I can't decide if this is a good thing or a bad thing for me. I basically dont ever buy anything anymore, just the essentials like bills, fuel, and food. Occasionally I may spend $60 on a video game that I never play but that happens "maybe 2-3 times a year"

Pretty much all of my income goes towards the above and 401k. The rest gets funneled into my poker life. I keep separate bankrolls for life and poker and the poker bankroll is self-sustaining and growing, however I never really want to ever treat myself to anything. I just continue to save money for later (which I know isn't a bad thing)

However, I have learned something about myself. After any significant losing session I always want to go out and spend money on something. Almost as if my mind is telling me to spend it while I have it, or maybe I have beliefs that I may lose all of my money before I can spend any of it. I never have desires to spend money after a winning session. I have even had friends tell me that we should go out to a restaurant after a session to celebrate a win however I didn't want to because I felt like I could save $5 or so by just doing my normal thing.

Anyone else suffer from this? (not sure if suffer is the right word)

Finally someone has come up w/ something new! Thanks! It seems like a minor problem to me unless you're going way off budget so don't worry if you're not. You're working and saving, there's nothing wrong w/ being frugal and there's nothing wrong w/ not wanting to spend money for things you don't want/need.

It's an interesting problem that you have. I almost put problem in quotes for that matter. Don't sweat it is my opinion unless, as I said above, you're spending too much.

Total opposite of me. I want to spend , be generous after wins. When losing , the pure strings tighten.

As long as your bankroll is deep enough, you should just consider yourself to have profited in every session you ever play. Where your profit is your hourly expectation times however many hours you put in that session. So you're looking at it exactly as you would a day put in, in any 'normal,' job. If you had a normal job you would never spend a bunch of money on any random day 'just cause,' you would adhear to a spending budget, that you would apply equally on all days.

Don't spend according to your daily results no matter if they are good or bad. Spend according to your hourly winrate times the number of hours you put in, because that tells you what you have really made, and therefore what you can actually afford to spend.

Jim Morrison would love the people with their money subject, because people sure are strange. Just keep working on that retirement account and you'll be okay assuming you've started early in life which shockingly few do. In terms of wanting to spend or not spend, its a tenacious quality. Don't fight it too much.

I always felt like I won zero % when saying, "If I win I'm going to buy this." Had to totally scrap that plan. One piece of advise, put those wins toward debt. Wipe that debt out, stuff the 401, live. So many pleasures are free or virtually free I like your plan of not spending. Anything is better than the practically burning money after wins attitude. And you obviously don't have that one.

Interesting problem. I wouldn't worry about this unless you are spending more than you can afford, on luxuries you don't need.

I believe there is research suggesting buying nice things provides a temporary feel good. It's possible to get this kind of reward from other activities such as exercise, so perhaps try to form a habit to workout after a losing session?

Cauz like I knew guys that would take off, say, a $1200 win, go to the titty bar and spend the whole shebang, wake up drunk and broke, then do the same thing the next time they won. Stuffing g-strings instead of 401K is not a plan.

Saving for retirement is betting on you surviving until you can retire and having your health intact when you do retire. Here in Sweden around 11% of 20 year olds don't make it until retirement. And we have "free" healthcare.

So don't put all your money on a 9 in 10 shot. Rub some on titties too

I think I hear you saying then that you have about a 90% chance to live to retirement, maybe 95+ if you don't live dangerously or abuse drugs. That is worth saving for, bro. I will agree that the idea is not to be a miser and not live fully. Don't like that plan at all. A lot of people, even a surprising amount of gamblers, are so tight with money away from tables. Live AND save.

A shocking % of people never implement a retirement account. They reach 65, apparenlty, having never considered it. I was one of them kind of, kind of not. I started better late than never. A friend started at age 19. His uncle talked him into it and matched anything he put in for several years. Wow. Good uncle. But I've long said to these guys who are in and out of thousands every week, to put $100 or $200 per week in retirement ... mind boggling what that can be in 40 years time esp for the average scuffler.