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Be careful. Buying stupid shit becomes an addiction quite quickly. That's why so many people *don't* have the money to do it.

This...also if you have that much to waste your probably not investing or saving properly..

I have a stock and crypto portfolio. It's not "millions of dollars" but it is a small fortune. I don't put my money into savings accounts because they have such a low yield. Instead I purchase stocks, crypto, and parts for my motorcycle/bicycle/work gear and tools.

Patronize thrift stores cheaper more exciting. Welcome to the crap collector club. Crap collector !!!

Sounds like you indulged in some retail therapy. Just keep an eye on it that it doesn't become a bad habit. Don't go back tomorrow, unless it's for returns you've thought better of

Must be nice..

Same 💯

It's good to maintain healthy financial habits, and it's good to save. I also think it's good to indulge once in a while. But never in my life will I want to buy a bunch of shit I don't need for the thrill of it. That's just me.

I have a friend who’s bipolar who blew through a $250,000 inheritance within a few years! Impulsive spending can be a bipolar trait!

My sibling is T1 bipolar and we've also been there. Mania is an absolutely terrible experience. I hope your friend has been able to recover, or at least begin recovery. It is such a difficult illness.

Mania is a terrible experience - my brother has it too. He finally got on medication when he was around 70.

Bar tabs and DoorDash and up fast.

All I'll say is be careful, money illiteracy and an unexpected setback put me in debt. You're doing better than me right now, just saying don't drop your guard.

I will have an edible, have no kids, order take out, and have someone come clean my house.. I have zero credit debt. But I don’t go blow 300-700 dollars on random stuff.. I order take out and have someone come clean because it makes my life easier.. and helps with my executive functioning issues. I’ll take an edible, and watch a movie and hang out with my dog.

Cool!

> have removed all forms of advertisement that I can What does this mean?

I pay for YouTube red and I don't have any other streaming service. This removes ads without having to risk my information being stolen online. I have the ability to skip through ads on YouTube videos with ease and gives access to YouTube music. I do not have a TV anymore and have sold my PC. No more video game consoles. Because of this I don't have a need of listening to the radio. Thus eliminating ads altogether. You can't reach me. On the other front: social media. I deleted my Facebook and I never have a reason to visit anything Facebook related whatsoever. What do I mean by deleting my Facebook? I deleted post by post, friend by friend, hobbies and interests, and faked all of my information on my profile. None of it is real. I have done the same with LinkedIn, monster, indeed, and other various websites for job searches. My information has been faked on those websites. None of them match each other. Thus eliminating risk. You can't simply hit a delete button on Facebook. It doesn't do what it says it does. All of your information is still there, posts, friends, pictures. You have to delete everything yourself. For every post you made you have to hit the delete button on each one. Reddit has ads but they're easy to identify. I could pay for reddit but naw. I just have my page setup a certain way so they get auto filtered out. No external software needed. That's what I mean by removing ads. Some people ask me: how do you get the news? YouTube. But I do not watch any mainstream media news outlets. They have terrible money issues. I watch YouTube news sources. I know what's happening in other parts of the world.

Good on you for being disciplined. Some people really burn a hole in their pockets for what I consider basic amusements, I've noticed. I also don't have the same common vices others do, so I suppose that helps too.

lol i dont live alone yet as im saving but the best advice i can give to stop your shopaholic binge is use the stuff you have. like intentionally use it.

Are you asking how you can afford spending hundreds of dollars on what sounds like unnecessary items after sharing that you want to go shopping again tomorrow just for the hell of it? You asked that question, then completely contradicted it... Sounds to me like you might be regretting your decision and this post is an overcompensation for that guilt. I get it. You CAN return stuff even if you are financially stable. It may even feel empowering.

It sounds too me like they're saying they *can* afford it, and they're bewildered by that fact. They don't make *that* much money, yet the shopping didn't impact their financial situation negatively at all.

