You’re a realist with your money. You know what you’ve got and how to manage it, but you like the opportunity to review your financial situation with someone in the know. The reassurance is important to you, because you want to get it right and you don’t feel completely confident making long-term financial plans.
You’re happiest at home, doing your own thing. Your home is your comfort zone and you’ll happily spend whatever it takes to make it the perfect, relaxing space: and you’ve made sure there’s plenty of room for you to enjoy your hobbies there, too.
You don’t really feel peer pressure like others do and you don’t mind missing out on a night out or skipping the latest must-do exercise class. However, you won’t shy away from going to cafes and restaurants you know and like – so long as it’s within your budget.
You don’t like to bother people so if a sudden cost arrives out of the blue, you’ll try to sort it out on your own. You’re a master of understatement, so while unexpected expenses might not be ideal, they’re not the end of the world, right?
Does this sound like you?
- You’re reluctant to try new brands (you prefer to stick to what you know).
- You don’t have a lot of money to play with, but you’re confident with what you’ve got.
- You’d be happy to take out a loan for home improvements to create your ideal ‘comfort zone’.
Psychologist, Dr Oliver, shares his tips on how you could improve your financial wellbeing…
You sometimes avoid trying new things, going to new places or making long-term plans that mean stepping out of your comfort zone. While this is something to embrace, to be able to learn something new, you need to shake things up and do things differently from time to time. Using your money in ways that stretch you (but still fit with your values) could help.
Try the following tips:
- Stepping out of your comfort zone doesn’t always mean you have to take huge risks. You could seek some advice on what you could potentially do to help maximise your budget, then allow some time to consider your options before settling on any one of them – or none of them if you feel they’re not right for you.
- Try doing one thing per week that you have not done before – something outside of your comfort zone that you think you could learn from. Search online for activities in your local area that are different to what you usually do. Set a budget limit for these activities and monitor over time all the new things you learn by doing them.
- You could get out of your comfort zone, without even leaving the house, by taking an online course on a topic that interests you, joining an online forum, or even trying a new app or payment method that you’ve previously avoided.
View the other money types >
