
Dear Panel,
Like many women, my wife has always had a soft spot for shoes. It’s not uncommon for her to buy several pairs a month.
As her collection grew and began taking over our bedroom she agreed every time she bought a pair she would give a pair away. At the time she had, get this, 300 pairs of shoes.
Recently the last of our 3 children moved out of home and my wife has been struggling to find a purpose. Last week I went into one of my daughter’s bedrooms to store something in the wardrobe and I was shocked to see it jam-packed with shoes. On further investigation, there were boxes of shoes under the bed and in the drawers. I went to the other 2 spare bedrooms and the story was the same. I counted, get this, 912 pairs of shoes!
When I approached my wife she became angry and accused me of trying to control what she spends money on and ruin the one thing that makes her happy. She can’t see her own addiction and I’m beginning to worry about her state of mind. How do I get her help when she can’t see she has a problem? Our house is slowly being taken over by shoes and our surplus income is all being wasted on shoes – is there any cure for shopaholics?
BRIAN, WEST LAKES, SA