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Do you find yourself purchasing games and tech stuff just to chase the “spending high”?
- Thread starter nogoodnamesleft
- Start date
No, never. When I buy something that I've felt I "needed" for a while, or it was something I had been anticipating for ages, I'll get that buying high when it finally ships if it's physical, or as it's finally downloading when digital, but I never buy stuff just to buy stuff. Never understood that concept.
Even then, I don't believe it's as much a "buying high" as it's simple elation that what you did buy will finally reach you.
Even then, I don't believe it's as much a "buying high" as it's simple elation that what you did buy will finally reach you.
Buying random stuff to make you feel better is pretty common. What I do is find cheap stuff, so that I feel less bad about it.
Nope. I used to have serious money anxiety which stopped me buying a lot of things. I've found a good balance in the last few years where I treat myself to things I really want, but I still get buyer's remorse if I buy something I know I don't need or won't use right away which has conditioned me from making frivolous purchases.
Occasionally, but not particularly often. I built a Gaming PC recently that I didn't really need.
Yeah I'm the same. I tend to concentrate on games I think may rise in price while they're affordable/on sale. Especially at the end of a generation.
I guess partially to rationalize it partially to make sure I'm not spending more on them in the future.
Sometimes that leads to a questionable buy like the recent Mario 3d all-stars other times they do shoot up price like my persona games.
Then after a buying spree I settle down and don't buy anything for months.
Less healthy is the way I'm currently looking at iPads despite not really needing one but generally the bigger ticket item urge is rarely there. I have no desire to get either of the two recent consoles anytime soon and kept using old TVs, phones and pcs way longer than most people would.
I'm more addicted to the research than the actual buying.
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I have a 3090. A 5950. And a LG CX 48.
I just got an ElGato 4k60 mk2.
there's no way I spent this much money to chase some high. I play on my pc all day. Soon I will begin streaming and making vids on YouTube. This was an investment
Into getting out of my routine. Trying something different.
I just got an ElGato 4k60 mk2.
there's no way I spent this much money to chase some high. I play on my pc all day. Soon I will begin streaming and making vids on YouTube. This was an investment
Into getting out of my routine. Trying something different.
I'm going to come out of lurkspace for a moment because OP's question is very near and dear to my heart: it's a classic ADHD behavior. Lots of folks with ADHD/inattentive don't know it and it's worth talking to someone if you find OP's question resonates with you.
Yep, this is 100% me. It's an actual, no bones about it addiction, that I use to cope with much more serious addictions, and for now at least, I'm OK with that.
Not really games or tech stuff, but I will admit to being this way about art books. I read them through once or twice sure, but let's be honest they're really just shelf decorations. It's kind of a problem.
Yes and no. I like having the high tech stuff as it comes out for the feeling of having cutting edge tech in my hands, but not because of the spending high.
No. I don't even do GamePass or Humble Bundles. If I'm not going to play it, I'm not going to bloat my library for no reason.
Absolutely not.
1) Having too much shit around actually gives me anxiety. I want my sheet tidy, organized, and not overwhelming.
2) Visually seeing unopened/unused stuff at my place makes me feel worse. These days, I generally thinking very hard about how much I'm going to use something before purchasing it. Because of my lack of control here, I have way more shoes than I should (I've substantially slowed down on purchasing though over the past few years).
3) If I'm interested in upgrading any device I own, I first make sure I have an exact plan for what I'm going to do with the old one (either give it to someone or sell it). I recently got an CX so I gave the TCL 6-series I owned to my sister/brother in law, which was an upgrade for them. A few months ago I gave my work monitor to friend since I bought a 144 hz 1440P display for work/play. This was a great feeling because I was able to help them out and get rid of something taking up space.
4) For games now because of back log, I don't even bother buying new games unless it's an absolutely must play for spoiler reasons (think Sony 1st studio games). I'm sure that the average price of games purchases for me have to like $20. I also was able to purchase Game Pass for 3 years for like a little over $100.
For me, in terms of a purchasing high, it's the antipication of getting something that would likely be a sizable upgrade and getting it for a great price. If I had a house, I don't think I would care much about having OLEDs in multiple rooms, unless it was a stupidly fantastic deal. What I think is more likely is that in 5+ years, I get a TV with better tech and that's physically larger and move my 65 inch OLED to another room once I have a place.
1) Having too much shit around actually gives me anxiety. I want my sheet tidy, organized, and not overwhelming.
2) Visually seeing unopened/unused stuff at my place makes me feel worse. These days, I generally thinking very hard about how much I'm going to use something before purchasing it. Because of my lack of control here, I have way more shoes than I should (I've substantially slowed down on purchasing though over the past few years).
3) If I'm interested in upgrading any device I own, I first make sure I have an exact plan for what I'm going to do with the old one (either give it to someone or sell it). I recently got an CX so I gave the TCL 6-series I owned to my sister/brother in law, which was an upgrade for them. A few months ago I gave my work monitor to friend since I bought a 144 hz 1440P display for work/play. This was a great feeling because I was able to help them out and get rid of something taking up space.
4) For games now because of back log, I don't even bother buying new games unless it's an absolutely must play for spoiler reasons (think Sony 1st studio games). I'm sure that the average price of games purchases for me have to like $20. I also was able to purchase Game Pass for 3 years for like a little over $100.
For me, in terms of a purchasing high, it's the antipication of getting something that would likely be a sizable upgrade and getting it for a great price. If I had a house, I don't think I would care much about having OLEDs in multiple rooms, unless it was a stupidly fantastic deal. What I think is more likely is that in 5+ years, I get a TV with better tech and that's physically larger and move my 65 inch OLED to another room once I have a place.
