Compulsive buying

SophieG86

New member
Jul 9, 2019
1
0
Hello all, I am new to this forum and wanted to post a message about my dad's compulsive buying habits which are related to his dementia. Originally he started buying lots of milk and then it went on to biscuits and chocolate. At the time me and my mum didn't know what to do to stop it and it became a bit of a problem. However since then it has moved onto compulsive buying cigarettes. Luckily he isn't smoking them properly - he lights one and then puts if out after a couple of puffs. It is getting to be ridiculous though as he is spending huge sums of money each month and we don't know what to do. My mum is planning to hide his bank card as a last resort, but this will of course cause him anxiety and anger! It is such a dilemma. If only he would go back to the cake... it doesn't seem so much of a problem now.. Thank you :)
 

flowerpetals

Registered User
Mar 6, 2015
32
0
Hello all, I am new to this forum and wanted to post a message about my dad's compulsive buying habits which are related to his dementia. Originally he started buying lots of milk and then it went on to biscuits and chocolate. At the time me and my mum didn't know what to do to stop it and it became a bit of a problem. However since then it has moved onto compulsive buying cigarettes. Luckily he isn't smoking them properly - he lights one and then puts if out after a couple of puffs. It is getting to be ridiculous though as he is spending huge sums of money each month and we don't know what to do. My mum is planning to hide his bank card as a last resort, but this will of course cause him anxiety and anger! It is such a dilemma. If only he would go back to the cake... it doesn't seem so much of a problem now.. Thank you :)

Hi Sophie
I haven't posted in here for a while but came back to it today as I'm wondering too about my Mum's spending habits. We've just got back fro a holiday with her and I have noticed a decline with her dementia. When we go out, she always needs the chemist, even though she already has bought loads of things. On holiday, she always wanted to go into the shops, in a Lidl, we did a big shop and then as we were leaving, she turned to my husband and I and said "You wouldn't let me go down that aisle there, I wanted to see what they had" but she had already bought loads of things that she didn't really need, including a massive packet of biscuits. She was always buying biscuits, tissues and lots of other stuff for friends, in the end her suitcase was so hard to close!!

My Mum did use to smoke but she gave it up last year. But I was wondering, would it help if your Dad switched to E-cigarettes? You could try and persuade him next time by commenting how expensive those cigarettes are, isn't it shocking, that one smells really nice...etc and the e cigarettes may just be a way to keep his habit going but not so expensive. I know it depends on how advanced his Alzheimer's is but sometimes, my Mum can be persuaded to try out something new. I hope you find something to help you, it's pretty tough going, isn't it. Xx
 

deepetshopboy

Registered User
Jul 7, 2008
653
0
My dad used to buy tons of cleaning stuff fairy washing up liquid would be used then he used to go into every charity shop and buy ornaments and shoes he’s currently got 100 pairs of shoes !! i managed to have a massive clear out 2 yrs ago of a load of stuff he had so much he didn't notice oh he also collected old bits of wood and general tat which had no use but he would never throw it out
 

Rach1985

Registered User
Jun 9, 2019
412
0
This week my Dad is obsessively buying Mars bars. I have to say it sounds like that isn’t really a problem after reading some of you guys stories. It did make me laugh though as he is buying packs of 4 and there are only 3 of us. He came in today and said there’s one each for us, so I asked him but there’s 4 and there’s only 3 of us? His reply we will discuss it later. He has ate his 2 bars already, if we don’t eat ours by his evening walk tomorrow he will eat ours and then go and buy 4 more.
I’m really sick of mars bars, I hope the co op offer changes soon to a different type of chocolate!!! :p
 

Eowyn

Registered User
Jul 27, 2019
27
0
My dad’s compulsion is to buy second hand CDs and books from a local charity shop. Every couple of days he comes back with more! Their bookshelf is near to collapse under the weight of duplicate and unwanted books etc, but at least the money goes to a charity I suppose.
 

DesperateofDevon

Registered User
Jul 7, 2019
3,274
0
Aged Mothers compulsive purchasing phase has now ended due to poor mobility!
Toilet roll, washing up liquid, deodorants I didn’t mind but oh the fridge was totally full of food half eaten & out of date- I wasn’t allowed to throw anything away
Tins in the cupboards dating back a decade!
The hoarding also applied to medication!

it is a transient phase .... annoying but it will pass as dementia progresses.
 

My Mum's Daughter

Registered User
Feb 8, 2020
438
0
Before I take Mum shopping, I photograph the inside of her cupboards & the fridge. When she picks up yet another tub of instant gravy (she no longer cooks) I'm able to show her it's not needed.