Spent: Memoirs of a Shopping Addict

While reading Avis Cardella's spent: MEMOIRS of a SHOPPING ADDICT, I had many different feelings. When she talked about buying high heeled boots, putting one coat in a bag, and wearing another more expensive coat out of a boutique, I wanted to go shopping too. She did seem to be describing bliss. I thought, this is the life. When she plunged to the place where help was definitely needed, the place where she was totally out of control, I backed away. Even if my journey along with Avis Cardella was imaginary, I wanted to go no further. Finally, I could see that these confessions of a shopaholic were no different than the confessions of any abuser of a substance. Soon the story became one about riches to rags. Avis Cardella is a woman who experiences the black emptiness at the bottom of a well. "So much about me was small, removed from myself, afraid, and alone. I was completely frightened of facing myself...." This is understandable. The death of Avis Cardella's mother was not easy. She was heartbroken. She did not know how to deal with the endless grief. Shopping seemed to be the answer. She knew the names of designers like I know how to say my alphabets. At times she spent hours just walking through stores. The glamor and beauty seemed to be soothing for a little while. There is a Christmas story in the memoir. When Christmas comes, Avis has no money to buy Christmas presents. It seemed too shameful to go home without gifts. She did not want to talk about being broke during Christmas. She wanted to at least appear happy and independent. Who wants to be the spoiler of Christmas magic? The author decides to give magazine subscriptions to her father and brother. She gave each one a magazine. With the promise that the rest of the subscriptions would come through the mail. Those magazines never arrived because daughter and sister did not have the funds to pay for those subscriptions. I felt so sad for her. The book is marvelously revealing. W hile readingI could feel Avis Cardella's honesty. She did not sugar coat the truth. I also liked the book because it made me realize a shopping addiction is not cute or funny. It is as painful as any other addiction. The book is more than poignant. It is worth the time of a woman reader or a man reader. It is an important look at the other side of loving to shop. Avis Cardella, [...]

A quick read and reminder for those who spend too much. Avis Cardella is very honest about her spending habits, credit problems and financial troubles that followed. She goes through the stimulus for why her spending addiction started, what happened with the shopping trips, and her relationships- especially with men. Through her memoir she reminds the reader to reflect on why they spend, if they want or need it, and how it will spiral out of control without restraint. It is not a "Shopaholic" series style book- it is much more serious and reflective than these purely fictional works but still well done overall.

I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir. In my opinion, unlike other books on the subject, it starts at the beginning of the "I am what I wear, what I buy" zeitgeist of the early nineties (which is still in full force today) and examines in detail, the attitudes and forces that propelled it. I remember those days, and many intelligent people succumbed to being identified by the brand of clothing (insert, car, accessory, sound system here as well) they bought and wore, as opposed to the individual that they were. The other aspect of the memoir that I think is crucial, and differentiates it from other "shopping" books, is that she confronts the need to fill the emotional void, and how overwhelming and almost impossible it seems at times. I think it is important story and a great cautionary tale.

Avis Cardella loves fashion. When she was very young, she fell in love with name brands, beautiful clothes, and magazines. She saw her mother as the epitome of grace and beauty and wanted to be like her. While Avis was in her early twenties and in a tumultuous marriage, her mother died. What follows Avis is her choices in seeking to fill the hole left behind. This memoir is beautifully and honestly written. She makes no excuses and places no blame on others. She makes choices based on her need to anesthetize her feelings about her loss. She becomes involved with rich, powerful men and enters the world of freelance fashion writing, while climbing the ladder of the rich and famous, spending all she has and then more while she seeks to numb her grief. The author carefully addresses her different relationships and how they each served a purpose. Her downward spiral takes a couple of decades and her uphill climb is a process. As our country is pushed into recession, "Spent" is written in a timely manner. Although full of designers the average woman may have heard in passing but would not be able to identify, the reader can identify with loss and searching for healing. I really enjoyed the book. The author has a unique voice and writes with feeling and reason. She is able to connect her ideas and experiences clearly and finds healing and change within herself. She admits to slipping along the way, but her strength to admit her own choices are to blame is empowering.

As of recent-when making any purchase, a little voice within asks, "Is this something I want? Or, is this something I need?" I attribute my new found mindfulness to Avis Cardella. I also found her journey compelling because it spoke about an uncomfortable truth so many of us are unwilling to face. How much of our purchases are really important or necessary? The deeper issues are why! Avis Cardella explains her WHY and the resolve it took to face the endless acquiring of things that we call addiction. Addiction comes in a variety of form and Cardella invites the reader along from a perspective that may leave us asking at our next purchase, "Do I really need this want?" I could not put this book down!