The Piggy Bank

Money decisions are rarely financial — they are emotional stories in disguise

Most conversations about money focus on techniques:

budgets, tools, hacks, saving challenges.

But underneath every money decision, there is something else at work:

emotion, identity, and narrative.

We don’t just spend money.

We express feelings, beliefs, and unresolved tensions through spending.

Sometimes we spend to feel included.

Sometimes to feel successful.

Sometimes to numb stress or boredom.

Sometimes simply because we don’t want to sit with discomfort.

Social media intensifies this.

We see idealized lives and feel a quiet pressure:

“I should have that. I should look like that. I should live like that.”

The question “Why do we spend money?” is useful, but incomplete.

A more powerful question is:

“Why do we make money — and what emotional story does it serve?”

If money only exists to prove worth, impress others, or escape reality, saving will always feel like deprivation.

We’re not fighting numbers. We’re fighting narratives.

To change our behavior, we need to:

• notice emotional triggers

• understand which feelings drive certain purchases

• design small, realistic shifts instead of radical restrictions

This isn’t about guilt.

It’s about clarity.

When we understand the emotional drivers behind spending, we stop being led by impulse and start making decisions that fit who we want to become.

Saving then is not just “putting money aside.”

It becomes an act of designing a different story for our future.