Let me first address the elephant in the room – the concept of showing money love sounds weird. I know.
But it is a thing! And an unbelievably important thing, at that.
If you want to be good with money, you have to be good at showing money love.
Want some specific examples of how to show money love?
Transcript:
Yes, you can show you money love and no, I promise this won’t be weird.
If you want your money to be there for you in good times and bad, you’re asking money to love you. And love is a two way street, right? If you want your money to take good care of you, be there for you, and have your back, then you have to do the same for your money. So how do you do that?
How you show your money love is pretty similar to the way you show people love because money behaves like a person. If that sounds crazy to you, check out my video explaining how money behaves like a person.
So one loving behavior is paying attention. You wouldn’t neglect someone you loved, would you? When was the last time you paid close attention to your money? Or any attention for that matter? The best way to do this is to review your bank and credit card statements. But I see people doing everything they can to avoid and even neglect their money by ignoring statements and setting everything to autopay so that they don’t have to engage with their money.
Dealing with your money isn’t always fun and easy, I get that, but true love isn’t always fun and easy, is it? We have to face it because becoming disconnected is the opposite of a loving relationship.
Another thing you do with those you love is spend time with them. How much quality time do you devote to your money? I don’t think money is too high maintenance – I think that an hour in total per month, spent focused on your money, is all it needs to feel seen and loved.
A third way to be loving is to be thoughtful. Are you thoughtful with your money or do you behave compulsively, impulsively, or carelessly? You might be thoughtful sometimes and thoughtless other times, but being consistently and reliably thoughtful is what matters to both people and money. Keeping a values-based budget is a good way to make sure you’re spending your money thoughtfully.
The last one I’ll cover today is that we show love by being protective. When we love someone, we concern ourselves with their whereabouts. We check in with them, ask where they are and what they’re up to, right? It’s important to show money love like that too by tracking where all your money has gone and checking to make sure that no one took any money from you that they shouldn’t have. If you see an unfamiliar charge on a statement, you research the merchant to see if that reminds you what you bought, and if it’s still not familiar, you call your credit card company to report a fraudulent charge.
Start treating your money with love and see how quickly it’ll show you love back.
