What do you call someone with a spending problem?

So, what do you call someone who just… can’t stop spending? Seriously, it’s a real thing, right? I mean, I know I get a little carried away sometimes, browsing online – especially those cute cat sweaters. Okay, maybe lots of times. Anyway…

They call them a lot of things, apparently. I looked it up, and there’s spendthrift, which sounds kinda old-fashioned and maybe a bit fancy? Then there’s profligate – that sounds almost… dramatic, you know? Like they’re throwing money out the window, literally. Which, let’s be honest, I’ve almost done that metaphorically, several times.

And then there’s prodigal, which I think sounds the saddest somehow. Like they’re wasting something precious. And squanderer… well, that’s just blunt, isn’t it? It hits you right between the eyes. You get the picture.

The thing is, it’s not just about being poor or rich. My aunt Mildred, bless her heart, she was loaded. Seriously, inherited a fortune. But still, she’d buy five of everything – five sets of towels, five identical vases… I swear, her house was overflowing! Meanwhile, my friend Sarah, who’s always scraping by, she still finds herself buying things she doesn’t need, just to feel… better, I guess? It’s heartbreaking.

It’s all about the control, or lack thereof. It’s about not being able to stop, even when you know you should. It’s a problem that doesn’t care about your bank account. That’s the scary part, really. So yeah, lots of words for it, but the bottom line is the same.