I am really glad that someone brought this up.

Two years ago, I was able to pay my credit cards off every month. Then, I had one thing after another come at me. Some of my expenditures were due to medical issues, some of them were due to unforeseeable circumstances (car repairs, replacing the hot water heater, vet bills), but I also ended up spending a lot of money on things that I really didn't need. I think that I have enough shoes, clothes, purses, home goods, and art supplies to last me for years. Which is good, because I've got myself in such a mess that I have to file for bankruptcy.

Another thing that I wanted to mention is that, not only was I generous with myself, I was generous with other people. I bought my ex-fiance shirts, jeans, underwear, socks, a new alarm clock (so that he would get up on time for work - he got fired anyway), took him to lunch all the time, and took him to NYC -all on my dime and all with money I didn't really have. I also bought a lot of stuff for my current boyfriend.

When anyone else here goes manic and spends like that, do you think that sometimes other people take advantage of it? I wonder if the recipients of this stuff ever stop to question whether any of this is healthy, or do they just come to expect it?