It's an issue for me too, this year I've been really bad. I'm not totally unhinged, I have limits and I'm mindful of my budget, but I will buy stuff all the time that I would be totally fine without if I was more honest with myself. I'm worse about it with games, I have a hard time resisting a discount on a well regarded game even if I don't realistically see myself finishing that game or even playing it that much at all.
Generally I take some time to buy something expensive. I buy stuff like: books, a new videogame console, new games, etc.
I think I always buy with the intention of playing or getting a certain use out of a product, even if sometimes that game just stays there unplayed eternally or I don't use the device as much as I expected to. Just buying it to get a high out of it is weird...
With games software and games accessories, yes, I do this at a shameful (but probably not the most severe) rate.
OP it might actually be cheaper to get into actual drugs.
I get the enthusiasm for new and shiny toys though; but these days I find I get more enjoyment out of having the bare minimum amount of products in my home.
Or I guess, charitable donations if you are feeling particularly human. ; )
I get the enthusiasm for new and shiny toys though; but these days I find I get more enjoyment out of having the bare minimum amount of products in my home.
I used to, but after a mindset change, I get much more satisfaction out of minimalist buying practices and saving money for things I really want. I used to buy lots of things for the 'high/satisfaction', but it would wear off.
I chucked a whole heap of crap away, sold/gave away almost all of my collectible items, stopped buying collectibles as they just sat on a shelf bringing me no joy and instead started saving. I feel so much better now. I don't buy pointless crap anymore.
Gaming is my big hobby and I did just buy a PS5, Series X and LG CX 48 inch for my gaming setup using money I saved buy being a lot more minimalist in my buying practices. I feel good about it though, this will be my gaming setup for at least the next 5 years and is worth the investment to me. Much better than buying stuff I don't really want just for a small 'high'.
I chucked a whole heap of crap away, sold/gave away almost all of my collectible items, stopped buying collectibles as they just sat on a shelf bringing me no joy and instead started saving. I feel so much better now. I don't buy pointless crap anymore.
Gaming is my big hobby and I did just buy a PS5, Series X and LG CX 48 inch for my gaming setup using money I saved buy being a lot more minimalist in my buying practices. I feel good about it though, this will be my gaming setup for at least the next 5 years and is worth the investment to me. Much better than buying stuff I don't really want just for a small 'high'.
Not at all, in fact quite the opposite. I hate spending money, and outside of buying new games, I try to use things as long as I can, such as TVs or PC components.
Man, I wish I made that much money so I could do this, lmao. 😢
Closest thing I do to this is buy games and give them away in the giveaway channel in the discord channel I visit. I usually do a game each month, but I didn't this month because I'm kinda strapped from buying gifts (I bought an Oculus Quest 2 for a family friend... I hope he gets it okay and it doesn't like get.... porch stolen).
It just feels good buying stuff for other people. Wish I could do it more often lol.
Closest thing I do to this is buy games and give them away in the giveaway channel in the discord channel I visit. I usually do a game each month, but I didn't this month because I'm kinda strapped from buying gifts (I bought an Oculus Quest 2 for a family friend... I hope he gets it okay and it doesn't like get.... porch stolen).
It just feels good buying stuff for other people. Wish I could do it more often lol.
Is it common? I would think doing things you enjoy is a better way to feel better, even if its something simple. At least that's how I feel
Buying random things just makes me feel worse because I think about how much it costs, and if I saved the money I could use it for something better.
No, I never feel the need to spend for the sheer sake of it, but I have found myself trying to get ahead of the collectors/resellers market. If anything interests me, and looks it could be niche, have a limited print-run, etc, then I try to get it in a reasonable timeframe.
The feeling of discovering something, only to find it's prohibitively expensive, is really disheartening.
The feeling of discovering something, only to find it's prohibitively expensive, is really disheartening.
Outside looking in it may seem like that way as the second half of the year has been a little expensive - Bravia X900H, both next-gen consoles, a 4K Blu-ray player, and of course games & movies to feed these things. But for me it's more practical than chasing a high. I haven't been travelling, hanging out, or funding some of my other hobbies. Spending so much time at home, which looks to continue for the foreseeable future, it just made sense to upgrade my entertainment set-up and QOL there. It was a great decision. I would've gotten these things eventually, now I don't have to worry about it.
This is a huge issue for me. I absolutely do heavily use everything I buy (my two primary hobbies are cooking and games), and it's never just frivolous impulse that drives a purchase, but I'm always thirsty to buy something despite how fiscally irresponsible it may be.
Having recently moved out and been faced with the reality of actual bills consistently, I've gotten dramatically better about this out of necessity but it's taken a huge toll on my mental health. I'm good at budgeting now and single with minimal expenses so I still can grab new releases and hardware when needed, but I have to actively fight the urge to buy things on a daily basis. It's miserable and something I've been trying to work on through therapy, because I don't *want* to buy shit. I just have this like guttural urge to do so constantly.
Having recently moved out and been faced with the reality of actual bills consistently, I've gotten dramatically better about this out of necessity but it's taken a huge toll on my mental health. I'm good at budgeting now and single with minimal expenses so I still can grab new releases and hardware when needed, but I have to actively fight the urge to buy things on a daily basis. It's miserable and something I've been trying to work on through therapy, because I don't *want* to buy shit. I just have this like guttural urge to do so constantly.
Not so much on myself, but spending on others is the real deal. There are papers written about it.
Absolutely not. I grew up poor as shit and weigh up every big purchase I make, to make sure I need it, or want it enough to save up for.