2. Impulsive Spending
It’s fine to buy yourself somethin’ nice every now and again. But if you’re in the habit of spending impulsively — like, racking up online shopping bills at 2 a.m., or going on shopping sprees when you’re upset — it might be a habit you learned from your family.
“Most people learn how to spend, save, and invest their money by directly mirroring their parents’ financial decisions,” Bruno says. “That means if you have parents who make impulsive financial decisions, chances are you will make them, too. Even more interesting, impulsivity itself can be directly passed down through genetic traits. Those suffering from conditions such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) are much more likely to be impulsive in all areas of their life, including their finances.”
If the latter seems like it might be the case, speak with a therapist ASAP. They can help you figure out why you’re so impulsive, and offers tips on how to better manage it.
3. Unhealthy Beliefs About Money
Since money problems can go beyond impulsive spending, you might also notice that you have a “weird” or unhealthy way of thinking about your finances — and possibly financial problems as a result. “Many of our beliefs, behaviors, and money patterns are fired and wired in our brains by the age of eight,” Certified Money Coach Rebecca Brown tells Bustle. “When we are ‘triggered’ by outside circumstances we often fall back into these patterns subconsciously and/or unconsciously.”
Some examples include feeling guilty about spending money (even when you have enough), feeling like having or saving money is “bad,” feeling like you’ll never be “good” with money, etc. According to Brown, the list goes on and on.
But the good news is, you can change these thought patterns. As Brown says, “The more conscious we are about our relationship with money and the more we source where our beliefs are coming from, the more we can operate within a positive mindset and framework.”