With each charge to my credit card, I rode the “buyer’s high”—a high that I hadn’t experienced in years. It occurred just after each purchase, and, like the addict’s hit, I felt the gush of instant gratification, followed by a guilty hangover—a hangover only to be cured with yet another purchase and another after that. It was easy to live frugally when I didn’t have any money. Being voluntarily poor was something else entirely.
