9 Things Your Spending Actually Reveals About Your Priorities

We all have aspirations about who we want to be or what we want to accomplish. But how many of us are willing to honestly evaluate our lives and determine if those intentions are actually being realized? One of my favorite ways to measure progress in my own life is to see how my actions align with the values and goals I have set for myself. What better place to start than by looking at my spending— both monetary and time.

I have found that my spending doesn’t lie. It doesn’t sugar coat or rationalize. It simply points out, by the facts, how I’m allocating my resources— and therefore, what I’m actually prioritizing. As we’ve all learned the hard way at one point or another, real life priorities aren’t some abstract thing we can point to or make a list of, they’re nothing more than the things we choose to give our attention to each day.

What your spending reveals about you can be broken into two categories: the intentions you have already made progress on, and the areas that you’re falling short of your aspirations. By taking stock of what you’re actually doing, you can decide whether or not these behaviors align with the person you want to be.

Here are, more specifically, some of the things your spending can reveal about your priorities, and they reasons you might want to make some changes.

How much you want to be debt free

There are very few things in life that offer such a high ratio of ease and accessibility to profound impact on your life satisfaction as living debt-free. Not only can it make you a calmer, less anxious person, but it can have positive spillovers into your health, your marriage, or your ability to focus on your faith and friendships. No one has ever regretted getting out of debt— only the years they let it linger.

How naturally frugal or thrifty you are

When it comes to frugality, there are three broad categories in which most of us fall. There are those who spend money in a way that maximizes their happiness. There are those who prioritize saving money above everything and are emotionally unable to spend it. And finally, there are people who spend too much money and find themselves in debt as a result. When you look at your spending, which category do you tend to lean towards?

How much you can tolerate delayed gratification

There are many virtues in this life that don’t come naturally. For example, it doesn’t feel good in the moment to be kind to someone who has hurt you. Likewise, putting off something you like, when you could have it now, is not the path of least resistance. But just like exercise isn’t easy, and getting out of bed early is uncomfortable, there are many benefits to learning how to delay gratification. Your spending will reveal whether this has been a priority in your life.

Your attitude towards the future

In the same way that a person who is trustworthy keeps their promises, a person who looks favorably towards the future makes regular investments to ensure its security and health. You may not think of yourself this way, but if you’re not saving towards the future, then you’re essentially hoping that someone else will or that the future will take care of itself.

The degree to which you’re emotionally calm

Have you ever noticed how people tend to spend more money when they are feeling stressed or anxious? For some people, it’s a form of comfort to distract themselves from their worries with a small purchase. Another supposedly calming behavior is to eat more when you’re stressed, which can be costly in two ways— both directly and indirectly in terms of healthcare costs. Getting your emotions in order can not only be good for your health and finances, it’s essential for living a well-ordered life.

Your faith in the future

Among all the variables that determine the level of investment in a society, whether in terms of new business formation or personal savings, faith in the future is perhaps the single most important factor. If people are optimistic about the future, they will invest in it. They will bet on it. They will put their money towards it and in doing so, help to bring about more growth and more progress. There’s a lesson here for all of us. If we want more of something in the future, we need only to invest our time and money into it today.

How bad you want to leave a legacy

There are many different ways to leave a legacy. In the past, people were limited to what they could accomplish with their money. But today, we have the potential to leave the world a better place in numerous ways. We can invest our time and money in our children, our community, or the physical places we inhabit. Many people say they want to leave a legacy, but a quick look at their spending will show if they really mean it.

How thrifty or wasteful you are with your time

I consider myself an extremely thrifty person when it comes to spending money. I like to make my purchases intentional and maximize the value I get for every dollar spent. But for most of my life, I tended to be the exact opposite with my time. I lived spontaneously and let my emotions guide what I did next. This approach is okay when you’re a child, but not when you’re an adult with responsibilities. One of the best decisions of my thirties was to apply my frugal instincts for money to the way I spend my time.

If you waste your time or spend it in an intentional way

One of the biggest changes in my life over the past decade has been the way that I spend my time. I went from wasting enormous amounts of it, scrolling the Internet or doing whatever felt good at the moment, to creating a personal system for my life that allows me to maximize the things that I value most. One of the biggest changes I made was to apply the same thrifty mindset I already used with money towards my time. Doing so enabled me to get more value and benefit out of the time I used, and less waste.

Conclusion

The way you spend your money and time is not only a reflection of who you are, but a formative practice that shapes who you are becoming. You get to vote on your future personhood every day based on what you choose to pursue— don’t waste this opportunity making decisions you’ll later come to regret.