Avis Cardella, the author of Spent: Memoirs of a Shopping Addict, discusses our pervasive culture of compulsive spending and why we're more vulnerable to shopping addiction than ever. In the episode we discuss: 

-When everyday consumption morphs into compulsive spending or shopping addiction

-Why compulsive shopping is not the same as over-spending or regularly getting into debt

-The physical sensations that could show shopping has become a problem

-Why shopping addiction is not taken as seriously as substance abuse 

-How our desire to be loved and accepted plays into shopping addiction

-Growing up in a consumer culture – and equating spending and being bought stuff with “love”

-How consumer culture has changed in the decade following the 2008 financial crash – and become more targeted and insidious 

-How Avis addressed her shopping addiction – and the one time it has back come up in her life

-The psychology of “pandemic shopping”

-Why shopping too much, along with working too much, is often celebrated under capitalism – and the negative consequences of both

-The link between compulsive spending and body image issues

-The impact of social media on our spending habits

You can get your copy of Spent: Memoirs of a Shopping Addict by Avis Cardella HERE.

Big thanks and shout out to Athletic Brewing for partnering on this episode. You can order online at Athleticbrewing.com and use the code RUBY20 to receive 20% off your online order of any beer or Daypack sparking water products.