Consumerism is well-ingrained in our society and this has pushed some people to make shopping a little more seriously than others. We call such people shopaholics and they are a group of people who are easily compelled to make a snap purchase without thinking about the utility value of the item they are purchasing. They simply must have it. Just like other forms of compulsive behavior, shopaholics are considered a problem group that needs help. An estimated 5% of the global population is considered to be shopaholics, which means millions of people feel inclined to make purchases without giving it any decision.
In the United States alone, some 18 million people have developed an irresistible urge to act on teleadvertising or any other form inviting them to make a purchase. Things don't get much better with social media offering target advertising that appears to be almost eerie. That naturally begs the question – which is better for shopaholics, a debit or a credit card?
How Do We Spend Our Money Online?
There are various ways to consider spending your money online. People are different and they have different interests, but the truth is many people love to buy stuff online. An estimated 2.14 billion people of the world's population fall in a category that is considered digital buyers. The numbers have not been increasing rapidly, but they have seen a steady compound growth rate year-over-year. The major thing that people spend on is entertainment, including but not limited to video games, streaming services, hobby websites, and more.
The second biggest driver of revenue for online sales is home appliances and other quality-of-life improvements, whether this is a gym or sports equipment, for example. To make any purchase online, there are generally two popularly used methods:
- Debit cards
- Credit cards
This naturally begs the question of which one is better. Depending on how compulsive you are, that really depends. We will take a look at both methods of shopping online in a moment and try to outline the pros and cons of both options.
Credit Cards and Online Shopping: How Do They Go Together
Credit cards are considered a universal payment method. They allow you to quickly make a purchase and even if you are a bit short on cash right now, you can take on some debt to complete the purchase and they cover the debt a little later at what is usually a convenient payment window for you. People are usually very happy with this arrangement and they will happily take on that small debt amount to cover a purchase. However, for a person who is a shopaholic, this arrangement isn't ideal because it means that they can satisfy their urge to buy instantly. This in turn can drive an unhealthy behavior. Then again, if you really just need to top up a purchase, a credit card will really be all that helpful, allowing you to enjoy yourself a whole lot more than you expected.
Debit Cards and How They Can Be Used
Debit cards on the other hand are quite useful, even if they allow you a little less flexibility. Many people use online payments to satisfy some hobbies and those include online gaming. Playing online casino games for example is always a lot of fun, but it requires proper budgeting so that you make the most out of every session. To this end, some people find debit cards to be so much more helpful as they allow them to properly monitor their gameplay and enjoy their actual session. Debit cards will allow you to allocated a fixed amount of money to your hobby and never go overboard with it! It's a fun and fulfilling way to enjoy yourself and one that definitely matters.
Final Thoughts
Being a shopaholic is nothing to be ashamed of. However, you ought to approach it with understanding. The idea of consumerism is to convince you that it's a now-or-never situation, but there are hardly ever such situations. As it turns out, you can purchase goods pretty much around the clock and never have a worry in the world about it. That is why you should not fear that you would miss out on a purchase. Just on the contrary – waiting a bit would mean that there are new and better things to buy. Just think about mobile phones. Buying the best model 10 years ago in today's standards is a really poor choice! You can spoil yourself, but always be conscious that consumerism is designed to lure you into buying more.
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