I confess. I am an emotional spender. But I’ve been doing better…sometimes when reality sets in (and your credit card limits are lowered lol) you have no choice!!!

I try not to go the grocery store when I am hungry. lol. I usually come out of there with things I didn’t intend on buying when I first went in. Do you think that this is an emotional spend, or just a bad case of the munchies?

@Jamar that is my weakness, groceries…I can’t answer that one I’m still trying figure it out!

Okay….ahem…..
I have recently started going out to eat….I eat like a bird, I figure, what could it hurt, right? Next thing I know I am buying fluffy froo-froo desserts and going in half-vies with friends tasting exotic dishes and…Goodness gravy! Wait…I probably ordered that, too…
Needless to say the bird theory didn’t work.

I really have been going out to eat way too often. I feel just too tired or busy to come home and cook. Looks like that is where most of my $$$ is going. I now realize the need for reducing the times I eat out. I notice some of my co-workers have been devoting one or two days out of the week to cook healthy meals and they bring their breakfast/Lunches to work, hence reducing their high costs of going out to eat all the time. WOW, what a cheaper and healthier alternative. Ok fine dining & fast food, YOU are NOT gonna EAT up most of my $$$ anymore!!!

my last emotional spending was on make-up..but that option isn’t there… so i put accessories, hopefully that is close enough. this is the worst, so i just stay away now until i can control myself! help!

@Jamar and @Jacoby: I tend to go to the store every time I have a taste for something instead of looking around the house. I might only want it that night and leave the rest to waste as the days or weeks pass. That’s a habit that seems so hard to change for me. @Char: Make-up is another one of my weaknesses as well. the bad thing is that I don’t wear it that often so it sits as I buy and collect more.

Okay so personally, it’s a matter of managing what I spend ~ I try to keep a list, but there’s always something else we need or want… In these uncertain economic times I regret the opportunity cost of each dollar spent ~ how do you keep track and prioritize a dollar meant to be spent????!!!

I am always looking for ways to save and consider myself a highly qualified “bargain shopper”. My problem has always been to NEVER miss out on a deal, regardless if I need the item or not. This has always made me feel good about myself. However, the problem in this situation is that I always end up with a whole lot of things that I don’t need and things end up being trashed. To help myself out I began to try my hardest, unless a need (smile), to “bargain” shop when there is a need. I don’t even look in stores anymore (at least I try not to) unless I am looking for something in particular. Also, my husband has placed me on a budget (cash allowance), and I hardly ever bring my atm/credit card with me. Even though I haven’t fully banished this type of behavior, I have noticed that I have been saving a whole lot more than usual.

buying cheese is one of my worst & emotional spending impulses. When the level of stress has increased I tend to get these unusual cravings of eating anything that has cheese such as, cream cheese, American, Cheddar, Havarti , you name it. I know it’s horrible and unhealthy as well, but I have improved over the past few years & can do much better. Believe it or not once everything adds up it can be very expensive …

I confess I’m an emotional shopper! I love Target and Walmart! I get a lot of little things, that usually makes me feel better about spending money on something I dont need.

Hey Lon! I know what you mean, everytime I go to Target I end up spending at least $40 or more. I went in to buy foil and come out with socks, hair gel, snacks. That’s the downfall of a store having it all in one place. The problem is that when I spend money here, I have most of it at home already and I’m just buying more and which can be excessive. At least I can track my dollars on In & Out now!

To all my emotional shoppers out there here is something to think about. The key to any victory is to know the enemy that you are fighting. In fact, I would dare to say that no one could properly combat an opponent that they had not clearly identified. I found that the greatest foundation for success in this area is for us to work on controlling our emotions period, not just emotional spending. Being driven by how we feel is the core of the problem. Any individual who works on having more emotional control as a person will be much more successful in this area. If you have made it common to think before you act on any emotion and/or feelings it will not be a new resolution to stop emotional shopping, it will be a way of life. We have to create new emotions that make us feel good about making the right financial decisions. When is the last time you sat down and just felt good that you did not waste any money today? Exactly! We have to make this more popular so we retrain our mind to celebrate the right things. We think, we feel, we act. So start thinking differently about what’s really worth your hard earned money and you will get different emotions which will lead to different results!

I forgot one thing…I used to buy fast food too much! But every now and then I get an impulse to grab some unhealthy Taco Bell. Gotta stop that!!! @MichaelE.Parker I definitely have to break that think, feel, act cycle in this area. I’m committed!

First thing that came to mind was shopping after getting upset when I was sent home from a class during my first college year back in 2002 (it was a private college where they can kick you out) for not having all white shoes on. I came to class in my new nikes which were white, navy blue and sky blue…. they were cute (the instructor agreed) but because it was out of dress code, she went me home as soon as I had got there. *sighs* I left upset, and went right around the corner (on foot) to the Mall in Downtown San Francisco to buy…. 2 more pairs of shoes. It was at that moment that I noticed that when I felt upset, I would go buy shoes an clothes.

Took me a year to stop doing that…

Emotional spending is something that I do and it is BAD : (
The worst is that I justify myself while doing it. I’ll convience myself that I’m okay and then before you know you it, I’ve just walked into every consignment shop in Berkeley (tears and all) and purchased something that I “need”. However, I like how it was stated above that if I can just change my frame of mind, those feelings will change and eventually my actions will do the same… Oh, and my bank account will feel the sweeeet results : )

What Mr. Parker said really hit a chord with me. Waste comes in so many forms. Excuses are a waste of time and money for me. I am so glad I came, saw, and can win this battle.
Woo-whooo!

yummmmm…. peppered jack, too

Oooohhhh No! Those stores are the worst when it comes to keeping to my list (

Think. Feel. Act. Emotional Management is KEY. Gotta let this one sink in…

I find that I do more emotional spending in the airport than I realized. Now that I have to arrive so early to make usre I make my flight, I have more time to shop! My new solution, bring a good book to read and STAY AWAY from the stores.