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Mood spending

March 15th, 2008 at 01:22 am



Well I learned something about myself yesterday, and it cost me alot to discover it!! I was depressed and having a bad day, so I went out to buy a movie (i love movies I collect dvd's). felt a little better, so I thought I would top it off with some cold stone's ice cream, just a milkshake, but when i got there i said why not go the whole way so i ended up buying a $8 waffle cone sundae. Next to the ice cream store was a pet store, and i felt like my pet snake should get spoiled today too as long as i am spending money, so i bought a $45 waterfall for his cage.

when i got home, i felt better temporarily, and then emotionally crashed again later that night. the spending did NOT help me in the long term, it was temporary relief. I am feeling alot better now, I had to talk to someone (my girlfriend) to solve my problem. I am still enjoying the fun things i bought, but i also know i screwed up big time. i am going to try to prevent that in the future but i am having a hard time coming up with ways to avoid going on a shopping spree, because it does offer instant satisfaction. i am very active in sports such as running, lifting weights, and fishing, but it's just not the same as bringing home something NEW to play with. it gives me something to focus on and keeps my mind busy from the mood i'm in.

oh yeah, forgot to mention the most ironic purchase: a $25 book about how to control my moods.

Posted in Uncategorized | 11 Comments »

11 Responses to “Mood spending”

  1. creditcardfree Says:
    March 15th, 2008 at 01:48 am 1205545725
    1205545725

    I say keep the book...and return the waterfall and DVD...or sell on ebay if they can't be returned. Better for your pocketbook, too.

  2. baselle Says:
    March 15th, 2008 at 04:42 am 1205556159
    1205556159

    You also seem to do a lot of opportunistic spending (while I'm here, might as well....), so you want to avoid temptation. Avoid going past stores that trigger your spending. If you want new, try recasting the desire as new-to-you. Think about renting the DVD, so you can enjoy it for a few days, then send it off for something else new-to-you.

    How does your snake like the waterfall? Did the snake care? Big Grin

  3. dynobyke Says:
    March 15th, 2008 at 05:14 am 1205558044
    1205558044

    carol, didn't it feel good when you first bought the van? all that planning and thinking about it finally went away, and you could relax and start dreaming about your new vacations.....thats what is tempting for me, i don't look far enough ahead to realize the satisfaction might only last a day or two. but you cant deny that it does help to just buy what you're craving, nothing else can fill the void! so i am trying to find ways to stop creating those voids/cravings for myself in the first place. wish me luck!

  4. Thrifty Ray Says:
    March 15th, 2008 at 06:00 am 1205560809
    1205560809

    I agree that you should RETURN the things that you can.

    Possibly you mood spending is a result of not having short and long term financial goals. (Do you have both??)

    I know when I am tempted, if I have a goal I am saving for, I find it easier to walk away.

    You need both long and short term so that there are realized rewards on a regular basis...

    Also, reading and writing blogs here are very helpful and supportive. good luck to you

  5. quippymcflippy Says:
    March 15th, 2008 at 09:49 am 1205574586
    1205574586

    can i just say that the "adversity" pic has me snorting? Big Grin

  6. jennlem Says:
    March 15th, 2008 at 01:20 pm 1205587252
    1205587252

    One of my weaknesses is "attitude adjustment" spending. Known to some of ya'll as retail therapy. Becausse I know it is going to happen eventually I plan for it. I have an attitude adjustment fund that I sock away some money each paycheck. It does wonders! I still get to have my impulse buys but I don't break the bank. One good side effect of it though--even though it is there for the express purpose of blowing it, I find that I get stingy with the money and am not as frivolous with the money. But that is just me.
    Sometimes it is easier to plan for retail therapy than to try and stop it.

    quippy--there is a whole website with lots of those little sayings. Snort away!

  7. pjmama Says:
    March 15th, 2008 at 01:58 pm 1205589526
    1205589526

    I agree that returning what you can is a good idea. Maybe next time hit the library? As you can find new movies to watch (though not necessarily keep), or order one off of amazon-- much cheaper. The only downside is you'll have to wait for it to be shipped. But I love the pleasant surprise of a movie waiting for me in the mail too Smile

    I'm a mood shopper as well... clothes are my downfall. And sweets. I bought a pint of chunky monkey icecream for this reason earlier this week.. always makes me feel like I wasted my money though... oh well.

  8. scfr Says:
    March 15th, 2008 at 02:19 pm 1205590795
    1205590795

    "the spending did NOT help me in the long term, it was temporary relief."

    Loved this sentence --- Very insightful of you! Might I suggest that you write it down on a piece of paper that you stick in your wallet? Next time you are tempted to splurge, pull it out and read it and remember how you felt right now?

  9. dynobyke Says:
    March 15th, 2008 at 06:55 pm 1205607344
    1205607344

    i will remember that it doesn't help me in the long term, but knowing that it works for the short-term is hard to ignore. i bought a book called Mind Over Mood and it has exercises and is helping me adjust the way i think instead of the way i act in response to my moods.

  10. Broken Arrow Says:
    March 16th, 2008 at 06:52 am 1205650378
    1205650378

    Boy, can I just say that I can completely relate to that? I'm a danger to my own pocket book when I am feeling down.

  11. dynobyke Says:
    March 16th, 2008 at 07:12 am 1205651542
    1205651542

    i just had another idea on how to help this problem...maybe instead of going out to major retail stores to blow my money and blow off steam, maybe if i just go to the dollar store or some thrift store, i can still feel like i have bought something "new" but save a ton of money while doing it....i'm still trying to get away from spending money as my solution to depression but in the meantime i will try the dollar store idea. something new to play with for less than $5 sounds fair to me, and makes me feel better too!

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