Money on My Mind: 3 Ways to Bring Mindfulness into Your Finances

We all have a unique relationship to money. I’m saying “unique” euphemistically, of course, as many of us have a garbage relationship to money. Maybe you inherited certain ideas around what is and is not okay to spend money on from your parents or caregivers growing up. Maybe as a young adult you developed a dollar amount that is “safe” to have in the bank and now freak out when it’s not there. Maybe you have come up with your own notions around what is acceptable debt to carry or have guilt around how much money is in your account.

The other day I bought a scone and a coffee and spent $6.50. I smiled at the barista but inwardly I thought, “$6.50? For this?” and shame rose up in my body. That’s simply too much for me to consider spending on such things. Maybe you think it’s nothing or maybe you agree that’s a lot. Relatedly, if I asked you and five of your friends to name an acceptable amount to spend on a pair of shoes I imagine we’d develop seven different answers between us. Why? Because we all have a unique relationship to money.

Having been born into and raised in a Buddhist household, I feel lucky that part of my relationship to money is viewed through the lens of the traditional concept of basic goodness. Dating back to the time of the Buddha, there is a belief that underneath our swirling layers of confusion, neurosis and pain, we possess an…