[justalittleparanoid]

I spend any money i get as soon as I get it. As soon as I get paid at work, I spend the whole amount. I went into over 4,000 dollars in debt on one credit card alone. Then over 2,000 dollars in debt on another card. I cant save money. My brain ticks like a clock as soon as I get a dollar. One dollar lasts 2 minuets in my hands. Ive over draw banks by thousands of dollars. I buy useles things. I buy expensive things. That I dont use. And if I return something I spend that money in an instant. I cant hold on to a quarter. I buy things from the little things that give gum at resturants. This is too much. And I dont know how to fix it. I try to controll it. I even had a savings account for a few months. But this past week I just over drew it. So Im screwed. I mean the doc that i have told my dad that there is nothing that he can do. that my parents have to live with this. and enjoy the ride in my tearms. so

Does any one else have this problem?

[rcsweep]

I love tools. have 3 of every kind. some i never use, but i look at it as if i'm buying opportunity. just imagine what i can make with that. at least that's how i sold my wife on the ideas.
my bigger problem is starting a new venture and then falling into depression and not being able to follow though

[Moose72]

I am the same way.

[thinker22]

Not like that, but I do have bursts where I spend too much. Usually on travel. I once bought a Eurorail pass that I never used. It was over $400 and that was back in 2003.

[vrba44070]

You're not alone. I spend too much too. One way of mitigating the damage is to shop in thrift stores or places that sells goods cheap. Hope that helps.

[justalittleparanoid]

I have bought a guitar, an amplifier, 5 digital cameras, one video camera, a stareo system, about 100 books that i havent read (in the last 2 years) anything that i put my hands on basicly. i was able to save $100.00 for 2 weeks tho. which i was proud of myself! i just..... its like....a problem...

and im not rich at all. i get paid from my work. once a week. and its gone with in 2 hours. and i think back and regret what ive done. but i cant return any of it. because then i have accomplished nothing. ill go out and spend that money too. its a nasty cycle..

[lynn P.]

Many people are struggling to even buy groceries right now. Since this post is in the bipolar section, I'm assuming you are bipolar. My brother now deceased had manic depression and when he was manic he once bought a fur coat, car and $2000 dollars is costume earings that he was planning to sell to stores(never did). It's common during the manic stage to spend. I think you should automatically put aside at least 10% in an account you can't touch. I would even get rid of all your credit cards - carry cash only. Ask yourself before you purchase anything - do I really NEED this for my life - if the answer is no, then don't buy it. Credit card debt can ruin your life. We recently declared personal bankruptsy because my husband can't control his spending. Now we're not allowed any credit cards and live month to month. I shop at the bargain grocery stores and look for sales on everything. I have saved alot of money doing this. Remember it's just useless stuff and when you die you can't take it with you.

[justalittleparanoid]

Im trying so hard not to spend money, so very hard. i feel really bad after i buy something rediculas. Your not telling me anyting new. I know that people are struggling to buy grosceries. I know that when you die you cant take anything with you. I know. Im trying to quit smoking for the fourth time so i can actually save money, which i'll compusivly go out and spend. i cant controll this. my brain doesnt tick like yours does. it doesnt say "save the money for when you need it." it says "spend the money you dont need it" when i buy something i just pick something out i dont even look at what im buying. i just buy it. half the time i dont even know what i bought. im trying so hard to do this, to save money. but to my thinking its like why do i need it. but deep down i know i need it. i have to pay everyone i owe. I cant live like this. Im not being self centered. This is serious. Im going to become more homeless than a homeless person. I seriously dont know what i can do for my self. i dont know how i can fix it. this shouldnt happen now. not at this point in time. im not good with fixing things like this.

and dont talk to me like its my problem and i shouldnt do this because of the economy, and oh no its all wrong what im doing.

im trying to get better. i am. it comes with issues. and im just asking if anyone else struggles with it.

im not here to say ha im more rich than u are, or ha i have more money than u,

i dont! Im in debt, im screwed. so please dont talk stuff like that.

[VickiesPath]

Dear justalittleparanoid:

I want to confess to you that spending problems and creating debt has all but ruined my life. It has only been in the past three years that I have been able to own up to how much damage it has done. It was worse in the manic stages I didn't know I was having when my bipolar was yet undiagnosed. I felt so ashamed of it. I didn't understand the impulses.

The worse thing is, once I was diagnosed bipolar, and learned that the spending was part of it, by that time over spending was such a habit with me that I found it hard to quit. And I had the means to support the habit!!!

It was only in the last year, when I realized that my husband is going to retire within the next six months that I got real and owned up to my habits and decided it was now or never and I had to change. It has been one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. We have an enormous abount of debt. More than I am comfortable admitting. But, there will be money coming in in the future that will be enough to pay it off. I just keep thinking how much better it would be if I hadn't gone wild in the first place.

