How do I stop spending all my money on gambling?
Despite earning enough to cover basic living expenses, people get trapped in a cycle of impulsive spending and gambling that drains every paycheck. This self-sabotaging habit leaves them with nothing left to save, damaging relationships and trapping them in repeated financial holes.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Writing out historical spending records day by day
- 2Referring to Gamblers Anonymous
- 3Creating a strict financial budget
- 4getting professional help for a gambling addiction
- 5deleting gambling apps
- 6having someone trusted change account passwords
- 7attending support meetings
- 8automating retirement contributions directly from paychecks
- 9setting up automatic transfers to brokerage accounts on payday
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I am completely awful with my money, and all my expenses are way less than half of my monthly income, I have always have these goals of saving money but I just self-sabotage, I am currently living paycheck to paycheck, I have dug myself holes but I’ve always gotten out, I have dug myself into a hole again and I’ve just had enough.”source ↗
“I want to take my wife out but I have nothing, If this keeps going on I don’t think she will be around too much longer, it’s mostly gambling and buying unnecessary shit.”source ↗
“I keep getting stuck in gambling, and I also have a hard time actually putting money aside.”source ↗
“Whenever I get some money, I tell myself I’ll save it, but somehow I end up spending it or gambling with it instead.”source ↗
“I keep repeating the same cycle and I really want to break out of it.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 9How to stop feeling guilty about spending savings on yourself
- 5Why can't I spend money on myself even though I earn well?
- 2How to stop impulse buying from shopping apps
- 3What to do when your business spends more than it makes
- 2How to stop an aging parent from compulsive online shopping and debt
- 6Why do routine monthly bills keep getting more expensive?