Alpha Consumer

Spending Away a Bad Mood

By Kimberly Palmer

Posted: April 28, 2008

Tricia from Blogging Away Debt recently wrote about how being in a "funk" can be bad for the wallet, because it's easier to give in to urges to spend money on fast food or other temporary pick-me-ups. She writes:

I also get strong urges to go shopping for stuff. Maybe a new pair of shoes or something. The oddest thing about this urge is that I am not normally into fashion. But the minute I go into a funk I must think I need to be a fashionista (not that anything is wrong with that—it's just totally against the norm for me). Sometimes I budget shop and buy clearance items, but sometimes I don't. Again, it's best to stick around the house and not go anywhere. I didn't do this one (thank goodness—I have enough shoes!).

That's tough—although as she notes in her post, spending money might feel good at the moment, but it isn't a permanent mood-booster. That's where bubble baths and movies come in.

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Alpha Consumer

Alpha Consumer

Kimberly Palmer, senior editor for U.S. News & World Report, writes about how to save money, avoid scams, manage debt, and be a savvy shopper. Send your personal finance questions to her for expert money advice.


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