Looking for some perspective from a woman who can relate or has been through this.
My wife who I love dearly has a serious shopping addiction. I suspect she's also addicted to Solpadine taking at least 4 tablets a day for no good reason.
Over the years my salary has been significantly higher than hers so I paid for everything and she used her salary for whatever she needed. Her shopping habits while obviously OTT were a source of conflict so I didn't delve.
She's working full time now and earns half what I earn but I still pay for everything.
We are not wealthy and she had wardrobes and wardrobes full of clothes, a lot with labels still on them that have never been worn. Twice a week another couple of boxes arrive. Most are glamorous type of garments that she will never ever wear.
Makeup is another outlet for her and she has bags upon bags of expensive makeup. I can’t see how she could ever wear it.
Her mother, herself and her 5 friends have a scheme running where they give each other €200 vouchers for an expensive store for Christmas and birthdays. When you add it all up it's €3k a year (she spends with all the gifts) which is used for a high end designer handbag. This scheme is going on a decade now. To give her her dues the handbag collection is worth a not much less that she paid and many times more than she has in the bank.
Oddly when she goes out she wears the same stuff she always wears. I find this very strange, she is a collector of garments at this point.
I am not controlling and merely try to encourage her to save and contribute to her pension.
Things for me are tough trying to balance the books. She tells me l'm controlling if I bring it up and goes into a rage and ignores me for weeks.
I notice she is really only happy when she’s buying something, it’s like an elation. She spends lots of time following influencers on Instagram, watching things like Love Island and Wives of Wherever. All fuelling her shopping & image ambitions.
The rest of the time she’s surly and can be quite nasty. She can’t seem to get pleasure from the simple things in life anymore.
Any advice, anyone deal with this in the past. How can we address this together, it can’t continue.