[hamster-bamster]

I am totally fine with goods, both brick and mortar stores and online. Amazon bombards me with suggestions and I just delete them (when will I take time to designate Amazon suggestions as spam to never see them again?). I do not overpurchase at grocery stores, farmers' market, thrift stores. No urge, no desire, everything is fine.

But lately - am I turning hypomanic on Prozac? - I have been wanting to spend money on services. Amazon offered a voucher for excel classes online, I bought it. Fine, I do not know pivot tables and it would be nice to, plus the discount was deep - 82% off. Then they sent me 50% off a 90-min massage, and I bought it. I later found out that the massage outfit is many cities away. It would cost me $10 to get there, gratuity plus $47 that I paid - not cheap anymore. I know I deserve a long massage, but I also have credit card debts.

Then I bought, gasp, body fat percentage testing. You put on a swimsuit, get submerged in a pool and get told with scientific precision what your percentage of fat and lean muscle mass is. And then you can exercise your a... off, get tested again and hope to have a better reading. $35. Scheduled for the end of the month.

Then I wrote to my endocrinologist, who is very good and whom I see annually for Lithium-induced hypothyroidism, asking if I should lose weight, get on Metformin, etc., presenting her with the facts that my BMI is almost 32 yet I feel good and am active. She said it is a long conversation, not an email. I wrote back asking for the procedure code of the visit so that I can determine if I can afford it -- I do not have insurance through work -- and mentioned the underwater fat percentage testing. She gave me the codes and opined that this fat percentage testing is unnecessary. I went ahead and cancelled it - she saved me $35. I am waiting for the billing department to tell me how much I would need to pay if I want to see her.

At the same time, I spend time managing money, making sure payments are made on the credit cards, so I am not totally insane in that department.

Does the above sound like a beginning of hypomania? Does anyone else have an urge to spend money strictly on services?

[BlueInanna]

Does sound like it could be hypo to me Hamster. Spending is spending, even if it's only services. I had an online gaming addiction that cost me thousands... yes, pathetic and true. Massage is so healthy and useful, but not such a good idea if you really can't afford it. Also not a good idea to impulse buy... but that's the American way, the websites they set us up for it. I have to just delete all those Groupon and Livingsocial emails with the deals, because I am susceptible to impulsive spending.

[LiteraryLark]

It just sounds manic, spending money you don't have on things you don't need...why would you do that? It's all scams everything you bought was a scam. I know it's easy to spend money online, but maybe you should reconsider why you want to make a purchase. Nothing of what you purchased was necesssary or rational. What does an excel class, a massage, and fat testing have in common? Nothing. You have debts, and yet you bought something you told yourself was either necessary or a good deal, an excuse that there may be more than just boredom. Your mind is trying to fill a void of something you feel is missing or lacking. The reason it's so easy to make online purchases is because you can't hand over cash online. When you see cash or a credit card in your hand, it makes you think twice before purchasing. You might need to reevaluate what exactly you need to purchase online and reconsider whether it would be best to purchase it in a store.

[insideout]

i absolutely do!!!

tanning, getting my nails done, hair done, getting my car washed at those expensive places that do it for you,

tattoos, pay someone to help me round the house.

...
there are LOTS of servcies I overuse when i'm hypomanic. ESPECIALLY hypomanic. When i'm manic, I dont have the patience to deal with "services"

[bluemountains]

It is sounding extreme, HB. I am an amazon shopper, and have curbed my behavior a lot because of a maxed credit card (another story, for another day!) Anyway, my vice is buying something little, then having to buy more to meet the $25 free shipping.

Try to stay away from those services, they sound fun but costly! I am glad you saved $35. That testing does sound interesting but a little crazy.

Bluemountains

[hamster-bamster]

Thank you guys, I just went ahead and filtered messages from Amazon local (LivingSocial) to get auto-archived in my gmail. This way if I feel like, I can peruse them, but I doubt I will. I do think that the excel purchase was rational, because I had been thinking of taking an excel class for months. The rest - I see, totally impulsive. I will see my p-doc today and will mention it. Thank you for looking out for me.

It does sound a bit hypo but I'm glad you were watching yourself and took appropriate steps. Good job Hamster!!

I don't really like to spend money on services. I usually feel that I can do it myself haha ok massaging yourself ain't great and I can see that one. Plus I'm pretty cheap and usually pretty broke with no credit cards to my name. That keeps my spending in check.

When I am manic even tho I have very limited income I usually can find a way to overspend tho, even at thrift stores. But it's good to have the insight to check up on yourself. I don't usually do that.

[Blue Poppy]

Great thread and lots of info here............. any other tips on how to avoid impulsive spending or overspending? During my last hypomanic episode, I purchased closets full of fabric with the idea that I was going to sew. It will take an entire lifetime to use up!!!!! The compulsion was very strong.............

[BuggsBunny]

Let's see, tips to avoid overspending. If you have a credit card on file with, let's say, Amazon, remove it from the file. That way, you have to go get your purse, and do all the typing, and it gives you enough time to think.

Freeze your credit card. Literally. Wrap it in plastic,stick it in a bucket of water, and freeze it in a block of ice. This way, you have to thaw it out and it gives you enough time to think about what you are purchasing.

