I Did…

Here’s my money story – and how I shifted from feeling money guilt and shame from emotional spending to feeling empowered and positive.

My story that led to retail therapy all started 8 years ago when my husband came home from work and told me his boss wanted to transfer him to Switzerland.

At the time, we were living in South Africa – we were enjoying a great life. My daughter and son were settled at school, and we had friends and family close by.

I had a great job doing marketing and events in a hotel and was running a successful spa, where many wealthy clients came for special anti-aging treatments. I loved it – and even went to courses to learn about the amazing products. I enjoyed what I was doing and had a real sense of purpose.

So, I told my husband ‘NO’, we’re not going. However, he had already said ‘YES’ to his boss. As you can imagine, I was angry and not very happy about the whole thing. I was, more or less, told that I had to deal with it.

Even my children, who I thought would be on my side, were keen to go. They even said I could stay, but our family dog would go with them. And so, the story of my emotional spending began.

My Emotional Spending Began After Adjusting to a New Life in Zurich

Four weeks later, we arrived in Zurich… and it was a complete culture shock:

• I did not know the language.
• I had no friends or family.
• I had no idea how to get around – I kept getting lost on the trams.
• I had to get the children settled at their new school.
• I had to find a new family doctor and dentist.
• I had to organize our new home all by myself.

Deep down, I was angry and frustrated having to start all over again, particularly when it wasn’t my choice. Too numb these uncomfortable feeling, I began to spend too much money. Quite literally using money as retail therapy.

After a few weeks, my husband and my children were settling well into their daily routines. My husband had his job and my children were enjoying their new school, busy making new friends. Their new lives were beginning to take shape.

Meanwhile, I felt really lonely – I had no job, no real friends, and no real sense of direction in my life. I felt lost.

I ended up filling my time going along to endless coffee mornings and shopping. Emotional spending to try to numb my pain.

Retail Therapy to Fill the Void

Emotional spending, for me personally, was retail therapy to fill the void of loneliness, the lack of purpose, and the guilt I had about taking our children away from their friends back in South Africa. Shopping was my only pleasure – it would give me the buzz I was missing in my life.

However, my constant spending was becoming a serious issue. My shopping was out of control.

To be honest, this emotional spending had begun not long before we had even left South Africa. I would spend until one credit card was full and then just apply for a new one.

My spending was becoming a major issue. I was getting us into more and more debt. I had my head buried in the sand about the consequences of my emotional spending.

Roots of My Emotional Spending

I now recognize that part of the reason for my emotional spending stems back to my childhood and how I grew up. My family had a real scarcity mindset towards money. We had gone without so many things and I just wanted my children to have everything they wanted.

It was crazy, I know that now… but at the time it was the only thing I had that made me feel good and helped me to cope.

Of course, it did finally reach a crisis point, when it was causing major issues in my marriage. Every time a credit card statement arrived – my husband and I would end up fighting about it. It was awful!

I was lucky, a good friend of mine, to whom I could confide, recommended that I get some help from a money coach.

I will admit that I didn’t know much about money coaching, but I knew I needed help with my uncontrolled spending. I signed up.

Transforming Emotional Spending Through Money Coaching

The money coach was really great, and it was truly thrilling how it worked for me and my retail therapy. It literally changed my life around.

I found out where my money story came from and realized why I was behaving in a certain way towards money. I worked through the process to change my thinking and beliefs about money and found constructive ways to pay off my debts. Finally, with inspired action – I was set free from the emotional spending!

It was after doing this coaching, I realized deep down that this was my calling.

With my firsthand experience, I felt a great passion to use money therapy to help others, who like me, needed to change their money stories. With the right support, you can develop a new healthy relationship with money and identify how to become financially independent, based on your own unique skills.

I knew without a doubt that this was my calling, and I did my Money Coach Certification in 2016.

Now, I am delighted to work with my clients and see the transformations that are taking place. It is like a heavy weight is being lifted and they can see their way forward to enjoying a richer life.

Ready to Transform your Emotional Spending?

Be warned – money coaching is known for changing lives!

A great place to start your journey to transforming your money story and emotional spending and quit retail therapy once and for all is to take the money quiz. Take the Money Quiz

Ready to uncover the secrets of your money personality and heal the root cause of your emotional spending? Take our Money Quiz today and gain valuable insights into your relationship with money and addiction to retail therapy. Click here to take the quiz and start transforming your financial future now.