“Confessions of a Shopaholic” Movie Offers Important Financial Message

Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009) is a bright comedy film about how out-of-control shoppers ruin their lives. It shows how shopping can be just as much of an addiction as alcohol, cocaine, and other drugs, and how money issues can make people lie to their friends and family.

Instant Gratification

Director P. J. Hogan centers the movie around Rebecca Goldbloom. Rebecca (Isla Fisher) needed the green scarf she feel in love with at the department store. It was a matter of life and death to her, and she “knew” that it would make all the difference in the world during her job interview. It was worth it to her to max out several credit cards, and use all of her cash in order to have the scarf. Like Rebecca, many people think that they need something now, or that having an item, like a great handbag, scarf, or watch, will somehow validate them as someone they aspire to be.

The Credit Card and Debt

Rebecca Goldbloom said it best in her euphoric monologue during her Shopaholics Anonymous class. She said that shopping is the best feeling in the world, and all you have to do is hand over a little piece of plastic to get that sensational rush. This reveals the disconnectedness that most Americans have from their finances. When the little plastic card is handed over, the shopper quickly sees the amount they are paying, but then also gets their merchandise so quickly, there isn’t time to think. There is only time to enjoy the instant gratification from having what the person wants now.

But what a person wants today on credit will not cost what it was paid for originally. It will cost much more, depending on the annual percentage rate (APR) of the card and how long it takes to pay of the amount. Getting something now means having to pay more in the end, unless you pay off the card immediately.

Status, Class and Self Image

No item will ever create a person, only the self can create the person. Materialsim without self is an empty reality. Nobody should aspire to be an empty self. But many get so wrapped up in status and class that they forget what class is all about. It is about how a person carries his or her own being. It is about being comfortable in one’s own skin and finding one’s identity as a person. Being a person is about finding one’s self, not about having certain things.

Everyone should aspire to be a great person and supplement their being with those things that bring smiles and joy. But people should never replace substance with things, as they will become overwhelmed with possessions, be inundated with debt, and never be happy. True happiness cannot be bought. Only things can be bought, and happiness is not in things—it is inside of us.