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Apr 21, 2008 -- Reversing the psychology of spending when you're blue
Have you ever felt down in the dumps and used shopping as a pick me up? Well, now a journal called Psychological Science confirms what we've long heard anecdotally. People do tend to spend more when they feel down. Are you prone to spend money when you're blue? Clark suggests trying to break the cycle by finding a new response. Go for a walk or go to the park if it's a nice day. Clark likes to exercise when he's feeling down. If you have a conditioned response that's bad for you, you've got to work to change it. This touchy feely kind of stuff is more something that Clark's friend Suze Orman would talk about. But you know what? She's 100% right about this stuff.
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My husband is away in SC for army basic training. I feel so lonely sometimes that I just go walk at the mall and end up spending over $50 on the weekend. More if I'm more blue.
There's still time
I graduated a few years back from school and I guess I did make the mistake of going a little crazy with the purchases. I drive a 3 Series from back in '06 and have no plans to get a new car anytime soon. The trips to Rio, French Riviera, and New Zealand are almost paid off. The student loans I have are a lot, but it's good debt because it went towards school and I pay them off pretty much every month. Believe me, if I start saving at 35 (which is only a few years away) that's plenty of time to save up some cash for retirement, plus my people say that Social Security will be around for sure. So I still plan on seeing the world and living life like everyday like it's the last one until I settle down.
