Overspending

I know overspending is a symptom of mania but do any of you do it when you’re depressed? I’ve been in an extreme depressive state for awhile now.

And either I’m switching gears or it’s just something new. I just blew like $400 in an hour. I don’t necessarily regret it? I just don’t want the consequences of it. It’s making me really really sad and mad at myself right now.

I have no idea what time it is for everyone but I really would like to talk to someone..

You can talk to me... It's 6:30 am where I live. Don't beat yourself up over this. I've heard much worse stories than this when it comes to blowing money. Did you at least get something you needed or can enjoy?

Overspending has never been a major issue in my bipolar disorder like it is for many people. I don't know if it is just because I'm by nature frugal with simple wants, or something else. That doesn't mean I don't have periods when I spend more than usual, but that equals hundreds of dollars vs. thousands. Frankly, my husband is the big spender and he is stable now with unipolar depression and not bipolar disorder.

When I'm depressed I do often order delivery dinners more than I should. That adds up.

I've been depressed for a while now, & recently bought some electronics that set me back about $400...which is a big chunk of change for me since I'm usually very frugal. In retrospect, I guess I bought them thinking they would bring happiness; in reality, I'm still depressed. It's kind of like an eating binge only with money. I can rationalize it by telling myself that the headphones & blu-ray player will provide some distraction - which they do to some extent. Material possessions, however, don't kill the depression. In other words, jtassar, you're not alone in spending money while depressed. While it might hurt a bit in the pocketbook, try not to beat yourself up over it.

I do buy lots of stuff online when depressed to give me things to do because I want to find ways to distract myself from the horrible feeling. So sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. It's not exactly the "best" coping mechanism out there, but if it saves me 2-3 hours a day from the agony, then I think it's worth it for me.

I'm not encouraging you (or anyone) to go out and spend thousands of $. I'm just saying it works for me. But what works for me doesn't work for everybody, and sometimes it can lead people to financial trouble, which is why we all have to be careful.

Have you tried the chat rooms here? They have folks usually on at all times during the day/night.Although I have not visited them for a long time so don't know if that holds true anymore.
sorry you are struggling.
((((HUGS))))
bizi

I know $400 does t seem like a lot but I get $500 a month which was basically 2 days ago and I still have bills to pay.

Also yes I always try the chat rooms too.

Is there anyway you can return the items to get your money back? I know I spend a lot of money during depression just like others say to distract myself, but I'm even worse when I'm manic.

I agree with Lacuna -- try returning some items? That could help.

Also, my sister likes to sell things on Poshmark all the time. You can sell things there that you can't return. I think it's only for clothing and accessories, though, but she gets LOTS of people buying the stuff she sells.

There is also Amazon Marketplace. I've bought tons of stuff there. Not sure about eBay since that can be hit or miss.

I bought a 30000 car for no apparent reason.... I think I had mixed episode going on because I was down but spinning up as well. Its one of those things to try and not do the next time. I know I learned a hard lesson from it.

I have gone trough $120,000 in short order. I have never done this magnitude of spending in my life until this happened. Now I have about $200 in the bank now. I also have spent much more than normal during episodes of depression. I would buy things that I had been wanting to purchase, but did not due to lack of funds. However, when I was depressed, I did this anyway. I thought this would make me happy. I also can spend allot when I am hypomanic. However, this has not happened for awhile.

I make sure I just don’t have access to my money all our bills are set to automatically come out.

I do have a husband that handles the money.

One way to cut down on impulsive spending is to purchase gift cards for like groceries stores so that your money is kind of tied up instead of in an act that can be spent anywhere.

Don’t be hard on yourself, people overspend BP or not

I do tend to overspend too when I`m in a depression. I think it makes me feel better in the moment then later I feel guilty for overspending.

It made me feel better in the moment. I can only return some stuff. A lot was for an online game I was trying to enjoy and you can’t be refunded.

I am absolutely a reckless spender no matter what state I'm in. And of course I tend to blow all my money on things I can't return... online games, makeup, thrift stores clothes, etc.
I'm trying to get better but I'm just not sure how. Yesterday I patted myself on the back for not buying a pair of leggings that I wanted... but today I got paid and instantly blew my entire paycheck on makeup. Sigh.

I tend to overspend as well, but when I'm depressed it's more for online shows and music because I want the distraction. When I'm hypo it's more for equipment for hobbies. Clothes, though, I spend money on all the time.

That’s exactly what I go though.

I buy expensive clothes and shoes at both ends of the spectrum - either manic or depressed.
I regularly have my access to cash and credit cards confiscated. My pdoc and DH conspire to eliminate any fun I might have.
Once I remembered how to do some $$ damage with my phone. Phone and car keys ended up confiscated as well.
Such fun.

Makes perfect sense that you'd over spend while depressed. Buying stuff may be the only source of pleasure for you while in a dreadful mood state. Naturally it's desirable to stop over spending. But don't be too hard on yourself--that will just contribute to your depressed mood.

Good luck

CaryJ

When i want to spend money I go to the dollar store. Usually spend around $20 but hey I got 20 things LOL. Usually spend less. Dollar store has all kinds of ****.

Apparently retail therapy is an actual thing, so I wouldn’t be too hard on yourself. I like to buy hand bags and happy food when I’m sad... manic spending is actually easier for me to curb because it’s so obviously out of character and it’s like having an itch I just can’t scratch... retail therapy is more like comforting myself when depressed and thus harder to say no to.

If I had money of my own, I wouldn't feel guilty about my obsessive overspending, but my hubby works so hard for it, I will often fill a basket of stuff, and then go put it back. He gets really mad if I overdo things. I can't work, and I've been rejected for disability three times now, so I've given up. Sigh.

I tend to buy stuff I don’t really need online when I get depressed. Still going through all the boxes from the last round. I certainly understand.

Boy, can I tell you about overspending. During a manic phase I ran up over $25,000 in credit card debt. I was in a frenzy and could not stop. And you know what? The scariest thing is I don't remember what I bought. It's like this haze surrounds the whole episode.

I thought my husband would divorce me when I finally told him. Fortunately I was able to take money out of my retirement account (not a smart move I know) to pay it all off. My husband did NOT divorce me (I wouldn't have blamed him if he had.). I cut up every single card I had and closed every account. We went through couples counseling about this and then I continued with counseling on my own.

We have a mental health contract drawn up which, among other things, specifically addresses spending. I know I will never take out a loan or have another credit card again, and I'm perfectly fine with that. I cannot control myself and this whole cycle would start all over again if I did.

I can't tell you what a tremendous relief it is not to lie all the time or have to hide my spending. Nor for trying to intercept the mailman so my husband wouldn't see my credit card bills or try to get home before a UPS delivery so he wouldn't see what I had ordered.

The stress, guilt and pressure were horrible to live with and were making me so much sicker. Thank God that part of my life is behind me now and I will never get myself into that situation again.