Your Spending Habits

[Wilderness medic]

Read that some people can experience reckless/extensive spending. Curious if this effects you, how much and to what extent.

Just about the only thing the va has done for me is keep me financially good. Well, good until I make I otherwise. It doesn't matter how much I receive the last week of the month I will be struggling.

Now, it's not a huge deal. Bills come first. I basically never spend when priorities aren't squared away. And while in school, I put 1k a month into savings. The last month, MAYBE two, I haven't put the whole thing in. Same period of high stress increase. Not saying that's why, but I did notice today.

Maybe I'm just young an not as responsible as I should be. I say this while shopping for a MOLLE vest online for my dog. While looking at my $500 pole spear and $5,000 worth of kayaks, several thousand worth of dive/fishing gear.

Do you spend more than you should? Am I retarded? I seem to be just as stressed no matter how much stuff I have to help relax. Although having options with toys keeps me sane when I have no money.....well as sane as.... You know...

 

[Spock]

"take baby steps" Hey doc...you should really check out the video "You're Not in the Forces Now"

Link Removed

I haven't read your whole Intro thread but it seems you might be stuck on trying to label what is and isn't related to PTSD. All of it is because PTSD affects life but it doesn't make you broke, a criminal, a gambler, a thug, a drunk, etc...those are choices. Here's the BLUF: Life is life. Spending, road rage, fighting and all normal life stressors are gonna be there with or without PTSD. It is a matter of coping: how much they affect you and how fast you recover. What PTSD does is hang like a veil, or sometimes a heavy rug over your life. So your normal ability to cope with shit is significantly sucked up by PTSD and its challenges. Also, because your lizard brain was turned on high to survive combat and not turned back to low (if that is possible with chronic PTSD, as in there is no cure) you "spin-up" with anxiety much faster, or instantly to certain triggers (Crowds, smells, traffic, sounds, etc...) Your stress meter pegs out in a split second over many things you have little control over. So with baby steeps: talking, individual & group therapy (like this forum), maybe meds, writing, music, art, etc...you can start to find & develop different coping mechanisms or tricks to help you deal with each little bitchy stressor.

So is spending an issue with PTSD, yes and no. It is part of life so PTSD is an issue but spending might be more like any other type of self medication. You're looking to distract and feel good. Be safe, be strong. Peace!

 

[Jimmy1]

Retail therapy is one thing I enjoy. I love new things and I love new projects, the problem is that I have so many half finished projects laying around.

 

[reddevil1111]

To poor to spend money. So its not a problem for me personally. I would love to try.... anyone who has bundles of spare cash, PM me I will provide an account that is filled with cobwebs.

 

[Wagon]

My VA tried to make me homeless again. Hmmmm..................

Thanks to some help from mates here and some fine frugality, I've managed without income for 6 months.

 

[Wilderness medic]

True they are choice. In was curious if anyone else does this. The ex wife used to call it my "all life crisis buys"

Weather it's ptsd or just generally not being happy, doesn't matter. It always does seem like I'm just looking for distractions. I see people with nothing/very little happy. People happy with simply getting up going to work and coming home never buying anything or going fun places.
Monotony that I don't think I could ever survive.

Hell I lived on nothing for several years unable to work fighting the va. It was so much more miserable being stuck with no money to escape in anyway. That was one of the period the misery outweighed the pleasure and there wasn't any desire to live.

 

[Wilderness medic]

As far as side projects I was going to post a few and see if anyone else had similar/same ones. But this whole no link thing is really annoying.

 

[Spock]

You'll get there, stick with us. We look forward to hearing more about them.

 

[Barberian]

My wife takes care of the bills and such. As soon as I start to try and figure them out I short circuit between the ears and nothing makes sense.

I get a small allowance each month. This is fine by me as long as I get to put a few treats for me in the grocery basket, my Mtn. Dew, some beer and a bag or three of Doritos during the month.

I also get some supplies for a hobby if I'm interested. She tries to make sure I have something to do besides sitting at the computer. Right now I'm slowly converting a woman's 15 speed bike into a recumbent bicycle. The bike will have an electric wheelchair motor for assist drive on the front wheel. It will look ridiculous, but I'll be able to peddle out as far as this old broken body can, and the motor will help me get home. With Fibromyalgia, I never know how strong or pathetic I am until I'm in the mix.

I'll post pics once it's done.

 

[Wilderness medic]

Haha that's funny look forward to seeing it.

See that's what I'm talking about. Happy with Mountain Dew and Doritos.

Bills rarely bother me because the way I look at it that's the only thing in between me and hobby shopping time haha.

Think it's just because it gives me something to look forward to. Not much else. After I click order I'm elated like a small child for the next week until it arrives. Shopping problem perhaps.

Could also just be personality? I read jokes about a lot of things I like such as " you may be an outdoorsman/backpacker if you have 5k worth of ultra light backpacking equipment, yet still use Taco Bell napkins for tp" lol.

Think it's a bad behavior that needs to be addressed, or since the bills are paid who cares?

 

[Friday]

Once upon a time... Sure. It was part of my whole desperate ploy to feel something, anything. But I was also making money hand over fist at that point in my life. It was like Monopoly money. And I wasn't planning on being alive that much longer.

Also, being in the military at all teaches pretty crap money management. All your necessities are paid for, so -in theory- all your money is mad money. In practice, that's true while BEQ/BOQ... But people get married, have kids, have to apply for WIC or take out a mortgage or save for college. Buy as long as you're young & single &/or responsibility free? That money burns a hole in most people's pockets. There are über-responsible people who save & manage their $ carefully from day 1... But that's by choice. Not need. If you need? There's barracks and chow halls.

Not only did I blow through money after I got out like there was no tomorrow (literally), I also didn't care if I didn't have anything. I'd become highly fatalistic, and adept at sleeping rough. When I got tired of that I'd go sign up for a run, or trade modeling for clothes, or head towards the nearest natural disaster and lend a hand. And then I'd go back to bumming around on the beach. I treated my finances like I treated my life: with no regard whatsoever.

Having a family put an end to my headlong dive into oblivion (I have strong views on child raising), which also out a serious crimp (cramp, the bends) on my finances. A decade and more of living on a shoestring and being the only responsible adult in sight (scary, that) helped cure irresponsible spending... Although I honestly can't say that if I had money to burn that I wouldn't go right back to being wild with it, again. I hope not. I have yet to have the opportunity to test that out.

 

[bemental]

My wife and I are extremely good stewards with what the good Lord has given us, but I too spend money to compensate, or to make myself feel better about life at times.

Spock is correct: PTSD is the lens through which we see the world. It is NOT an excuse.