Venting $$$

[cyanlove]

I have been feeling better about life and myself until I made a mistake in paying for two months of rent and wiping out my savings. I'm not good with money and ended up wasting the $800 my parents gave me. I realize I'm lucky that I have parents that can easily give me that amount but I'm embarrassed by it. I can't take care of myself financially. I can't afford the prescription dog food my dog needs. I have $6 in my bank account supposed to last me a week after my parents gave me $20 last week. I don't even remember what I spent it on.

I honestly feel like I am more of a burden alive. I am also worried I just killed my dog giving her regular dog food.

 

[Pluto]

Dealing with money is hard. One has to somehow balance short-term versus long-term benefit, boring essentials versus things that make us feel alive, the open-ended need for savings for unpredictable future expenses, and all the while marketing tricksters are using every trick in the psychology playbook to separate us from our dollars.

If there isn't a reasonable abundance of income, there becomes a heightened need to 'get it right', even though the added stress can make escapism or retail therapy all the more tempting. There are also medical conditions, like some types of bipolar, that can make financial management virtually impossible for some people.

It's OK to ask for help. Independence is important, but many people throughout history have had to go through similar dilemmas and their advice would quite literally be valuable. There is some artful balance of discipline and playfulness that could strike the sweet spot.