The very sneaky tricks shopaholics use to bring their 'stealth purchases' home without their partners realizing

Nearly two-thirds of US couples are hiding purchases from their partners as households struggle under the pressure of red hot inflation, a new report suggests.

Americans have revealed they are going as far hiding their designer shoes in their children's toy boxes, sneaking purchases through the back door, and washing the new clothes beforehand to make them seem worn-in.

Designer and stylist, Evan Elkowitz, 54, told the Wall Street Journal how she and her clients have mastered the art of concealing their spending habits.

Elkowitz hides her shopping bags behind furniture or in the laundry basket, waiting until her family is asleep to put them away. Her clients will leave their guilty pleasure purchases in their trunks or garages or change into a new pair of shoes in the car to avoid being questioned by their partners.

'I'm a clothes horse,' said Elkowitz. 'My husband doesn't need to see that I bought another pair of shoes.'   

A survey of more than 1,000 Americans by Circuit, which makes route-planning software for package deliveries, reveals that nearly two-thirds of couples admit to hiding purchases from their partner in the past year.

Despite making her own money as a designer stylist, she said she still feels embarrassed about how much she spends on clothes.  

But why the secrecy? Psychologist Cali Estes blames social media influencers who create pressure to buy, even if it strains the budget. 

'When you see someone online pushing something, you feel more pressure to buy it—even if you can't afford it,' Estes said. 

Inflation, which is currently hovering at an annual rate of 3 percent, adds another layer of stress, making couples on tight budgets resort to hiding purchases to avoid fights.

Stacey Geisinger, a 63-year-old from Bedford, New York, smuggles new clothing items in her gym bag or dry-cleaning bag to delay her husband's expected outrage. 

'It delays the fight—because you can have two fights,' said Geisinger. 'One when you bring the shopping bag into the house and one when the bill comes.'

The trouble doesn't end with hiding the items. People resort to creative tactics to explain high credit card bills, using separate accounts, or timing purchases to coincide with other expenses.

Julia Mather, 49, a nonexecutive director of an insurance company, says she times her purchases to coincide with a big tax bill or insurance payment. 

'When my husband asks why the credit card bill is so high, I'll say, 'Well, you know we had to pay the insurance,' she said.

Estes said some of her patients have gone as far as cutting the prices off her new clothes and put them in the wash before wearing them to make them seem warn. Another one of her patients hid her new shoes in her son's toy box, who outed his own mother when wore her new Christian Louboutin heels around the house.

Open communication about finances is key to building trust and avoiding a snowball effect of secrecy, said Estes, even for more well-off couples.

'Your partner will say, 'If you lie about buying shoes, what else are you lying about?' Estes said.   

Estes recommends couples establish a 'guilt-free' spending allowance to prevent hidden purchases. 

'This way, you can buy what you want, as long as you stay within the preset limit,' she said.

Women are not the only ones hiding their shopping addiction. Joe Abruzzese, president of sales and marketing at a cable operator, said he would have his custom-made shirts, suits, and shoes, sent to his office so his wife wouldn't see.

Now retired, the 76-year-old has had to 'come clean' to his wife, unable to play off that he had purchased his clothes months ago.