From the Editor's Desk

'I thought buying things would make me feel better. It didn't': The rise of emotional spending

Many of us are living for the buzz of the doorbell - spending billions we can't afford on stuff we don't need. Here is how to recognise the problem and regain control

When Covid hit, I decided: no more frivolous purchases. Journalism is a precarious industry at the best of times. But the pandemic just wouldn't stop. March dragged into June then into January. My days were flabby and formless. I was bored. So I started buying things online, for the small thrill of hitting "check out" and having them arrive a few days later, a treat to break up the monotony of yet another day.

I am not alone. The pandemic has prompted a frenzy of online spending. Mintel's January 2021 consumer behaviour tracker shows that 53% of adults are shopping more online now than at the start of the pandemic. Data from Barclaycard, published in July, found that Britons spent £40.6bn online on non-essential items during lockdown - about £770 a person. Takeaway food and drink were the most popular purchases, followed by clothes and plants.

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