Money vigilance
Money likes quiet, and savings for a rainy day.
Want to know your money script? Twenty statements, about four minutes.
In this script, money is an area of responsibility and caution. You save, count, compare, dislike debt and don't tell anyone how much you have. It is the only one of the four scripts that Klontz's research links to higher income and fewer financial problems. The flip side is anxiety: there may be enough money, and still no feeling of safety.
How it sounds inside
- “Look after the pennies”
- “There must always be a reserve”
- “Money is not talked about”
- “Better safe than sorry”
- “Earn first, spend later”
Where it helps
- You are financially stable and rarely fall into debt
- You can plan and think ahead
- People feel calm around you: you always have a plan B
Where it gets in the way
- It's hard to spend on yourself, even when the money is there
- The anxiety doesn't go away, however much is saved
- Money becomes a subject you can't discuss even with people close to you
- You may miss joys and opportunities that cost money
Where it comes from
This script is often handed down by parents who lived through scarcity, crises and savings wiped out. They taught the main thing: to save. But their anxiety may have been passed on along with the skill. It helps to separate the two: keep the caution for yourself, and give back the fear that belonged to their lives.
What to try
- Set aside a small sum “for joy” and spend it every month without guilt.
- Work out how much you need to feel calm, and notice when you already have it.
- Tell someone close about your financial goals: not the amount, but what you are saving for.
In a couple
A partner with a “worship” or “status” script may look like a spendthrift to you, and you may look to them like someone who won't let them live. Transparency and a shared plan help: how much you save, how much you spend, what you are saving for together. Then your caution becomes support for two, not control.
Work through your script
Money is one of the themes I work with most often, including through financial constellations. If you want to understand where your script comes from and how to stop obeying it, message me.
This questionnaire is based on Brad Klontz's research on money scripts (Klontz et al., 2011). It is not the official Klontz Money Script Inventory and not a scientifically validated test, but a tool for self-reflection. A script is not a sentence: it formed once, and it can change.