We gave my husband's stepbrother $500 so he can move back to his mother. We also gave a friend $500 for living expenses while he was divorcing, since the lawyer cost a lot of money. Don't expect seeing that money again.

I sometimes feel guilty when I impulsively spend, because usually that's when something in the house breaks. I try to beat myself up but that doesn't work. It's weird since I was spending a lot in the spring and now I don't feel like buying anything. That may change again in the fall. I usually spend on clothes.

It's part of the disease, though. It comes in waves. Short of freezing my cards in ice and locking up the computer there isn't a whole lot to do but white-knuckling it.