Hi, How’s it going? I hope you’re having a good day.<\/p>\n
Have you been out in the stores lately? I can’t believe how, even in this economy, people are flooding the stores to buy Christmas presents! But it’s getting crazy out there! Lines are really getting to be long, which really frustrates me when I have to wait so long just to buy one thing!<\/p>\n
I’m sure you’ve experienced the same frustration.<\/p>\n
Anyway, onto today’s topic: A warning for the holidays.<\/p>\n
Speaking of shopping\u2026Here’s how it relates to bipolar disorder:<\/p>\n
If your loved one has had an episode in the past where they overspent or spent frivolously, then you should already have made a plan to protect your finances. So the warning is to keep your<\/p>\n
eye on your loved one’s spending at this holiday time.<\/p>\n
It would be too easy for them to get involved in all the excitement in the Christmas sales, the store promotions, etc. And this could very easily push them into a bipolar manic episode, which is something you do NOT want to be dealing with right now.<\/p>\n
The only way for you to protect your finances at this time is to be proactive, and limit the amount of money which your loved one has access to. You still want them to be able to go Christmas shopping and spend some money on their own, but you can at least limit it.<\/p>\n
Here’s what I DON’T suggest: Giving them the credit card and just telling them the limit they can spend. It would be too easy, once they had access to it, to max out your card, and you’re running a risk here. You’re better off just giving them cash, which is a finite amount of money.<\/p>\n
When they run out, they run out.<\/p>\n
Another suggestion is to make a list. Have your loved one make a list of everything they need to get. Figure the amount of money they will need according to that list. Having a list should help them to be self-directed and restrained, if they only get what’s on the list.<\/p>\n
You could also use this list to determine how much money they will need (or, if they are buying<\/p>\n
for you, ask them how much money they will need \u2013 within reason, of course). This way you won’t end up like this one couple I know.<\/p>\n
He has bipolar disorder, and in the past has had a problem with excessive spending. He wasn’t really manic at the time that his wife gave him the debit card. He said he had just a few things to<\/p>\n
pick up, but they were to be a surprise for her. She told him not to go over a certain amount of money (according to what they had in the bank).<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, he got caught up in all the excitement at the store, and he spent beyond that limit, putting them into overdraft. Needless to say, his wife was rather upset when she found out how much he had spent. When she confronted him, her husband could give no reasonable explanation for why he spent over his limit.<\/p>\n
That’s why the idea of giving your loved one cash to work with, and limiting the amount, is a good idea. Then you won’t go through what this couple went through.<\/p>\n
Well, I have to go!<\/p>\n
Your Friend,<\/p>\n
Dave<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hi, How’s it going? I hope you’re having a good day.<\/p>\n
Have you been out in the stores lately? I can’t believe how, even in this economy, people are flooding the stores to buy Christmas presents! But it’s getting crazy out there! Lines are really getting to be long, which really frustrates me when I have to wait so long just to buy one thing!<\/p>\n
I’m sure you’ve experienced the same frustration.<\/p>\n