How Quitting My Toxic Job Helped Me Stop Impulse Spending and Heal My Relationship with Money
I’ve always considered myself good with money—frugal, even. But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, everything changed. I found myself impulse buying, endlessly scrolling, clicking on Instagram ads, and treating Amazon like it was free. After months of social distancing, I didn’t want my finances to feel restricted, either.
This cycle of emotional spending lasted for years. While I occasionally set spending boundaries, they were often ignored, especially for little indulgences like swimsuits or earrings. Fortunately, I had a high-paying corporate job, so I could cover my expenses and pay off my credit card each month.
But three weeks ago, everything shifted.
I quit my toxic job in corporate America to start my own business. The work environment had become increasingly unbearable since the start of the year, and I decided to leave within just three months. That didn’t leave much time to build a financial cushion. I had only five months’ worth of bare-minimum living expenses when I walked away. That meant no impulse purchases, no Amazon splurges, and definitely no dopamine hits from clicking “Buy Now.”
I thought this level of financial restriction would feel miserable.
Instead, I experienced a surprising epiphany: outside of the toxic environment, I had no desire to shop emotionally. I didn’t need to self-soothe with spending anymore because I was finally free from the stress that had been silently draining me for years.
I realized I had been emotionally shopping to cope with job-related anxiety. As self-aware as I am, this connection didn’t become clear until the stressor was gone.
That made me ask deeper questions:
In what other ways have I been self-medicating without realizing it?
How can I recognize these patterns in real time and not just in hindsight?
And if I totaled the money I spent on emotional purchases over the past five years, would I be sick to my stomach?
Leaving my toxic job didn’t just heal my mental health. It also transformed my money mindset.
I don’t recommend quitting your job as a strategy for fixing your finances but for me, the unintended consequence was powerful. I now buy intentionally and only spend on what truly matters.