Hmm I'm not real good at this one, because I repeatedly make mistakes in this area. Someone on here, I'd like to say it was BuggsBunny had a tip about freezing your credit cards in a bag or bowl of ice, so you'd have to wait for it thaw to buy something and have time to think. I thought that was a really good idea for people with credit cards. Even if they don't have bipolar .

I only use cash, so if I only take certain ammount of cash with me that can help. Or another thing I can do is say I'll wait till tomorrow or the next day and see if I still really want to purchase the item. I can always come back. Or asking a friend to go shopping with you, one that knows of the manic overspending and can help guide you or assist you in keeping rational. Asking yourself some questions like " do I really need this, will I use it, can I afford it" but those questions might not get a straight answer from someone who is manic.

Haha thanks Buggs, we posted at same time, I thought that was your clever idea!

[abience]

In stores, I have a "If I can't carry it, I can't have it" attitude. That means not getting a cart or hand basket. It really limit's my impulse buying while I'm out.

[~Christina]

My husband takes care of alllllll the money issues here paying bills etc . So i rarely have more than maybe 20 bucks on me at any given time, also living out the middle of no where helps because im still having trouble driving due to SI, hallucinations visual and auditory ( at times)

Do I have moments where if I had access to money would I spend spend spend .. HELL YES !

A few months ago i finally talked my husband into my getting a Kindle ... Im an avid reader (when im not hypo or fullblown manic of course haha) There are tons of free books to download and so many others are .99 to 1.99 .. my daughter gave me a 100.00 gift card sooooooo I have been able to " spend " what feels like alot but in reality could be 5.00 Yet have 15 or 20 + books to read . It takes the edge off of the speeding sprees for me.

As far as my husband having control of all the money ,..It pisses me off royally but thats for another post .

Everyone has given great ideas on how to help everyone with "retail therapy"

[Moose72]

I've found that taking videos and books and music out of the library makes me feel like I'm spending while I'm not.

[hamster-bamster]

I talked with my doctor and she told me that even non-bp ppl have those temptations - that is why the housing market crashed

[BlueInanna]

Originally Posted by hamster-bamster

I talked with my doctor and she told me that even non-bp ppl have those temptations - that is why the housing market crashed

The american way... so is the question then if it's regular behavior for you or signalling hypomania?

[hamster-bamster]

She told me not to label myself, but I think it is signaling hypo. I will now simply put Livingsocial on autodelete, not even autoarchive. Makes sense?

[hamster-bamster]

Hmmm... I screwed up things BIG TIME with my ex. Looks like I was a bit hypo and became disinhibited and compulsive. He does not want to talk to me now until I get appropriate therapy. This happened right after I left the p-doc.

Looks like this board can determine whether I am hypo better than my p-doc! Ha!

Prozac rules. In the past when my ex threatened no contact with me any more, I would become suicidal. Now - no way. Tomorrow is a new day, bedtime now.

[Anneinside]

When I am manic, I spend.... I usually spend on one type of thing and buy many of them. The last time it was yarn. I have mailers of yarn that I haven't even opened stacked on a book case. I could knit non-stop for months. Another time I NEEDED a long sleeve V-neck shirt. I bought a couple online through a high priced retailer. I continued to buy them, a few every day to relieve my need to buy. By the time I recovered I had 20 long sleeve V-neck shirts in every color you could think of. Another time I HAD TO HAVE leather seats in my car which was only one year old. It never crossed my mind to have the seats reupholstered, I just bought a new car, same make and model only one year newer in a different color and LEATHER seats. Luckily I only needed one car. I always obsess on one thing, some of them relatively inexpensive and others extravagantly expensive.

[twofaces]

Originally Posted by BlueInanna

Does sound like it could be hypo to me Hamster. Spending is spending, even if it's only services. I had an online gaming addiction that cost me thousands... yes, pathetic and true. Massage is so healthy and useful, but not such a good idea if you really can't afford it. Also not a good idea to impulse buy... but that's the American way, the websites they set us up for it. I have to just delete all those Groupon and Livingsocial emails with the deals, because I am susceptible to impulsive spending.

I spent hundreds in games as well. Used to feel bad but now I am just saying to myself that everyone can spend money on what they like to do

[hamster-bamster]

You know, I do think spending on services is better. Take yarn, for example. Or take shelving from Container Store that occupies my bedroom waiting to be sold, 6 years after my massive manic spree. It takes space. It is a constant reminder. Compare with massage, or maybe household cleaning. The job is done, it has been helpful, there is nothing to occupy space, and there is no reminder. It is better not to have manic or hypomanic spending sprees altogether, but if you do, I take services over goods.

[SunAngel]

Whenever I am hypo, I hand my credit card over to my husband. He takes care of all the bills and the money, and whenever I get a little bit hypo, I want to spend and spend on things I don't need and then regret it afterwards.

You sound definitely hypo to me.

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by SunAngel

Whenever I am hypo, I hand my credit card over to my husband. He takes care of all the bills and the money, and whenever I get a little bit hypo, I want to spend and spend on things I don't need and then regret it afterwards.

You sound definitely hypo to me.

Yes, I was hypo from missing Lithium. I know what happened now: in the interest of time, I told my p-doc about the massage but omitted excel and body fat testing. She did not get the full picture and therefore did not pronounce myself hypo. Had I taken the time to tell her the whole nine yards, she would probably have warned myself that I am hypo.

I am fine now, thanks god.