I used to shop compulsively---spent my family into bankruptcy not once, but twice! I never saw anything wrong with it until my husband found the bags crammed full of goodies in the back of our closet.

One time, I dropped a thousand bucks in Walmart of all places. Among the things I bought was a hideous neon tank top with a neon toucan splashed all over the front. I wouldn't worn it in a hundred years, but when I bought it, it seemed like the most awesome piece of clothing I'd ever seen. I promptly stashed it in the back of the closet along with the autumn-themed dishware and glassware, and forgot all about it. A few months later I found the damned thing and was horrified---whatever had possessed me to buy THAT??

And that, my friends, is my version of bipolar spending. Now that I'm properly medicated and have little money to speak of, I've learned ways to even save a few bucks each month. I've always managed money better when I don't have any. I panic when my bank account drops below $500 after bills and meds, and I have about a thousand left in savings which I don't touch because I may need it for an emergency. My son is to take over managing it for me in case I become manic in the future.