Confessions of a Shopaholic: Avis Cardella, the author of 'Spent'

Avis Cardella was a compulsive shopper. She spent so much time in the department stores, the clerks knew her by name. Yet it wasn't purchases she needed. It was the high she got making them. While her closet piled higher with clothing never worn and stuff never opened, her addiction ruined her finances, her relationships, and her self-esteem.



She's not alone in this compulsion. In America, we have a conflicted relationship with our money. We're constantly encouraged to spend money as a prescription for happiness, but we rarely examine the dangerous emotional kickback we can get from the transactions.

In her new book, Spent: Memoirs of a Shopping Addict, Cardella takes a look at the neglected problem of oniomania, otherwise known as shopping addiction. She bares her personal story with me at WalletPop's studios.

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