London, Aug 7 (ANI): Women feel guilty after splashing out big bucks on shopping, but not for long, and head straight to the mall for another spending spree, according to a survey.

The survey by Skinny Cow iced desserts has revealed that while 83 per cent of women feel a tinge of shame after splashing out on clothes, shoes or accessories, yet they are content to spend an average 49 pounds a month on themselves.

The study of 3,000 women also found that 86 per cent try to justify every new purchase, while others hide them from their partner.

Over one in 10 women said that she lied to her other half about the size of the bill, while a similar number confessed of pretending that new items were just old clothes recycled from their wardrobes.

One-fifth women in the survey were so keen to stay ahead of the latest trends that they were prepared to live on beans on toast so that they could afford a must-have handbag or pair of killer heels.

Twenty percent of women said that they had sold old clothes on the auction website eBay to fund a new purchase, and three per cent had even asked for an advance on their wages so they could splash out.

The survey of women aged 17 to 50 revealed that one-third of them felt more guilty about shopping now than they did before the credit crunch.

Fifty percent of women who love shopping said that they had reined in their spending because of the recession.

However, one in five said that even the economic slump had not dampened her shopping habits.

Seven per cent even admitted that they shopped more often to cheer themselves up amid the doom and gloom, with 96 per cent of the survey sample saying shopping lifted their spirits.

In total, the average woman spends eight years of her life shopping, making on average 301 trips to the high street each year.

“Life at the moment is full of stresses with money being right up there, but it’s difficult to break the habit of a lifetime,” the Daily Express quoted a spokesman for Skinny Cow as saying.

The spokesman added: “Going shopping now comes with more baggage, so women are trying to find creative ways to justify their spree while looking to other indulgences in their life which are guilt-free.” (ANI)