How to align your spending with your values

Finances and budgets aren’t the most exciting topic for everyone. They can feel mathematical, strict, and, let’s be honest, boring. But what if there was a way to rebrand your spending? Make it feel empowering and freeing, rather than restrictive? Make it reflect you and the life you’re living?  

Your money is powerful after all, and every time you spend, you’re making a vote for the kind of world you want to live in. 

We think it’s time to reframe how you feel about spending money, so that your money works harder for you and the things you care about.  

Tracking your spending 

Budgets often start with the same few categories: bills, food shopping, eating out, savings... we allocate away huge chunks of our money to our “needs”, and sometimes end up feeling there’s little left for our “wants” – which can feel disheartening. Categorising spending such as “eating out” or “shopping” can trigger feelings of guilt, if you’re also trying to balance how much money you’re also putting into “savings.”  

Money can feel emotional, so sometimes this makes us want to hide from our spending. Often, people don’t feel motivated to keep on top of finances, because checking spending and re-categorising transactions can bring up negative feelings or worries about how much money you’re spending.   

But is there another way? Can we step outside the bounds of categorising literally, and reflect on why we’re spending the way we do? 

Re-categorising your spending 

Is the dinner you’re grabbing with a friend tonight just “eating out,” or is it a moment for “connection”? When you buy hand-made jewellery at an arts market, is this “shopping” or is it “supporting local businesses”? Should your bicycle service be filed under “transport” or should it be marked to show your commitment to “sustainable travel”? Can we feel better about spending on “rent” if we’re thinking about it as “home”?  

Is there space in our finances for learning, exploring, and creating? How about for generosity, or for self-care? 

Reframing how we think about spending can achieve two things. It can help us feel better about the money we are spending, and it can also improve our relationship with money too. Because once we realise why we’re spending, it becomes a lot easier to say no to spending that doesn’t serve us.  

By aligning money to your values and what’s important to you, you can spend more consciously and feel good about the life you’re carving out for yourself with your money.  

Your money has purpose  

When you spend with intention, you’re not just shaping your own life – you’re impacting the world around you. When you bank with Triodos, your money can actively support people and the planet. So, it’s not just about feeling good about where your money goes – it’s also knowing that the money sat in your accounts is always working towards a better future.