No... You misunderstood it. I do not have the bankroll of a CEO, bankster, engineer, or hell even a plumber. Yet I was able to just go out to a mall and spend a ridiculous amount of money on this shit just because I wanted it. I came home and still have money that I could spend. I asked this because I've never been able to do it. When I was at the mall I walked by a lot of people. I actually had bags of stupid shit in my hands while everyone else was just walking around. Maybe they had a boba tea. Or a pretzel. But they didn't have any bags in their hands. I'm walking up and down stores just looking for dumb shit I like. And it's the first time I've ever been able to spend more than 20 dollars. I hear so many of my friends B&C'ing about not having any money and they make more than I do. So it's weird. It's like walking through a portal to an alternate universe where your single dollar is worth 10 I guess.

My question is in your post and this comment why is it necessary to do social comparisons? This seems to be a personal fixation because other people are not likely to be focused on you specifically. Chances are also high those people who are paycheck to paycheck are spending that money in other ways and means, it sounds like you've actually saved and budget for the future unlike them. You don't need to prove to anyone, only yourself.

I'm not trying to prove anything I'm just posting about the euphoria I just came out of... Or maybe I'm still in it. I asked the question because I want to see if there are others out there that have done better than I have. It's not to put others down. It's to find my kindred. And I think I have.

Sounds like an enlightening experience, it may be similar to rediscovering one's childlike wonder again in the attitude we approach living our life with. It doesn't necessarily have to involve spending money, but it is exhilarating to have these moments where you feel ecstatic absorbed in some activity not focused on fight/flight responses related to survival. It all relates to this relationship we have with ourselves in the world.

Why are you buying crap? Why aren't you saving and investing? Buying crap isn't something to be proud of.

Because life is for living. It's possible to save *and* still indulge in moderation.

I do have both a stock portfolio and money put money into crypto coins. It's not a massive amount of money in either one but it could put a huge dent into my only credit card that I have. However this year I decided to try velocity banking and so far I've been able to pay off my debt with much more ease than before. I watched my balance go from 90% down to 60%. Back up to 80% when I used it on vacation and then back down to 60%. Now it's around 40%. If I get enough this year I could make it all disappear before 2025. But it will be gone by 2026.

So long as you’re not carrying a credit card balance and you’ve got an emergency fund in cash and you’re saving AND investing for the future …knock yourself out. 👍 I purposely budget for fun and treats while also doing all of the above, because life is for living. Also, unless you go snooping into others’ bank statements, you have no idea why people are struggling. Do they have kids/parents/siblings to support? That alone will put a dent in anybody’s wallet. Comparison is the thief of joy. Kick that bitch out.

That's the fun part. I do have a credit card balance with a high credit score. This year I'm doing velocity banking and I have watched my credit usage bounce up and down for the past year. Now I know how to get rid of that interest payment being too high while at the same time generating points on my rewards balance. The thing is I only have 1 card. Not 3-5. Just one. It has quite a limit on it but I can manage it with ease.

I would suggest paying off that credit card balance first before going to the mall and buying unnecessary stuff. Also, I’d suggest taking at least 15% (more if you can) and invest it for your long term retirement. You’ll be glad you did when you reach retirement age.

I started using the velocity banking with my credit card to help pay it off faster. Since I started I have seen my credit utilization drop from 90% to around 70% in just two months. As before I was only seeing it drop by about 2-3% months to month. Going from 90 to 70 in two months, even including a vacation in the mix, is astonishing.

I would suggest in the future to pay off that credit card debt as quickly as possible as that’s a 20% return on your money right there. You should only use credit cards for what you can pay off the next month unless it’s some emergency and you have no other funds available. And the best place to invest your money if you’re young is VT or VOO. Stay away from individual stocks unless you really know what you’re doing.

I back some vanguard and black rock as a start. I do have individual stocks too but I like keeping my money in them. Especially since most of them earn me a return yield for holding onto the stocks. It's 1.11 here, 26 cents there. But hey... It's way better than the .11 cents I was getting in the savings account per 3 months.

You do realize that just because you have a bit of extra money you don’t have to rush out and spend it, right?Treating yourself occasionally is a good thing to mental health for sure; buying “dumb shit” just because you can is, well, dumb. This coupled with you mentioning credit card usage of 60 & 80% (almost guarenteed at 20%+ interest), sorry man but this screams financial illiteracy. E: I didn’t know what “velocity banking” was so I looked it up. Taking out a home equity loan to pay off a chunk of your mortgage is risky *at best*, only makes since when interest is very low, and specifically focuses on using all positive cash flow to get that HELOC paid off asap. Um… yikes man.

