What might happen if your financial behaviors DON’T align with your values?

What might happen if your financial behaviors DON’T align with your values?

A) You might stick to your budget and meet all of your financial goals.

B) You could end up overspending on the things that are most important to you.

C) You may spend money on things that won’t help you meet your goals.

D) You might not know what you should spend your money on to best meet your goals.

Answer: C) You may spend money on things that won’t help you meet your goals.

If your spending is not by your principles, values, and goals, then you’ll be likely to engage in spending that does not help achieve your goals and is unproductive according to your ideals. Such a situation creates tension and hampers one’s experience of life outcomes that are essential for one’s well-being. For instance, let’s say you hold ‘financial security’ as a core value, but your ultimate goal is to have a house of your own; and you indulge in frequent nights out or shopping sprees as seen not as a way of supporting your core value and goal. In the same way, if you are an advocate for environmental conservation, but you keep on purchasing cheap clothing materials or items made of plastic, then, your spending pattern is a clear indication of a conflict of interest. This can lead to feelings of guilt or frustration, and, in general, the relation to your financial goals becomes less productive. Another example could be, prioritizing the family time but working elongated hours for the unnecessary lavish items losing precious time with family. Instead of spending money on those things that may matter little or nothing to you, the money could have been used to fund a down payment on a house, on green products, or on creating a good time for the family. Integrating personal beliefs with spending habits guarantees that the money is taken towards the developments that would make a person happy as opposed to being spent carelessly.