DEAR HARRIETTE: I think my sister has a spending problem. It seems like every time she gets a check, she's out the door to a store. Now with online shopping so popular, she doesn't even have to leave home to make a purchase. She is constantly buying and returning things, which leaves my head spinning.
At the same time, though, she's 30 and still lives at home. I don't think she's even considering moving into her own place. How can I get her to realize that she shouldn't live with our parents for life and that she has to save money in order to move? I'm still in high school, but I do not plan on staying here. -- Mad at Sis, Denver
DEAR MAD AT SIS: Your parents are the ones who can best help her by requiring that she pay rent, even if they save it to give back to her. She needs to see repercussions of her spending habits in order to consider changing. If this is potentially an addiction, you could print something up to show her what spending addicts do and encourage her to go to debtorsanonymous.org for support. She may need to crash financially before she wakes up.
(Lifestylist and author Harriette Cole is president and creative director of Harriette Cole Media. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)