Do you overspend on others?
September 13, 2008 by Jennifer Chait
Filed under Shopping Issues
I know this one person who used to be big on shopping. He liked to buy, buy, buy, and got himself into debt, and never had a real clear budget. Well, after getting too much into debt, this fellow decided to quit shopping – for himself. To appease the shopping gods, he continued to shop, just for other people. He’s the sort who sees an items and his brain thinks, “That would be perfect for… ”
This guy above, is not the only person I’ve known like this. I know another person who shops cheaply, such as at garage sales and such, but she still can’t resist picking up items for every person on the planet. People who are only slightly in her circle even (I’m talking kids of co-workers and so on).
I’m not sure what exactly compels people to overspend on others, but in most cases, the folks I know who do this used to overspend on themselves. The only thing that’s changed is that they now purchase for others. Some people seem to think that shopping for others is not quite the same as shopping for personal purchases; maybe they don’t feel as guilty about overspending so long as it’s for someone else, maybe it’s because they don’t have to see the purchases laying around the house, who knows? That said, if you overspend, you overspend; it’s all still money being spent.
I’m bringing this up because I’ve seen many folks crash their budget over other people, and that’s not cool. If you’re in this boat, think about why you’re doing this – shopping for others. Is it really because someone you know needs or wants something, or is it because you need to fulfill some shopping need in yourself?
If you need more advice on this topic take a look at Hard Rules for Emotional Spenders.
So, do you overspend on others? Or have you done this in the past and learned to fight the urge? What helped?
I do shop for others but I don;t overspend on anyone. I just don;t tend to shop for me. I have a tape recording in my head of my mom telling my how selfish I am..pathetic…she has been dead for a long time..and yet the tape continues to play…
somehow when I buy for others, not at the expense of my budget but at the expense of myself, I feel like I am proving that I am not selfish…I may be wearing underwear held together with duct tape but I am not selfish.