Do you feel guilty after spending lots of money?

[QueenOfFrance87]

It's been a problem for me since I became unemployed. Whenever I spend even a small amount, I feel bad because that money could have been spent on other things (such as bills). To me, spending too much money is like saying goodbye. My mom yesterday made me feel guilty for buying hand sanitizer on Amazon for $15, and she did this multiple times in the past.

And now it's becoming so much like a problem because I hate spending money, even for other people. I could sell my art, but I am a novice, and no one wants to buy my stuff anyway.

I'm just about done here. I am scared I will die poor, and so will my parents because we don't have enough money to pay for everything. Does anyone else feel bad about spending x amount of money?

 

[AprilR]

I am also unemployed, and feel guilty for everything i spend money on. It doesn't help that i am obsessed with cosmetics and shopping for them.

 

[Creep]

It's been a problem for me since I became unemployed. Whenever I spend even a small amount, I feel bad because that money could have been spent on other things (such as bills). To me, spending too much money is like saying goodbye. My mom yesterday made me feel guilty for buying hand sanitizer on Amazon for $15, and she did this multiple times in the past.

And now it's becoming so much like a problem because I hate spending money, even for other people. I could sell my art, but I am a novice, and no one wants to buy my stuff anyway.

I'm just about done here. I am scared I will die poor, and so will my parents because we don't have enough money to pay for everything. Does anyone else feel bad about spending x amount of money?

No, I don’t feel guilty about spending lots of money, but it’s usually because it’s a necessity like car insurance or other boring things. I am afraid of being older & more destitute than I am now. That is a very real possibility.

 

[Crossbreed]

Do you feel guilty after spending lots of money?

Three words: Envelope Budgeting System.

Envelope system - Wikipedia

 

[Metalhead]

My own stupidity got me into 5k of credit card debt. I have been working on paying it off pretty obsessively. Credit cards and clinical depression do not mix well.

 

[Thinx]

First time I had a credit card I maxed it, and couldn't pay it off til I sold my flat, then I cut it up and have a Debit card ever since. I didn't feel guilty so much as foolish and frustrated with myself, also wished I earned more. It was a long time ago, but a useful lesson. It's hard to manage on a low income, takes skill and determination.

 

[clg114]

Yes, I feel bad when I spend money. It is because I am extra cheap. I spend money on things that we need and that's about it. I built a new exhaust system for my Jeep because I am to cheap to take it to a muffler shop. However, it does not bother me when my wife spends money. I want her to have the things that she wants.

 

[Au Naturel]

Does anyone else feel bad about spending x amount of money?

Buying things is a kind of endorphin based activity. An awful lot of people go on shopping sprees to make themselves feel better when they are stressed. It's the excitement of anticipating all the good things we can do with our purchase that spurs us on and generate the endorphins. Then we get home and the new items go into the closet or tool chest or pantry or whatever. Your "high" is over. Reality comes back to bite you in the butt.

Assuming the money we spent was important to our finances, "buyer's remorse" sets in. Our endorphin high misled us so we bought something that was not cost-effective or maybe not needed at all. The drug is gone - but so is our money. Everybody experiences this on occasion. Or if you are rich, you end up with Imelda Marcos' shoe collection.

Smart binge shoppers only buy stuff that can easily be returned.

When you do buy something, spend a lot of time doing price comparisons. Not only will you get the cheapest deal but the endorphins will also have worn off a bit and you can think more rationally before you click the purchase button. Also, never go shopping when you are hungry or emotional. You buy all kinds of crap you really don't need.

For $15 that had better be a large container of top quality sanitizer and you must be washing your hands often without access to soap and water - or you are a prepper and it is going into deep storage for the coming apocalypse. I might use a fraction of an ounce a week. Say, I am forced to use a public restroom and it turns out there's no soap or paper towels to be had.

It is easy to freak out about cleanliness. Nothing wrong with basic hygiene but there is strong evidence that touching ordinary surfaces is not a likely way to catch COVID-19.

Other than that, place a hard limit on how much money you are able to spend online. Cancel all those credit accounts.

 

[Metalhead]

Buying things is a kind of endorphin based activity. An awful lot of people go on shopping sprees to make themselves feel better when they are stressed. It's the excitement of anticipating all the good things we can do with our purchase that spurs us on and generate the endorphins. Then we get home and the new items go into the closet or tool chest or pantry or whatever. Your "high" is over. Reality comes back to bite you in the butt.

Assuming the money we spent was important to our finances, "buyer's remorse" sets in. Our endorphin high mislead us so we bought something that was not cost-effective or maybe not needed at all. the drug is gone - but so is our money. Everybody experiences this on occasion. Or if you are rich, you end up with Imelda Marcos' shoe collection.

Smart binge shoppers only buy stuff that can easily be returned.

