Ashamed of how much I've spent on a stupid mobile game

[CareHomeWorries]

Been having a really rough time so far this year (my mum died, my dad was moved into a care home, my car was written off by a drunk driver crashing into it and I've been suffering with very severe anxiety)

I've been playing a stupid game called Gecko Out. It's a puzzle game and has been a good distraction from everything. I've just looked properly at my bank and I've spent £100+ on buying coins and power ups.

I feel so ashamed and bloody stupid for doing it. I can afford it but it's such a waste of money. Just didn't realize how often I was spending money on it, especially when it was just a couple of quid at a time. I've deleted it now and won't do it again but I feel awful over wasting the money.

It's not the end of the world and no reason to feel ashamed. You've been going through a hard time and it's been an escape, some people in your situation would have spent the same money on more on wine, takeaways, snacks etc. Youve realised now and put a stop to it before it got to a really high amount. Just move on from it now you don't need to dwell on it or make yourself feel bad. Sorry you've had such a hard time, hope things get easier for you.

It's done now, no point beating yourself up over it. We've all done stupid things.

People spend a lot more on their hobbies. Did you enjoy it? Was it a good distraction? If you can afford it I wouldn’t worry about it.

You are being unreasonable to feel ashamed. It could have been magazines, alcohol, cinema, whatever to relax and de-stress. It's not a lot to have spent in a few months.

I spent nearly 6k on a game called Last Fortress over the course of last year. I had no idea until I added it all up. I absolutely kicked myself. I had to delete it and really give myself a massive kick up the bum. You aren’t alone. These games are designed to draw you in without realising. Deleting them is the only way to move forward.

You could easily have blown that on a night out or a trolley dash in Primark. It wouldn’t have got you far on a designer handbag. Please don’t stress about giving yourself a distraction at a really tricky time.

Mindless spending is never a good thing and that is £100 you will never get back. But people spend (or waste) money on lots of unnecessary things for emotional reasons - nice coffees, wine, cigarettes - this is no different. Don’t beat yourself up. You have noticed and can knock it on the head before it gets out of control.

Aw it's okay, sometimes we just need downtime to empty our brains. Most hobbies cost more than that. Cut yourself some slack (and find a new game for the difficult days!).

Don’t be hard on yourself OP. Mobile games have helped me immensely when my anxiety was through the roof. As a PP said people would spend that on booze, fags or drugs without batting an eyelid.

Try Mahong. It’s a freebie game and very soothing.

A relative codes a game for a company that has people buying stuff for CGI cars and they spend 1000s doing this. Literally cartoon cars!!!
Delete the app and don't stress out about it xx

This was me with Gossip Harbor.

Had to delete it and go cold turkey.

Oh give yourself a break!!

im really sorry to hear about both your parents & your car! You've had a shit year!!

£100 to distract you a bit & help you get through it isn't much! It doesn't matter what it was on.

Would it make you feel any better if I said I had a stroke last year & I've spent much more than that on a similar type of game & more on various books & bits to help me through this year? & I'm probably not going to be able to work again so really shouldn't be spending my small amount of savings I'm living on 🙇🏻‍♀️

what else could you have spent the £100 on that would have distracted you & helped you as much as playing this game?

There are lots of free games (without purchasing options) on the Independent Arkadium page. My favourites are Mahjongg Solitaire and Jewel Shuffle, not intellectual but quite a challenge.

Don't feel ashamed. I got addicted to a game (my singing monsters) after my mum died. I didn't spend money on it but you have nothing to be ashamed of and you aren't in financial hardship as a result so write it off to grief and be kind to yourself.

I spend money on games. I don’t drink, I don’t have any expensive hobbies, I don’t spend money on clothes regularly. A game for a console will set you back £50. I have no issue spending on a well crafted, well maintained game, these developers can’t work for free. I’m selective what I spend on, put an amount on my Apple account and don’t exceed it. It isn’t a waste of money, it’s the price of some of my leisure time.

It helped you relax during a very difficult time. I wouldn’t give it any more thought. Going out for a few coffees or having a glass of wine etc would soon add up to more than that.

I not long ago experienced bereavement too and found games on my phone a really effective form of mindfulness and relaxation.

I hope things feel better soon.

Don't beat yourself up, OP. I spent way too much on Sims Mobile and it was mostly stress-driven. (Thankfully for my bank balance, the game is no longer in existence. 😄)

As pps say, a night out can cost you that much these days. These things happen, just make a resolution to stop.

I must have done similar with a different game. I haven’t checked and I don’t want to know. Cutting myself off from the game several months ago was the right decision but I do occasionally still get the urge to play it. So addictive!

I had this with Royal Match until my interest in it suddenly waned. You are not alone in getting sucked in

This was the game I was interested in. It wasn’t even the money that triggered me to cut myself off but the sheer amount of time I wasted on it.

Shift your mindset OP.
You spent £100 on techno therapy to help you cope with a rough spell.
You've not gone into debt over it.
Consider it your treat to yourself and move on.
Sorry for your troubles.

Mindless spending is obviously not good, but I see spending on games as spending on entertainment. You could have easily spent that money on 6-7 cinema trips, which would have kept you entertained for 3h at a time. You got many more hours of enjoyment from your game.

You need to go easier on yourself.
You have had a really tough time recently, this game hasn't caused you any financial hardship, and it's helped you through this time. People spend way more on other hobbies, even console games are £60+ each, so in the grand scheme of things you have spent an amount that was affordable to yourself on something that you enjoyed, that isn't a bad thing or something you should feel guilty about.

I made a typo in the first post - it's over 200. Feel like such a tit spending money on pixels and fake currency.

Thank you all for being so kind 💐💐💐

It gave you escapism so it was worth it x