Awesome :) I was just talking to my husband about the things I spend money on and how most of it is to solidify recovery. New clothes, massages, treats for myself, good food, medication, etc. It's totally worth it.

I LOVE this. We are seriously going into debt with my hospital bills, co-pays, med charges (I'm bipolar as well so am on a lot of very expensive meds) and lately I've been wanting Dairy Queen strawberry blizzards. Not cheap. But oh, so worth it. My husband always says all my "expenses" are an investment in me, and our future. You are so right - priceless.

This is so horrifying. I mean, sweet sentiment at the end there, but WOW.

Thank you. I love, love, love this. Sometimes I wonder if all the costs are worth it. Therapist, nutritionist, physician, medication, supplements (I agree that CIB is better than Ensure, but maybe I just have bad associations with Ensure), gas, food... not to mention all the TIME spent. But you're definitely right that recovery is more than worth all that. If I were to list all the pros, they would far surpass all the "cons."

I like this a lot! I spend $20-35 a week on fun stuff--bagels with friends, a drink with friends, fro yo with my husband, a coffee to make my workday better. Is it "wasteful?" From a financial standpoint, totally. Could I live without these things? Yes-I have before and I survived fine. But do these things enhance my life, assist me in having fun times with friends, and like Kim said, solidify my recovery? Undoubtedly.

I never want to be mastered by fear or a false sense of control over my finances. Money is meant to be saved AND enjoyed, and if you don't have looming debt then why save it all for a rainy day? Your life is happening now and I can't think of better things to spend it on than the things that give you those moments where you feel pleased with your life. I spent so much of my life denying myself necessities, that now I refuse to deny myself reasonable pleasures. I know you've written about being "tightfisted" before so I'm glad to see you are loosening the purse strings to enhance your life!! Go CARRIE!!

This is great perspective, as sometimes I think I use the costs associated with recovery to justify further restriction (food, gas, doctors, fun, etc.)

Just the other day I was talking with my mom about how I spend so much more on groceries than the "normal" person. She looked at me and said, "First, food is your medicine. Second, why don't you think you deserve to spend your money on nutritious foods that you love? It's not like you're wasting it on beer and cigarettes, so cut yourself some slack." She's right, and that applies to doctors, a few self-indulgences that make me feel calmer and centered--hopefully better prepared to face the daily challenge of recovery. I worry about the time and money spent, but really, what's most important?

Thank you!

i love this. i always feel SO GUILTY buying tons of Ensure Plus (that stuff is NOT cheap), alond with my therapy bills, meds, and general grocery bills. but then i realize that this is important for me to LIVE. thanks for putting it all into perspective

As my three year old grandson would say: "Exactly!"
No price can be placed on our recovery, our life.

Recovery is priceless. You are making an investment in yourself and the future. Love the post. It is so inspiring!

I think this is awesome, Carrie.
And it totally touches upon something that i think is a really important issue that lots of people struggle with:
"financial anorexia " (or bulimia).
Most of the people with eating disorders who I know have SOME kind of issue with money and either restricting or overspending it. I think it's kind of fascinating how the ED mindset really seeps into other aspects of our lives...
Okay before i write an essay here, i'll shutup.
Just wanted to say great post!

Ha.... I don't know if US had the same Mastercard commercials as Canada did.... but this post reminded me of it....
They say the price of a bunch of things, then something sentimental... priceless. "There are some things money can't buy, for everything else, there's mastercard!"
I think that commercial must have been effective!
A lot of money has been spent on this. In my ED, I was like "oh, I'm saving money... I don't eat so I don't have to buy food!"
But I still did.... buy and throw out so I wouldn't cause suspicion at first. Even when my roommates found out, it was just a habit by that point.
Then one summer I had a cherry phase... i pretty much ate only cherries for the entire summer.... they have a very short season.... then they are soooooo expensive! like almost $20 a bag.....
Plus there is payingn privately for residential in the US, therapy, dietitians, gas getting to appointment, paying for parking at appts (because they are all downtown).... holy. Expensive stuff!

Fair play and well done. Recovery is a bitch but by facing it head on positively like this I know you'll get there. x