Our relationship with money is heavily influenced by our money beliefs, these unconscious beliefs are formed and develop through our upbringing and life experiences.
For example: People who grow up in an environment where money is scarce, they may exhibit protective money behaviour as an adults.
Stackin' groups these behaviours into 4 broad groups:
Money Romance
“You tend to believe that money is the key to happiness.”
Money rules everything around you — and the world at large. Therefore, it’s no surprise that having more money makes your feel like life is easier and gives you more control. You work hard for your money, but can often spend beyond what you need because you use money to chase happiness: whether it’s spending money on other people or treating yourself a little too often.
You believe that happiness is always around the corner with the next purchase or upcoming trip. However, the mission to have more money can be all-consuming and you are never fully satisfied because you are chasing something that doesn’t exist. You prioritize money over other ways happiness can be created.
Money Evasion
“You tend to believe that money is bad, and try to avoid it.”
You view money as a necessary evil and would rather not deal with it if you can. Money causes you distress, anxiety, and fear. So you avoid it, especially when you see what money can do to people and relationships. You feel that people with too much money, or who spend too much time thinking about money, are greedy and superficial.
You prefer not to engage or really pay attention to your money, refusing to check your bank accounts or bills until you really have to. You might feel like you don’t deserve money, but by avoiding it you let it define how you live.
Money Protection
“You tend to believe that you never have enough money.”
You view money as a tool that enables your stability and security and think it should be collected, managed, and used in very specific ways. You tend to think carefully about how you use your money, and have a bias toward saving what you make instead of spending it. You tend to focus on accumulating your wealth and lose perspective on how to use money for happiness in the present moments.
Your very attentive approach to money can drive anxiety, fueling the fear that you are spending frivolously or not saving enough. No matter how much you save or earn, you might feel that it’s not enough, while ignoring where you are and how far you’ve come.
Money Reflection
“You tend to link your self-worth to how much money you have.”
Money and what money gets you is a reflection of who you are. The lifestyle you can afford reflects how you value yourself: an expensive car is a sign that you’re successful, a no-expenses spared trip because you’re worth it. You tend to see material objects as a sign of your value, trying to prove to yourself that you are successful.
You might spend more than you can afford because it reflects how good and successful you want to be. You depend on your ability to buy or use your money to feel good, always chasing the validation that you hope money will give you.