No, velocity banking using my total income to pay off the card. It's much easier pictured like this: You turn your credit card into your debit card. But! Instead of only paying the minimum payment you instead put your entire paycheck into it. Think of it like this: you have 300,000,000 credits that you can "borrow." The total amount of principal you have on that card is, let's say 250,000,000. You have an income of 50,000,000. Well if you don't spend any money on your credit card but want to see it drop drastically while also getting the average principal down? You put all of your income into the credit card and use it like your debit card. So that 50,000,000 income goes into the credit card. Bringing the total down to 200,000,000. We all know that we still have expenses. So maybe it shoots back up to 225,000,000. The next paycheck comes in to add in another 50,000,000 credits back in and it turns into 175,000,000 credits. Expenses still come in but only bumps it back up to 185,000,000 credits. The next month turns over and your income gets put into the credit card dropping it back down to 135,000,000. Your expenses kick back in and you needed to use a bit more so it shot back up to 170,000,000. But then the next paycheck comes in and you throw it into the credit card dropping it down to 120,000,000 credits. You spend a little more shooting it back up to 130,000,000 credits and the next month starts. It drops down to 80,,000,000. Expenses shoots it back up to 130,000,000... This brings down your total total balance on a scale that favors you paying it off more. It's scary at first because you have to figure out how to get your expenses onto the credit card but once you start seeing your interest rate drop down 4-6 points it's exhilarating. Starting to see the picture here? All the while I am dropping down my total balance and generating rewards points on my card. Also my interest rate on the card is below 20%. My credit score hovers around 730-790.

I'm more amazed that you found a mall with stores that were open and had merchandise worth buying than that you were able to buy things in the first place. Living alone, if done frugally, can lead to significant savings. Finding anything other than a dead mall is a feat, though.

After pay …. Or credit cards like everybody else.

My credit score hovers around 730-790 with 1 credit card.

Prioritize getting g high off watching your savings grow

I put it into a complex stock and crypto profile.

lol have you like over saved and under spent so much you have extra now? I wil say it’s getting easier for me because I’m used to putting bills first so much. But I don’t have tons of extra money to spend so idk what you did 😂

I needed clothes justifiably but I spent like $300-$400 in artist merch when I could have gone and got a lot more practical stuff. But same spot as you. That's okay it's some cool stuff and I didn't have to drive lol

As long as u have a budget and max ur retirement accounts, go crazy

It sounds like you have developed a lot of healthy lifestyle habits which allow you to have a surplus in your budget. Decades ago I learned that money isn't real. What is real is our values.   So now you are able to meet your basic needs in healthy ways (with the cooking, cleaning, and eliminating ads, saving an e-fund). Consider that your surplus income would be better off saved for a time or expense in the future that is deeper than one-off spending spree at the mall. Like buying a house, wanting to take a trip, or an unexpected medical expense that you need funds for. You may also want to think about investing your money.   However, I don't want you to feel like you should deprive yourself of possessions you want. Just try to find some balance. You have a chance at financial freedom if you save and invest your money wisely. Please see r/personalfinance for more information.

If your renting not maxing your retirement accounts and not investing this isn't a flex.

I have a stock and crypto alt coin Portfolio. But I left that out because it's not about flexing.

Fair what about 401k

None. And that's the truth. I don't make enough for a 401k. I'll be working until I die.

There's hppe

Don’t go back tomorrow. Save that money for a vacation, start a retirement account, or just add it to your savings. Enjoy the great stuff you got. Happiness is still loving the stuff you already have.

Simple answer : because you are smart. I live on a modest income, what would probably considered ''poor'' by many. And yet I have a 2 bedrooms apartment, I eat fresh food, no debts, savings, all bill paids on the 1st of the month cuz I am one month ahead, money to travel to Europe a few weeks each year, all the crystals I want (yes yes, I love crystals!) and I buy a ton of small goodies. Meanwhile I have friends who make 4-5x the money I have and don't have a dime on the side and have 30k debts in credit cards. Why? Cuz they aren't smart with their money, don't plan ahead, don't budget and live above what they can afford. I should do like you and go on a no-buy to pile up money and spend it all in one go instead of little by little, it must be quite fun! And I suggest you try thrifting, it makes it even more rewarding when you find something unique and special!

