Impulse buying is really kicking my ass

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I think I have a mental problem but since I haven't officially been diagonised by one of those head scientists people, no one has officially told me. The problem is that I have a problem with buying things, as long as I have money, and this habit has put me on a crash course to sufferage.

I really can't remember how or when I developed this awful habit that's really hurting my bank account but I know it is totally fucked up and something I should really work on. It's affected me mentally but most importantly, it has affected me financially because this awful habit puts a dent in my very limited pocket.

Sometimes I sit quietly in my room, replaying the events of the day and running a wallet inventory check on my life. I like to be accountable, especially to myself, and so I do this check to know where the funds are going. More often than not, I find that I have no clue where a healthy chunk of my funds go to and we can chuck that one down to the fact that I impulse buy, alot.

There's no way to sugarcoat this one, I buy a bunch of useless shit far too often. Some of them I use once in a blue moon but could quite frankly do without and then others that I literally had no use for but still got them because, well, why not? Like my small collection of rubber bracelets and rings that I never get to use for example.

It doesn't stop at small items too; I buy clothes, watches and even got a portable wifi device last year that I never actually use because my phone is so much easier to use as a Hotspot. It's rotting away and I hope someone buys it off me someday.

The Trigger

This pointless desire to buy random items stems from a lot of things and after close study of myself, I was able to pick out a couple of aspects that may or may not be vicarious reasons why I end up buying useless shit.

First of all, I buy useless things because I can "afford" it. Afford is in quotes because, in reality, I can't afford this habit. However, by my standard, I can afford the useless shit I end up with. Take the ugly colourful bracelets for example; all of them cost about 3Steem, the ugly orange keyholder is 1.5 Steem and the ring costs 8Steem. The problem with this sort of buying is that it is not sustainable and often time leaves me unable to afford the important things.

Secondly, this habit is triggered by my preferences. Well, yeah, it actually is mindless but not quite. I mean there's me, walking back innocently and then seeing a grey shirt that I already have 4 of. Grey is my favourite colour and I just can't seem to have enough of it. And this is where the "mindlessness" comes into play.

Thirdly, and this is the one that messes with my head the most, is that I literally just buy things for buying sake. I mean, I don't even know why I do it. I just get some random shit that I usually regret buying at the end of the day.

Coping mechanics

I've managed to cope by making a few changes and alterations in my lifestyle.

• I limit the amount of money I have in my possession and only have my debit card when it is absolutely necessary.

• I also created a weekly budget that I only deviate from because of food

• I try to control my urges by closing my eyes to things that would attract me.

• Then finally, and most importantly but not always implemented is the fact that I try to check the value or importance that the item will have in my life. As simple as this may sound, it is not something I've been able to master because my urge is still stronger than my ability to rationalise.

It's a problem that's really kicking my ass right now but I'm working towards fixing it. It's going to take some time but I'm patient. All I know is that I really want to stop buying useless shit.

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