Haha - thats the funniest thing I've seen all day. I'm one of those idiots who have spent $500+ in the app store (its probably a lot higher than that, Im just really afraid to look). I took my debit card info off of iTunes and am limiting myself to using giftcards. This has helped a lot when it comes to impulse buyiing (if I dont have enough money on the gift card to buy an app, I have to go to the store to buy a new gift card. 9 times out of 10, by the time I get home with the new card, I really don't even want the new game anymore). Oddly enough, I am more concerned with using up gift card balances than I was when I was using my debit card. I never want to use the gift card balance for bad purchases for fear that I am wasting my money. Compare that to blindly clicking "Buy" when I was using my debit card without thinking twice about it. It always stung a little when I would get an email for my iTunes receipt and have a balance of $50. Another thing that has helped a TON is limiting myself to one page of games (16 games). In other words, I only keep the games I play alot on my phone, and if I want a new game, its got to be better than one of the games I already really enjoy playing. By doing this, I have cut my spending per month to less than what I used to spend in a week (or less).
One page of games?! Now that's just silly. And here i am, hoping for an update that will add a page or two to the limit. 9 pages is not enough!!
Buy iTunes gift cards, because you can see how much you are spending, and how much you have left. IM DEAD SERIOUS, DO IT. I was addicted to buying games but once I bought some Itunes cards, just seeing how much I had left before I had to buy a new cars, stopped myself from buying an app unless I REALLY REALLY wanted it. I went from spending 20 bucks a week on average, to spending 22 dollars TOTAL in the past 2 months.
Yes, that will do you some good. Avoid games with text in the icons, or expensive ones with no use. Just kidding, the real cure is to carefully pick out one app you are sure you want, and then suck all the goodness out of it, like a vampire. This way, you will be entertained for longer in between purchases, curing the virus knows as "Appetitus"
I wish I knew how to solve an app addiction. I'm trying hard but for each step forward I seem to take two backwards. On another note, can a mod please move this thread to the Lounge forum.
OR... beta test apps/earn promo codes in forums here. this saves you a lot of money, and helps the dev. too for example, i thought of buying spore but didnt because of its expensive tag, but i got one of those 200 codes from that survey and saved myself 10 bucks.
I was going to suggest this app anyway. It used to be free. If you REALLY, REALLY want to stop your addiction, I have a 99 cent solution. If DS Effects doesn't do the trick, I've got your transdermal app patch right here. Pay 99 cents for this cure. http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=300445059&mt=8 This is the only app you will ever need. The animations are the most polished that I've seen since Rolando. The gameplay and over all replayability are equaled only by a select few epic games. I beg of you, go forth and download "Fingermill Revenge".
. I know what you mean. I can't win though, since I sell Smiles Zen and Smiles Drop separately. I *have* to be clear that Smiles is both games. Only shows up like that in iTunes though. Sadly, Smiles has the trifecta of game shame working against it. 1. Matching game 2. Text in name 3. Priced over $0.99 It doesn't matter how good or highly praised the game is, the trifecta strikes again.
I'm not joking, if you pay real money for Fingermill Revenge, it should stop your addiction. It was hands down the worst free app I had ever downloaded, now it costs a buck.
If you have a job/source of income you are more likely to buy stuff! So when I start my job I hope I don't blow my first weeks wage on the 20 apps I added to appsniper
Use AppSniper, use their Free Apps filter. If looking at paid apps, put them onto the Snipe list at a lower price and wait. You should be busy enough with the free apps or currently owned games to tide you over. Follow games forums like here, and see what everyone says about a game before diving in. Alternatively, search for video reviews on YouTube. Get a better idea of what the game involves before buying. We've all suffered from paying for games overpriced for what its worth, and are now more experienced and savvy any making informed decisions rather than impulsive buys. So most of us are able to judge a game's value. eg. I would value Slotz Racer at $5.99 while on retrospect, Spore is only $0.99. Promise yourself to finish off existing games first. Reward yourself this by buying a game from your AppSniper list only after you've finished one. Make sure you have the time to play the new games! No point buying an RPG, Monopoly or Sim City if you only have time to play in short bursts of 2-3mins. (It'll take you that long to load up a big city anyway!) Oh, and others' suggestions to use gift cards instead should also help! Good luck!
That's alright. Despite the text, we all still love your game. As a last resort, my might want to consider App Rehab.
