My Wallet Ranneth Over with Therapy

But, soft! What therapy through yonder window shopping awaits?

Retail therapy can be a risky path to travel. This activity has two sides to the road, one that is easy to give way to and the other extremely hard to ignore or detour from. I’ve gone through many iterations of such therapy throughout my teenage years and into my adulthood, as small as buying a cup of iced coffee I didn’t need after what felt like a terrible exam season when all of my mental health seemed completely drained. 

There are numerous instances when I fell into this. A few of them are multiple pieces of artwork of my favorite Baldur’s Gate 3 and Resident Evil characters to hang on my walls, a signed Owl City poster from Adam Young, and a real replica of a cane from the Devil May Cry game series.

Back in 2024, before I graduated from University of Central Florida (UCF), I treated myself to a few of these items as early graduation presents. One of them was my attending the Megacon here in Florida. I decided I needed to have a good time and nerd out by expressing my interest in the games. Looking back, that is a financial decision I’m so glad I made. 

Would shopping by any other name smell as therapeutic?

As I’ve gotten a bit older, however, I do regret a few of the purchases I made to satisfy the starving desire of “You deserve a little treat.” For me, the rewards ranged from the cups of coffee and multiple graphic t-shirts to wear only once, or not at all, to makeup or skincare products that I didn’t even bother to use. 

Moving past those questionable financial decisions, I have been learning to use retail therapy with a better goal in mind. Now, whenever I decide to spend a little money or even go on a tiny shopping spree for myself, I do it when I know my products are running low or I have only one to two uses left. Sure, I do keep a few extra bottles on hand now and again, but for most of the items, shipping does take time. 

Unfortunately, we live in a world where nearly everyone has a phone in their hand and has access to online shopping. This can lead to a pile of unfortunate purchases and the forever unanswered question of “Did I really need to buy that?”

It is too easy to fall down that rabbit hole many times. Still do occasionally, as the overall transaction of buying items to restock our shelves or overconsumption is incredibly appealing. There is hardly any distinction that we can realize between restocking and overstocking. Then, experiencing the serotonin of spending money on yourself for a big event or after exams or maybe a breakup seems like a good idea whenever life throws an inconvenience your way. 

A prime example of this slide for me was when I got admitted to Seminole State College in Sanford, Florida, and I purchased a new Fjällräven backpack. And seven years later, I still have and use the same backpack, even when I travel or go to a coffee shop. 

Halt! retail therapy, no more

While retail therapy can still be considered a “good thing” in today’s society,  with all of the never-ending trends seducing us to buying the newest product the second it arrives on the shelves, saving money can be extremely challenging, or, more honestly, impossible. With the current state of the world economy, with everything getting more expensive, my retail therapy has been halted altogether. 

Living paycheck to paycheck is not ideal, but for many people it has become a reality. And now, for those of us who are extremely grateful to still have jobs, personal spending on ourselves is lessening.

Less spending, more saving — mostly

Personal spending often takes a back seat to financial stability now, and not the reverse.  For every paycheck I get now, I try to put more money into my savings account so I can have some stability. Whether it be five, $50, or even $100 going into my savings, I do have backup spending set aside for any type of emergency. 

I know this path may seem I am being overly cautious or seem like a “ridiculous way to save,” but many people do not have a choice, because every paycheck they get goes straight to the bills. So it’s something I can do. 

Still, I gotta treat myself sometimes. Like a weekly cheat day on a diet. Still human. Recently, I purchased an official Iron Lung poster, a Vampire Lestat concert t-shirt for the upcoming season of the TV show. Makes me smile. That’s it. 

These items may not seem like much, but when something as simple as a shirt, a new book, or even a life-size movie poster brings me some happiness, that’s what life should be about. Fewer extremes for me. 

Now I can take pride in enjoying the little things that make me happy, because otherwise, what am I even doing here?