When you do buy something, spend a lot of time doing price comparisons. Not only will you get the cheapest deal but the endorphins will also have worn off a bit and you can think more rationally before you click the purchase button. Also, never go shopping when you are hungry or emotional. You buy all kinds of crap you really don't need.

For $15 that had better be a large container of top quality sanitizer and you must be washing your hands often without access to soap and water - or you are a prepper and it is going into deep storage for the coming apocalypse. I might use a fraction of an ounce a week. Say, I am forced to use a public restroom and it turns out there's no soap or paper towels to be had.

It is easy to freak out about cleanliness. Nothing wrong with basic hygiene but there is strong evidence that touching ordinary surfaces is not a likely way to catch COVID-19.

Other than that, place a hard limit on how much money you are able to spend online. Cancel all those credit accounts.

I agree with this post 100%, as I own over 2000 video games, most of which were impulse buys during periods of depression. Trying to fill up the emptiness in my soul by digging myself into a deeper hole seems to be a common theme in my life, it seems.

 

[Aspychata]

Stressing because l bought something frivolous and l love them, under 50 dollars. But by Dec my car will be paid and l really tackled my credit card and it is slowly coming down. And l work whatever days l am given and use that to pay bills.

 

[Tom]

It depends on whether it is my money or someone else's.

 

[oregano]

I always spent too much money because of ADHD. My parents gave me a credit card when I was 25, and I went nuts with stupid stuff like subscriptions to internet personals sites that they took it away within 6 months and told me they couldn't trust me with money.

Then in 2007 I tried starting a business and used credit cards to finance it since I had no credit history otherwise. I believed that I'd pay it back out of business profits. Then the economy collapsed and I was bankrupt. One of the loans had my mom's name on it and she forced me to pay it back which took several years.

Then I started finally learning how to save money and use a credit card responsibly. My mom got me an American Express card which is a type of card that you have to pay off in full every month or else incur ungodly interest rates. It took me a while but I finally learned how to use it sparingly.

Over the years I have learned that most stuff that you can buy has an inherent value of $0, which it eventually returns to. Just look at all the furniture people abandon in alleys with a sign saying FREE. Furniture is expensive when new, but after a while it is just junk. Electronics are expensive only to become useless and worthless after a couple years, so much so that the world has a severe problem with "e-waste" polluting the environment, and it contains heavy metals and other really horrible stuff. Once you realize that most stuff is just garbage, you start to spend wisely.

If this is about that plush cat you bought that cost 1/4 of your SSI check, I think it's worth it since your cat will eventually die and you will always have the plushie to remind you of her.

 

[Ezra]

I sometimes have buyer's remorse when I spend money on things that are not necessary. I feel like I waste money in small amounts that adds up.

 

[MyLifeAsAnAspie]

Yes, I feel bad when I spend money. It is because I am extra cheap. I spend money on things that we need and that's about it. I built a new exhaust system for my Jeep because I am to cheap to take it to a muffler shop. However, it does not bother me when my wife spends money. I want her to have the things that she wants.

Just remember "Money is like manure. It's doesn't do any good unless you spread it around" . A heard this from a coworker whom I had traveled with and who's outlook on life I admired.

I tend towards the cheap end of the money spectrum, so spending money freely usually feels like therapy for me.

 

[Fino]

I enjoy buying things!

 

[Ezra]

 

[Crossbreed]

(Not if you're a homeowner...)

 

[Progster]

Yes, I do. I feel very guilty about spending money on myself. I collect music - records, CDs, digital downloads, etc, and feel guilty every time I buy something. But I'm actually quite good with managing money - I keep a tight rein and don't spend more than I can afford. Have too - I don't have a very high income.

 

[BrokenBoy]

Yes because I have a problem with spending a lot at once.

 

[Giraffes]

My 'obsesion' has been buying vintage or any clothes that are different to the current fashion trends, this continued till i read a book called 'the happy closet' that spoke about the way that my purchasing habit was connected to how i saw and felt about my life, it made sence most of my buying was glitzy 'going out clothes' and that was (i thought) what i wanted in my life..... you know looking glam, special parties and events, being noticed, sylish and different, it resulted in most of my items being unworn and a concrete example that i was not living that life and added to my dissatifaction about myself, i hade a huge clear out and some of the 'offending' items remain but from there on i dress for my authentic self.
So the interest remains but has shifted, i still spend money on clothes but as they are always secondhand the impact on my financies are minor, i always have a thing that if something becomes old for example frayed,marked or in any other way 'not perfect' it has to go immediately, i also have difficulty with excess and no way would 'stock pile' any item in my life
Funny story around this was in a shop when i bought a new bag, and emptied the contents on the bag i had and asked the assistant to put it in the big! to say she was surprized would be a understatment.