what are your shopping habbits, and do they change depending on your mood?

some of mine are:

- I'll always by the most eexpensive item on the shelf, even if both items are exactly the same and do exactly the same thing (I do this in any mood)

- I'll only buy even numbers of stuff (2, 4, 6, 8), and the same with boxes of things- if a box has an odd number of items, it does not sit well with me

I tend to avoid any famous brands- just buying what I find, and what the first thing I see is (say if I buy toothpaste, I'll buy the first tube I see, not look for a brand name)

- I won't buy anything if it's on "special offer", I never knew why I think this, but I always thought it took away some of the products quality
- if mannic I'll hoard multiples of the same item and not care (1000 cans of cat food for example, and I don't have a cat)

what are your shopping habbits if you have any

I look for the cheapest thing as long as it's not obviously going to break soon--I get obsessive over this when manic to the point where I've spent half a tank of gas and gone to ten stores to find out where the cheapest toothbrush is (and then I'll buy ten).
That's really it. When I'm significantly depressed I don't go shopping.

[~Christina]

I always try to find the best price and value.

I buy as little as possible. I loath clutter or excess anything.

The only thing I will purchase is nail polish a couple bottles a month. My guilty pleasure.

I thank god that I never impulse buy.

[jaysmotogp]

All i know is when i'm hypo i buy lots of stuff(not necessarily expensive) and then when i crash i sell most of it at a loss

[starshinelady]

I buy wayyyyy too much, especially if I'm hypomanic. That's when I max out credit cards. I generally try to find the cheapest deal because it fools me into thinking I'm actually doing something good.

ETA: I also shop when I'm depressed to make myself feel better. So really, I should never be allowed near shops.

[Wild Coyote]

I very, very rarely impulse buy anything.

I do not enjoy shopping... in any mood.


WC

[TheSeaCat]

I'm decent with budgeting and waiting for sales; like most of my work clothes are from New York and Company but I refuse to pay full price; they have a 50% off sale usually once a month and around most major holidays and that is when I will splurge on clothes. I love the quality but I personally would never pay $50 for a blouse when I could wait and get it for $25. I tend to spend a lot on nice clothes. I like Kohls but I find their quality is sometimes spotty and sometimes the fit is off. I also splurge on good shoes; but I usually shop at Designer Shoe Warehouse and wait for the good deals too.

If I'm grocery shopping I usually have online coupons and will typically by generic in most things; the only thing I by brand is my coffee creamer, coffee, tea, toothpaste, certain microwave meals. I usually get frozen fruit because it is cheaper and I try to by in bulk when I can.

I think a budget and lists are important becasue if I didn't set a weekly food budget for either grocery or takeout I would certainly be broke all the time. I typically think about major decisions like a new vehicle so I don't make the decision on the fly and regret it.

The last time I made a Bipolar purchase was a few days before I got fired and it was stupid midlevel marking scheme jewelry and most of it is tarnished after only wearing it a few times; and I severely regretted it; because it was mildly expensive and I've seen better quality at Target. So now I am extremely careful and think before I buy something big.

Originally Posted by jaysmotogp

All i know is when i'm hypo i buy lots of stuff(not necessarily expensive) and then when i crash i sell most of it at a loss

selling stuff is what I have a problem with no matter my mood and I don't know why.

I mean 1000 tins of cat food.. what good is it?. I don't have a cat, and I don't plan on owning a cat- yet trying to get rid of even 1 tin is major heartbreak (yes, heartbreak). I can't do it

it's the same for my life size statue of the good ship titanic

my 2 problems here is that their's no where to put it, and I'm not even interested in the titanic (I half payed attention to the movie, that's it)

I just can't get rid of things

[venusss]

I go first to the discount shelves. Sometimes i end buying products i don't really need that way, but i am have been good lately with limiting it to "no not need, but really want" as opposed to just buying it cause it is there and it is cheap.


I tend to accumulate art supplies, but well... i like creating and I always make excuse "well, I don't smoke, so i can buy these". But once my friend pointed out that sometimes smoking might be actually cheaper "hobby".


I like eyeshadow palletes and i may have enough to last through zombie apocalypse. But i am the type that goes for yellow-and-blue eyes look and uses bright pink eyeshadow for pop of color on a workday. I hardly ever touch neutrals, except for blending. So i keep buying pallettes for the crazy colors. Nothing expensive though, cheap stuff works as well for me And i am sucker for nailpolish, but try to limit myself not to buy repeats or things similar to what i already have.


I live in small condo, so i try not to buy any cute things that just take space (decorations and stuff).


I buy souvenirs though on my travels. But i try to make it stuff like jewelry or unique clothes.


I spend quite a bit of money on my activism and volunteering.

I'm quite frugal in most ways, except when it comes to buying food or housewares. For example, some of my shoes are 15 years old. The newer ones are at least 3 years old. Though I have a small collection of shoes, I generally wear the same pair most days. If they are comfy, they are always worn. Most of my clothes are old, too, except for the ones my husband buys me. As for other stuff, I rarely buy anything.

Groceries are an issue with me. Both my husband and I do like to eat well, and I love to cook and bake a lot. The housewares are obviously part of that passion.

When I'm growing manic, hyperspending is usually not a primary problem for me, but isn't absent from my symptom list. That may be the time when I actually do buy some clothes/shoes, but the bills are usually in the $200-400 range, not thousands. Or more so, I go hog wild buying food. Recently when hypomanic, I got pissed off that sugar bags went from 5 lb bags to 4 lb bags, so I bought the remaining 5 lb bags plus some 4 lb bags on sale. I ended up coming home with about 40 lbs of sugar. Two cashiers commented (and I responded with a rant about the food industry), then hubby helped me vacuum pack them. The worst of my impulsivity has been doing other things.

I'm not sure if I'm slightly elevated in mood lately or not, but my cookie baking ambitions have been growing from 5 varieties to now a planned 8 varieties, a couple which will be double batches. Between cookie making supplies and regular groceries, I've spent almost $450 in the last week. There's just my husband and me at home, though we will share cookies with friends and family. I bought 6 lbs of nuts alone for cookies, not to mention other ingredients for them, cookie molds, cookie storage boxes, etc. My husband and I have also bought a lot of other Christmas food stuffs. My husband doesn't have bipolar disorder, but he is an over shopper, nonetheless. That's problematic.

I do look for deals, but if quality counts, I buy the high quality versions.

I prefer to shop for many things online instead of going to malls, except for regular groceries. Hubby is an extreme online shopper. We often have a box or more delivered to our door most days.

My shopping habits are frugal. I shop price/decent quality. I'm not taken in, and know the difference between need and want. (Let's face it, a lot of people don't, causing themselves a lot of needless grief). Thrift store shopper for sure. (And people are always complimenting. If you shop smart, it works.)

Which is not to say I don't buy things I don't strictly need(!) But I'm cognizant about it. And I HATE excessive possessions. They stress me out. I somewhat recently literally invited people to take boxes and fill them with whatever they wanted (I'd already moved the things that actually mattered to me). Including a stereo system. My ex-BF was an excessive shopper and had SO much stuff in our tiny space and it drove me up a wall. I'd HAD IT with extraneous material possessions.

I did have a big hypo/manic spell about a decade ago where I went nuts on Ebay. It was a standout time, not my usual MO. Again, nearly all of it was left behind/given away/sold.

I am the Anti-Hoarder.
Lol.