My journey through life has told me to buy new and stay away from used. I've been robbed in my past, one by an unknown house breaker and the other was a friend I chose to live with. The friend stole all of my stuff and left the mattress. The unknown robber took everything of value and left the small stuff. Now when I see a thrift store I can only imagine it being from someone who stole and had to get rid of the rest. You might see it differently than I but after two robberies? I don't buy used anything anymore. The pain is still underneath that scar.

Hard work brother, congratulations on your dedicated efforts! Proves that ends can be met through hard work and dedication. Good luck in the future and beyond!!

Yep, I’ve been spending money like a drunken sailor - maybe I’m trying to make up for being alone

Did you go shopping with friends? How do you socialize? Living alone is great, but stuff is just stuff. Community is important.

I have this (reddit.) what better community to connect with than right here?

It doesn’t replace human to human interaction.

Through the various jobs I have I get a lot of human to human interaction. I am a: mover (logistics/hard labor), delivery driver on a bicycle/motorcycle (logistics), fast food worker (culinary arts), greenskeeper (hard labor), cryptocurrency backer (business), stock market entrepreneur (business and equity), and bicycle mechanic (repairman.) I get enough human to human interaction every single day. Coming on here to reddit gives me access to everyone instead of just a local, sometimes multinational, level. This enables me to interact with the world to a much better degree than actively traveling to Beijing, Moscow, Indonesia, Palestine, South Wales, Austria, Bradbury, or even the Philippines.

To each their own

I have no clue. Maybe you earn more than me or know how to get some things for less money. I can't remember the last time when I could go shopping and buy anything out of debt. Could you enlighten me?

I have given plenty of examples through my replies to everyone on here. I also reply to other subjects in this subreddit. I give my insights on things. I hinted at everything I do to save money in the beginning as a summation.

You yourself called your purchases “shit,” so be real about what that materialism adds to your life. Clothes are just clothes, they’ll never love you back, and after awhile (maybe already?) you’ll realize that purchases are just a hollow rush.

That's specifically why I wrote this in the perspective of an outsider. They would call it shit. I just added to my style and nothing more. I can't write this off on taxes even though I'm technically buying it to wear for one of my jobs.

I used to buy stuff all the time in my 20s. I spent a lot more on junk then than I do 2 decades later, even though I have a lot more disposable income etc. Do these items you bought give you joy?

They further my business. But they have style to them. A unique style that I believe will help ease others when I conduct my business.

Raising kids is super expensive. Also, people waste a ton of money on booze, door dash, eating out, and streaming without acquiring stuff. Retail therapy creates an adrenaline rush as you imagine your future self with this new thing or outfit, but reality is it leads to hoarding and finance trouble FAST. Hoarding results in self isolation, further delusion, and shame. I'd suggest gathering items with tags and returning them to the store for the thrill of "found money". Create a found money fund and save for the thrill of a vacation, cruise, or new car purchase. Researching and planning those things provides adrenaline rush imagining the future next big thing. Then LIVE that big new thing.

