In Spent, editor Kerry Cohen opens the closet doors wide to tales of women’s true relationships with shopping, from humorous stories of love/hate relationships with the mall to heartbreaking tales of overspending to fix relationships. With a contributor list that includes notable female writers like Emily Chenoweth, Ophira Eisenberg, Allison Amend, and Aryn Kyle, the essays each shine light on the particular impact shopping has on all of us.

Whether they’re cleaning out closets of loved ones, hiding a shoplifting habit, trying out extreme couponing, dividing up family possessions, or buying a brand-new car while in labor, the book’s contributors vacillate between convincing themselves to spend and struggling not to. This illuminating anthology links the effects shopping has on our emotions — whether it fills us with guilt, happiness, resentment, or doubt — our self-worth, and our relationships with parents, grandparents, lovers, children, and friends.