Shopping, shopping, shopping

I always love reading what David over at Struggling is up to. He's going through a move right now, which is stressful for anyone, but he's feeling especially troubled by it. I'll let you read about it.

But today, he talked about that manic obsession to shop. Ohh, shopping. How I love and loathe thee.

I totally shop when I'm manic. I just bought a dress, a blouse, two pairs of pants, and a pair of bright red pointy-toed heels, all on a bank account that is drained to it's last little remnants. I also got a $300 hair cut and dye, $100 worth of groceries, which I have no idea where they are cause they sure as hell aren't in my fridge, and I'm getting another tattoo this weekend, so there goes the little bit I have left until I get paid next week.

Mania can really take over your bank. Usually when I'm manic I buy plane tickets. Plane tickets home, plane tickets to Europe, plane tickets wherever I feel like going. I'm going to Wyoming over Labor Day just because I've never been to Glacier National Park. Each of these things is about $500. You don't want to know what my credit card debt looks like.

Oh, but when I'm hypomanic, like I think I am now, I pay everything off. I get crazy about paying off everything in total. I just sold some of my money market funds (tax time is going to suck, so I'm saving some for April) to pay off half my credit card. I'm going to use the rest to move if I have to, and if I don't get a job then I'm going to pay off the rest of my card. I guess it's a good cycle. Spend, save, and then when I'm depressed I just worry about both of those things. I don't have enough money, I don't save enough, blah, blah, blah.

Two years ago when my grandpa died I got a sizable chunk of change from the estate. I, luckily, was depressed about it, and so took half and made that money market, and then put the rest in my savings. Well, I had to buy a car (really, my old one died), and then I just HAD to take a trip to Europe (ok, that one was just a treat). And then I HAD to get three new tattoos. Tattoos are something that happen when I'm manic, too. I love them, and I just love getting them. I'm in the middle of a huge back piece right now that's going to look awesome when it's done.

So I only have a little bit left, and thank God it's in the money market making a little money. I have it in pretty safe stuff, so it's not making a lot of money, but it's there for a rainy day or another manic spending spree and hypomanic spending down.