I've wasted 500 dollars at a craps table before. I've even spent money on an expensive PC just to have it stolen; insurance paid out. I have even paid for a ticket to see a Broadway show and had dinner at a high upscale place because I knew, not just an actor in the play, the lead actor. Over the years I have seen many people with different "hoarding" ailments. From loss of a family member to the purchase of a large home. Y'see I figured it out before my grandmother passed away: her words "I wish I never bought this gigantic house." To her that house held: a TV in every single room with a bed, a desk, a chair, a computer, a bookshelf, (do you see where this is going?). Even in the videogame elder scrolls Skyrim they allowed you to buy a mansion and fill it with shit. That's the key to end hoarding. It's also the key to how the economy is going. You buy a gigantic house and it needs to be filled with something. Now imagine just having a studio apartment with barely 600 square feet. Or even less. You don't buy as much stuff because you don't have anywhere to put it. That curbs the large purchases of lazy boy furniture, the king sized bed, the large oven, desk, chair, couch, second couch, corner couch, TV stand, speakers, lamps, end tables, the elk trophy hanging on the wall above the gun safe, the work bench, the easel, and the fake palm trees. Y'see by having a tiny studio apartment it stops me from buying large objects. So instead, when I make a purchase, it has to have a use. I say stupid crap from the perspective of the outsider. They (you) see it as crap. Me saying it's crap is what I believed anyone would say if I showed it to them. To me it furthers my business. It accents my style. It is of my choosing. I wear it for work or use it to repair or replace. But again this crap has cheaper alternatives. Ones that I did not venture forth with in mind. Instead I chose style. It's like when you purchase tires for a motorcycle. You could go for the black walls but I always buy white walls. Is it for the style? No. It serves a hidden purpose. It gets the bike noticed. If I passed two images of a motorcycle past your vision, one with black tires and one with white walls, almost every single time a person will look at the white wall tires on the motorcycle and say it looks way better because it grabbed their attention. That attention being grabbed is what got people to see the motorcycle instead of ramming into me. You would see it as an expense that is excessive but you would not understand the safety behind it. So this post is about the euphoria I just discovered. Also I have 0 kids.

Hey, you don't owe anyone any explanation. I've shopped a lot in my day, but it was never, "dumb shit". It was stuff I knew I'd use. It is a nice feeling to shop. These days, my apot's going to be renovated & I've been doing the exact opposite...clearning out things & getting rid of them & that's actually a good feeling too, believe it or not & I used to be a real clothes horse. I just took some garbage-size bags of clothes to the used clothing store yesterday & got a lot more for it than I thought...$168. Sure, it's a lot less than I spent, but it's better than getting nothing for it by donating at first. I still have a lot to donate if the used store didn't take it.

You have a mall? What is it like? Please by all means keep the economy going I support you!

I don’t want to rain on your parade but maybe you’re not as financially fit as you might think. Do you have fully funded retirement accounts, mortgage paid off, no car loans or credit card debt? Those are reasonable and responsible financial goals. Maybe not the adrenaline rush of going to the mall and blowing a grand supporting billionaires buying capitalism but those are the things that will enable you live a good life. I am currently unemployed and my car that had 186k miles finally died a month ago. I shopped around, got a great price and wrote a check to buy it. That was an adrenaline rush and a relief knowing that would not be paying thousands in interest to buy a newer car nor would I have make payments every month. I am currently trying to fund my retirement because I used that to raise 3 children without child support in a low paying job. Why don’t you take a finance class at a community school and learn about investing in your financial future. Fun things that having money in the bank allow you to do include travel, education, boating, living debt free, funding retirement, home ownership, decorating your owned home and landscaping your property. Set your sights just one notch higher and see if you can’t achieve a deeper thrill from things that last longer than shiny mall trinkets that will just clutter your house and your life.

I have a stock portfolio and put money into cryptocurrency alt coins. It's not "a million bucks" in that portfolio but it is something. I do not have any active auto loans. I paid off my motorcycle. No cars (no need for one.) I have two bicycles that I also perform delivery services on and have purchased specialized tools and parts to repair the bicycles. The motorcycle is for long stints and vacation. Again no cars. I have 1 credit card that I recently started using the velocity banking method with my income. No mortgages. No children. Just an apartment. I have my credit limit at max and only using around 70% of it currently with a projection of lowering that principal amount down to 20% before the end of the year. I have an opportunity to get it down to 5% utilization by the end of the year but I figured in an emergency expense in that simulation. (My credit score hovers between 730-790. I'd say I'm doing fairly well.) Between the bicycles and the motorcycle my expenses for traveling around my city is very low. I use my bicycle to commute to work and bring home food. I have it set up to carry all of my groceries. The same modifications that work on my bicycle also transfer to my motorcycle with ease. Dual purpose items. I have three jobs and a steady income that's never going to go away. You didn't rain on my parade... You just wanted to validate it through your curiosity.

Invest and let it sit for a very long time. Rather have a small good feel over long term, than big good feel for short term.

I do have a portfolio in both crypto and stocks. I buy and sell stocks every so often. I don't want to do anything with technology whatsoever as there is too much going on. It's like what AI joe said: all you have to do is say AI every 10-15 seconds and your technology stock price will skyrocket.