortably afford it. Try it on. You love the way he looks at you. You buy it. That feeling of satisfaction is indescribable. You go to the next store. That halt lasts until you see your credit card bill.

Worse still, those outfits you buy can be worn once or never, before gifting.

It’s kind of like bingeing on food. You have been dieting for years trying to lose weight. Then all of a sudden you just throw caution to the winds. You eat like a pig, devouring all the delicious calorie-laden desserts, snacks, and favorite foods you’ve been deprived of after so long.

Uncontrolled retail therapy can bankrupt you. Especially with easy access to credit cards, you can rack up significant debt if you’re not careful.

Still, like calorie-laden desserts, you can still indulge in retail therapy and stay within your budget.

Like eating less or even skipping a meal after bingeing on a large buffet, and eating less in the days that follow, you can indulge in retail therapy, if you spend less in the days after.

There are things you have to buy anyway. Why not focus your retail therapy on what you really need?

Make a list of the things you really need.

Do you need a new jacket? [http://www.womanht.com/discounts/womens+clothes-fullfile-jackets.htm] for work, to create a better impression in the boardroom? You can use your next retail therapy session to search for that ideal jacket when you need that boost.

You could even have your retail therapy at your favorite supermarket, shopping for the food that you and your family really need, searching for the bargains. Again, make a list of what you really need and stick to it when you go shopping.

Or if you see a gorgeous luxury item like a very expensive bag, you might want to save for months before splurging on it. By the time you’ve saved enough money to buy the bag, you may even have lost interest and can make better use of the money.

The trick here is to only spend what you have. Credit cards give you the illusion that you have much more money to spend than you actually have. Buying now and paying later is a very dangerous way of thinking. Many people went bankrupt after that.

Yes, you can always use that card to pay whatever you want and then pay the credit card bill in installments for the next few months. Meanwhile, the credit card company can make money on interest charges, which could be as high as 24% per year (2% per month adds up to a lot in the long run).

Can’t pay the bill in full? Pass it on to the next month. Get another card to pay off some of the debt from the old card and more purchasing power.

Before you know it, your debt is so high that you can’t imagine how you could eliminate all of that debt.

Personally, I am a webmaster with a sometimes uncontrollable urge to splurge. Usually, I would buy something every time I leave my house. Today, I tell myself to postpone the purchase. I can get better deals on the web.

Retail therapy is also spreading online. Online stores can offer even better deals than your regular retail store. Brick and motorcycle retail stores have to pay rent for all that retail space. Online stores have much less overhead and can afford to pass on their savings to us. Your clients.

From time to time, online stores would have discounts on some items or short-term promotions where you can save a substantial amount of money on your order. Some stores even have coupons that you enter in a box at checkout, for free shipping or a certain percentage of savings on your purchase. Take the time to take advantage of these savings and get the most out of your online shopping experience. I love buying jewelry online [http://www.womanht.com/discounts/jewelry.htm] for gifts and I always do it online.

The best part about online stores is that you can take your time shopping, without any annoying salesperson trying to convince you to buy something you don’t really need. Okay, some stores have annoying live help pop-ups, but you can always close those windows to shop in peace.