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Hi,
My mom lost my dad in 2007. One of the first things she did after he died was remodel the home. As a result, she bought all kinds of new things. She pretty much made the whole house new again. In the process, she bought three dining room tables until she finally found one she ultimately liked. Same with living room furniture.
Her excuse for buying so much was, "Your dad never let me buy anything new the whole time we were married." Which is a lie. He did. He just didn't like excessive spending. They were married for 33 years when he died.
Now, my brother and I have noticed a new trend. For the past few years, her spending has picked up again. This time, she uses QVC and HSN for her purchases. It's all makeup - mascara, eyeshadow and facial treatment creams. Some clothes here and there, but mostly makeup. She justifies it by saying, "I like makeup." However, when the packages are finally delivered to her home, they sit around unopened for months or years at a time. She bought a computer in March of 2010 - it's still in the box. She bought an iPad earlier this summer - still in the box. These are just the bigger purchases. She also has a TON of boxes lying around that are filled with the makeup and facial creams. TONS. They've been sitting around for months or years, like I said. At one point, my brother and I counted 49 unopened packages in her home. Many were just stacked by the front door.
Her house is habitable and is not overly cluttered with these packages. But, our concern is that the spending has increased and we don't see it stopping anytime soon. In 2012, she might have spent $2000 on QVC and HSN total. This year so far, it's about $8600.
So, my question is if this is a type of hoarding disorder or is it a compulsive shopping disorder - or is it both? Or is compulsive shopping a type of hoarding disorder - I imagine it might be?
Thank you for your help!
Melissa & Mark
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