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With Valentine's Day coming up, you may already be clued up on your love language - but how does it affect your relationship with your finances?
And, more importantly, how can we use our knowledge of our money love language to improve our financial situation?
In this week’s blog, we’ll be answering these questions with the help of Gary Chapman’s popular book “The Five Love Languages” and MintLife’s handy guide on how you can use your money love language to make smarter financial decisions.
Without further ado, let’s jump in!
Acts of Service
If your love language is Acts of Service, this means you really value any act from your partner or loved ones that eases the burden of responsibility. It’s often expressed by helping out with chores around the house, doing something nice for your other half, or offering to help them out with a task they’re not so keen on.
Basically, any action that caters to your partner’s wants and needs in a helpful way.
So, how does this love language impact our relationship with money?
For starters, you may love helping others stay on track with their financial goals. People who value acts of service are very action-driven, and you’ll go out of your way to help the people close to you achieve their goals.
However, as a result of this, you may sometimes end up neglecting your own needs and goals by being so focused on the other person!
How do I make the best of it?
Use a budgeting app to help manage your spending. The ImageNPay app can help you prioritise your own financial goals by helping you budget and stay on top of your spending. Find out more here about how ImageNPay can help you budget.
Try to avoid overextending yourself for others. Ensure that you’re spending as much time on your own financial self-care, and be careful when lending friends money.
Quality Time
If your love language is Quality Time, your priority in relationships is usually enjoying focused and undivided attention spent together.
People with this love language express their affection by planning date nights, engaging in hobbies with their partner, and giving their full attention when with each other e.g. by turning off electronics/mobile phones. It essentially boils down to time spent together without distractions.
How does this love language impact my relationship with money?
In a relationship or even single, you’re known as the one who’s great at planning fun days out - and even better nights out!
However, you may have a tendency to overspend and get carried away with potentially expensive activities and venues.
How do I make the best of it?
Meet with an accountability buddy on a weekly basis and try to look for free or budget-friendly activities instead.
Cut out unnecessary spending where possible - for example, those spontaneous weeknight restaurant dinners and other extravagant expenses!
If you find it particularly difficult to cut down your social spending, another option is to work a ‘Fun Fund’ into your budget. Use this budget solely for any social activities and this way, you can avoid missing out on your valuable quality time.
Physical Touch
This one is pretty self-explanatory! If your love language is Physical Touch, physical closeness is important to you and reinforces affections for your loved one, as well as reinforcing your physical presence in the relationship e.g. hand-holding and long hugs.
How does this love language impact my relationship with money?
Unsurprisingly, having a love language of ‘physical touch’ means you're likely to be more careful with your money when you can physically feel it! For example, using cash instead of credit cards - which you can often get carried away with.
How do I make the best of it?
Whenever possible - whether you’re at the supermarket or a night out with friends - try to physically pay with cash so that you know exactly where your money is going/how much you have left.
You could also try an ImageNPay Prepaid Digital Card - whilst the card is virtual inside the app, you choose how much you want to put on the card, so there’s no risk of overspending/ending up in debt!
If you must use a credit card, avoid using it for any big purchases and make sure you’re paying off the balance in full each month.
Words of Affirmation
If your love language is Words of Affirmation, you appreciate verbal or written compliments from loved ones that convey their love and appreciation. You also express your love for your partner in this way, and talking fondly about the relationship is very important to you.
How does this love language impact my relationship with money?
If this is your love language, you may find that using money affirmations has a very positive impact on your mindset, in return, helping you get closer to your financial goals.
Writing your financial goals down pen-to-paper can also help you to achieve these goals faster - you’re a visual learner so having a vision board to look at or a bucket list of goals in eyesight can be a game-changer for you.
On the flip side, having difficult conversations/confrontations about money or debt can be challenging for you.
How do I make the best of it?
Make sure to communicate often with your partner about money. Transparency and openness are very important to you.
Avoid putting off difficult conversations about your financial health - the sooner you tackle it, the better!
Check out our guide on How to Open up About Money for more tips.
Receiving Gifts
Again, one of the more self-explanatory of the 5 love languages, your love language in relationships is expressed by receiving/giving gifts.
However, this isn’t as superficial as it may sound - essentially, this love language is all about the meaning, effort, and thoughtfulness behind the gifts. This language can be expressed by making birthdays and anniversaries for your partner extra special, or surprising them after a stressful day with their favourite treat.
How does this love language impact my relationship with money?
Similar to the Quality Time love language, you likely have a reputation amongst your friends as the best gift-giver. However, this means you sometimes go over budget!
How do I make the best of it?
Reward yourself after hitting a savings goal or new milestone - this doesn’t need to be expensive, either. Maybe you treat yourself to a relaxing at-home spa night, or that item on your Amazon wishlist you’ve been ‘uhhming’ and ‘ahh-ing’ over for months.
Keep a close eye on your budget and stop buying gifts for everyone in your life "just because". This also goes for the office Secret Santa - if there’s an agreed budget for everyone, resist the urge to go over it!
Bonus tip: Use the ImageNPay app to give yourself a ‘shopping fund' for when you’re buying gifts on birthdays or other special occasions.
Knowing your love language can act as a guide to improving many areas of your life, particularly your finances.
Whichever money love language most aligns with you (maybe it’s a combination of all of them!), the tips shared here are valuable for anyone looking to make progress on their financial journey and, in time, develop better money habits.
Make sure to check out the handy ‘Money Love Language’ flowchart from Mint if you need a little extra help identifying your love language, and follow us on our social media for more budgeting tips and Valentine-themed content throughout the month of February.
Show yourself (and your finances) some love this February and Try the ImageNPay app today for FREE on iOS or Android!