I've never been in the position to buy a house or anything, I'm just a 20-something university student, and my credit is so poor I can't even get a credit card, but whenever I (or someone else) catches me in hypo or mania, I call my bank and put a daily spending limit on my account. The amount varies but usually I limit it to the amount of my largest bill, so I can take care of business but can't take exorbitant amounts out at the bank machine or make big purchases. It's a bummer, but it saves me. I use food banks to eat as it is, I can't afford to waste the little I do have.