Buyer’s remorse can be quite a crappy feeling, especially if the purchase in question was something of high-value and non-refundable—like a car or a house. Whether it’s doubt or guilt driving the feeling, it can get pretty unpleasant.

I’ve had my share of buyer’s remorse in the past, though in recent years I haven’t experienced it as much (except for that recent $27 book).

The strange thing about buyer’s remorse though, is that it seems to have little impact on those that experience it frequently, e.g., those that buys a bunch of crap and complains about it all the time (aka me).

“Argh! I shouldn’t have bought that. Don’t think I can afford it.”

Two weeks later…

“Argh! I shouldn’t have bought that. Don’t think I can afford it.”

For some of my frugal friends though, buyer remorse can be quite a crazy thing. They’ll beat themselves up over the guilt of some small purchase.

“Gosh. I really shouldn’t have bought that pair of pants. It’s like, $20!” (From Ross).

And then I’ll have to calm them down a bit, reminding them that they’re not splurging like a mad person.

“Look, when was the last time you bought a new pair of jeans? 1999? It’s fine.”

I suppose that’s the better type of buyer’s remorse.

Thankfully, most purchases aren’t some life changing decision and are easily reversible. Having a little too much buyer’s remorse lately? Then you might want to check on your spending habit or the decisions you’ve been making.