This is my one Achilles heel, my one glaring fault. But with the help of my Higher Power, I am tackling it a day at a time.

[Yoda]

I went through a "phase" that lasted perhaps three years where my spending was very irresponsible. I am bipolar but it was something that I did consistently rather than episodic related to mood so I am not sure that my bipolar had much to do with it.

I collect model horses. There are some pictures of some of them in this thread - http://forums.psychcentral.com/showp...9&postcount=12

Af first I would only buy a few horses and I bought the ones that I considered inexpensive, usually less than $50. I saw pictures of beautiful resin horses that cost $400-500 on ebay and other sales sites and couldn't imagine who would spend that much money on a twelve inch tall model horse.

But then...

Horses became more and more important to me. I bought more horses and more expensive horses. I have been on disability since 2000 so it's not like I have spare money for these sort of things. One time I saw a horse on ebay that I just HAD to have. The horse cost $600. A man from the electric company came to my house and said my bill was overdue and I needed to pay $600 right then or my electric would be turned off. I had just a little over $600 cash in my purse and no money in the bank. I said, turn it off. I then went to the post office and bought a money order for $600 to buy the horse. Within a few days I had the box with my new horse and was thrilled and didn't mind having no electric. I named the horse "Bittersweet" because of that situation.

Things only got worse. Once I spent the weekend searching a model horse sales site the weekend after I got paid. Within 48 hours I had bought three horses and spent my entire disability check. Nothing seemed to stop me. I had a private therapist and also went to group therapy and they were aware of my problem. They sent me to a financial counselor. I did not have much debt other than my mortgage so he said there was nothing he could do for me, I should get help from the therapists to control my horse habit.

I even stopped paying the mortgage on my farm to enable my horse buying. I once spent $2500 on a single horse. My disability is not near that much for a month. I did not pay my mortgage for six months in a row so I could buy more horses.

I finally got the reality check that I needed. The mortgage holders sent me a letter saying that if I did not pay my mortgage they would take legal action. I realized I was going to lose my house and I would have nowhere to keep my son or my real horse.

The buying slowed to a level that I could pay my bills. In 2008 I bought only one horse for $50 and later sold him for $80. In 2009 I have bought zero horses but I have been making time payments to artists to paint several models.

I owe taxes so I am going to sell some of my horses to help fund that. Although my $2500 horse is outstanding I know he has to go. The good thing is that unlike the $300/month that I was also spending for clothes at the time the horses maintain the resale value. The horse "Bittersweet" that was more important than electric - I sold him on ebay when I needed to install a heat pump and I made a profit of $150. I miss him but I like heat. When I bought the most expensive horse I was the first to email wanting to buy him and the seller said that within the same hour she had three other people email wanting him too. I am confident that I can sell him for at least as much as I paid. So sort of a silver lining in the insanity of my obsession.

[thinker22]

I'm so in a spending mode the past couple of days. Having to tell myself "you don't need that," but I would've spent a week's paycheck today if my mom hadn't insisted on buying the shoes I wanted, and this was after I'd already been to the mall to buy...stuff. And I ran out of time or I would've bought more stuff I didn't need. I guess we're all prone to this in mania.

[Trying & Caring]

FOR ME--overspending is an example of reckless behavior I do when hypo manic (have not gotten to full blown mania, but have had mixed & delusions so I am dxed as bp 1). But I bought an $800 vacuum cleaner (I'm not a big housewife or anything, but somehow felt I need a hospital grade vacuum cleaner); gold-plated tweezers (that I thought were such a necessity that I also bought them for my daughter); then spent $600 in 4 hrs. at a discount store--all one day!!

FOR ME--I had to get on the correct medication to keep me stable so I wouldn't have these spending sprees & other reckless behaviors.

[thinker22]

I want to buy again. I have everything in my online shopping cart and only have to make a few more clicks. Please someone help me to stop. I can't afford all this **** with my credit cards and interest mounting up. At least I should go to the store in person...but maybe with someone else objective there. Why are the 2 people I'm thinking of even less concerned with impulse purchases than I am? Oh yeah, they have money!

You guys, we're exactly the kind of people the retailers and wall street is looking for to keep the economy rolling. They should seriously target us for buying stuff. "Bipolar? We love you here at...automotive dealership." "Feeling depressed or high as a kite? Come down to Larry's train stop and get yourself a full kit. You can build a train and scenery running through every room of your house...or apartment. For the low low price of just $5,000, and just think of how much fun you'll be having, distracting yourself from sadness or else putting to use all that excess meticulous project loving energy?"

Okay, you've worn me down logic. MUST GET TRAIN.