One of the first questions I ask my clients is: where do you spend your money? Along with other questions like, where do you spend your time online? and what could you give a presentation on with no preparation? these questions can reveal a lot about who you are, what's really important to you, and what comes most naturally.

I've been thinking about the spending piece for a while, ever since it came up in conversation that some friends are more likely to spend their extra cash on things like beauty products, designer clothes, or false eyelashes, meanwhile I'm over here buying fancy alarm clocks loaded with meditations and sound baths, ergonomic desk chairs, and one of my most favorite possessions: the Stoolie Stool!

Nobody's spending choices are better or worse, of course, but it was a clear cut way to see the differences between us, the things that we value, and the ways we *treat* ourselves. As I've been taking a deeper dive into my spending habits as of late, I notice the majority of my spending falls into 4 categories:

1. Groceries: as someone who cooks 95% of all the things I eat, invests in high quality whole foods, and at times feels like an insatiable bottomless pit, this is by far the largest spending category for me.
2. House stuff: is anyone surprised? Plants, paint, curtain hooks, etc, I will never stop decorating, nesting, and making my home feel as good as it possibly can to be in.
3. Health & self-care: this is where I categorize things like appointments with my muscle tester/nutritionist, and the super nourishing face cream I get from Live Live & Organic.
4. Eating out/ordering in: barely inching past all other categories (transportation, clothing, gifts) my weekly pizza night, Saturday brunch, and occasional bacon, egg, and cheese help to round out the last of the top 4 categories.

Why is this important? Because - look! It's me, Megan Cuzzolino, represented in dollars and cents. Based on what you know about me, would you imagine it being anything different? In this instance, I'm relatively happy with how these categories shake out, because it aligns well with my personal values and priorities. If, say, getting my hair done was blowing past "house stuff," it simply wouldn't make sense for me. But maybe it does for you!

So, asking yourself these questions can:

(1) Help you learn that much more about yourself and what you value. Thinking about the announcement I shared last week, it's easy to see how all these aspects of myself come together: health, design, self-care, and lifestyle. These are what make me, me.

(2) Notice where your values are not aligning with your behavior. If you did realize you are spending on things that aren't actually important to you, you can make changes to remedy the disconnect. For example, if you say you value your health, but don't allow yourself to spend on your own well-being, you're sending yourself pretty mixed signals, not walking your talk, and might experience what we call "cognitive dissonance." This is where your thoughts or actions don't line up with the person you see yourself being or want to be.

So where do you spend? What's most important to you? Do you see your personality beaming through in your bank account? Or does it look like someone else's bank statement entirely? Where can you make adjustments to re-align, to close the gap between who you are showing up as and who you want to be? And furthermore, how can these spending habits help to illuminate your path forward?

Til next time.

xo,
m.