Work Archives - Page 69 of 95 - Blogging Away Debt Blogging Away Debt

Avoiding Impulse Buys When You’re in a Slump

I live in northern Michigan, which usually gets pounded with snow in the winter. It’s usually still snowing in April and we even get a dusting here or there in May sometimes. Since my spouse and I aren’t into winter sports, we spend most of the dark days of winter huddled up inside.

Because the winters are so cold and long, we pretty much live for summer. However, our part of Michigan has a really bad bug season that seems to last from early May until the end of June. Usually, the bugs are gone by the Fourth of July and we can enjoy time outside.

Swarms of Bugs

But this year the bugs (especially the mosquitoes) have been really bad, which has been causing me to spend a lot more time inside. A travel vlogger I follow came here a few weeks ago and decided to cut her trip short because of it. Even the locals I’ve talked to who have lived here all their lives are surprised and annoyed by all the swarms.

Being cooped up inside this summer has definitely put me in a funk, so I haven’t been making the absolute best financial decisions. I bought some silly things on Amazon in the lead up to the Prime Day sale, which I usually try to stay away from. I let my inner child take over and bought an $80 mini trampoline, plus a few other things that totaled $150. Yikes! I hope that the trampoline will at least help me get some exercise since I haven’t been able to walk outside as much.

Avoiding Impulse Buys When You’re in a Funk

I’d like to nip this in the bud, so I thought I’d ask how you all avoid impulse purchases when you’re in a funk. The little devil on my shoulder telling me to buy something is louder and more convincing when my emotional reserves are low.

Looking forward to the package and jumping on the trampoline definitely boosted my spirits. However, I don’t want to keep relying on impulse buys to pull me out of my funk. If you have any tips on how to get over a seasonal slump when your usual self-care routine isn’t working, please let me know!

ADHD and Impulse Buys

I finally got my ADHD evaluation packet back and it turns out I actually do have severe inattentive ADHD. I mentioned a few weeks ago that the person doing my evaluation said that they thought my problems might be attributable to anxiety and my chronic illness, POTS. But a further review of all my testing and medical history revealed a stronger pattern of ADHD, so I got an official diagnosis.

I scheduled a follow-up appointment with my primary care practitioner to go over all my options. The psychology practice that did my evaluation said I was a strong candidate for medication, but they don’t prescribe it. So hopefully my PCP can help me figure out the best course of treatment so I can get on the pathway to higher productivity and far fewer impulse buys.

I read that impulse buying can be a symptom of ADHD. Usually, I’m good at telling myself “no, you don’t need a $25 Galaxy Lamp.” But when I’m feeling especially stressed or low, those little unplanned purchases sometimes sneak into my shopping cart.

I’m thinking about deleting TikTok because it has so many ads and blocking Amazon and HomeGoods on my computer so I can’t mindlessly browse. If you have any other suggestions, let me know!

Read More

The ABCs of ADHD & Money

I am really bad at spending

Impulse Control in the One-Click Purchase Era

Vicky Monroe

Vicky Monroe is a freelance personal finance and lifestyle writer. When she’s not busy writing about her favorite money saving hacks or tinkering with her budget spreadsheets, she likes to travel, garden, and cook healthy vegetarian meals.

Long Term Thinking

by Hope

Hey BAD Community,

The last ~~6 months~~ last year has been one of the toughest of my life. And anyone who has followed my journey knows that is saying ALOT.

And my life here on display often spotlighted my truly bad decisions. As much as I have grown and changed, well, we all know I still screw up with my finances, especially when the decision is tired to my heart, i.e. my kiddos. However, I truly believe I’m really on the right path now. And I am SO GRATEFUL for the years of tough love and even more so all the encouragement and guidance recently.

You all have heard me moan about what’s next and big changes in my life. And I still have no idea what direction I am going.

So I’m sitting tight and doing lots of time in my head and down time with my library books.

Making Small Changes

I don’t want to make any big changes during this emotional time. But I can’t just sit idle and wait. I’ve been putting lots of thought into the long game for me. Here’s a few of my thoughts and I’d love to hear your thoughts on my reasoning.

My Home

First, I feel very blessed for being able to buy my house a few years ago. But it never would have been possible if I hadn’t fallen into my W2 job. (Getting approved for a mortgage as a contractor is hard, at best.) With that being said, unless I go back into the corporate world, the chances of me getting approved for another mortgage are slim to none. I have known that and am okay with that.

This means that this is my forever home. Therefore, I am making decisions with that in mind. I have spent the last couple of years remodeling the house and have kept my old age in mind. And I don’t have any immediate need projects that require attention.

Getting rid of my hot tub is a step toward a perfect forever home for me. Selling it took a lot of regular maintenance needs off my shoulders.

My eye is now on creating a much lower maintenance yard with a secondary focus on having a edible yard. During my down time I am doing a ton of research on native Georgia plants and working on designing my yard to be more low maintenance and full of good to for me garden produce.

Work, yes…but Joy?

We all know I’m looking for work. That’s not news. And that will be ongoing until I either get another corporate job. But in addition to work, it’s time I figure out what else my life is going to be about. For the last 20 years, I’ve been mom. Now I’m still mom, but the kids are grow and dispersed.

I need another purpose. I need another passion. This has been my biggest struggle.

I would love to hear from other people who have faced an empty nest and had no clue how to handle the new reality. I just can’t believe I never imagined this time. (Or maybe I did, but have spent the last 5 years thinking I would have a partner in life, a husband to take my attention.)

My dreams have been vivid. Big. My heart still longs to work with kids. But I don’t have it in me to foster any new kids.

I’d love to hear from you. What did you or would you do in my situation?

Blogging Away Debt Our Journeys to a Debt-Free Life