Psychology of Spending

Psychology of Spending

Have you ever stopped to think there are psychological reasons telling us why we spend money the ways we do? Science has shown that our spending habits can often directly reflect our emotional being and inner desires. Though we may not give much thought to it, every purchase can be tied back to our emotions, known as the “Psychology of Spending.”

Some may spend money to feel “even” in life with others. Others may spend money as a way to search for happiness. Though it is common to jump on board to buy all the new, trendy, expensive items that come up all over social media, this is just one example of an unhealthy spending habit! We may justify these purchases by thinking it is just ‘a little here’ and ‘a little there,’ but these seemingly small purchases add up quickly! Bad spending habits can make it difficult to build personal savings.

If you feel that your emotions often get in the way of your money goals, try rewiring your psychology of spending! It can be challenging, but if you start small and ease into it, you will have a seamless process of validating purchases very soon!

One clever trick is this: if you think you “need” a new item (that is not a necessity), give yourself one month to think about it. At the end of the month, if you still deem it necessary to make the purchase, go for it. This way, you provide more emotional thought to your spending habits and help yourself by working towards your financial goals!

For another outlook on the psychology of spending and how to undermine it, check out

https://www.rivermarkcu.org/blog/financially-fit/the-new-psychology-of-spending

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Brylee Bergbower is a student at the University of Texas at Tyler studying Kinesiology who is taking on the world, learning about financial matters, and writing about it for Kelly Community. In her spare time Brylee juggles two part-time jobs, spends time with family and friends, stays fit, and studies!