Writing that headline hurt. But it is what it is.
The “girl math” phenomenon has been viral on TikTok for several weeks now, and well, it does seem to make some sense. Here’s an example: You’re about to buy some iced coffee for your daily coffee intake. You notice you have some cash, so you pay with that.
Because you paid with cash, you technically didn’t pay with your card, so your bank account didn’t move at all. In short, you didn’t spend at all.
That’s the beauty of *girl math.*
Did that make sense? Did you understand where girl math is coming from? In a more pragmatic way of looking at it, *girl math* is just breaking down the price of something by “cost per wear,” and is a way of rationalizing indulgences.
Another example is when you buy something on sale—you technically didn’t spend a lot of money, you in fact, saved some because you bought it at a lower price. And because you saved money from that purchase, you can use that saved money for another thing.
“Girl math” has its pros and cons, according to experts. Brad Klontz, a psychologist, and certified financial planner from Colorado said that “factoring in how often you will use or wear an item helps” in turning on the rational side of our brains, especially for big purchases like luxury items and such.
However, it becomes a con when we start normalizing poor spending choices. While we all know the evergreen saying “ignorance is bliss,” Vivian Tu, a self-made millionaire says that we shouldn’t use that on thinking about our finances. Why? Well, because it’ll catch up on us in the later future.
Another con is that it’ll just create another harmful stereotype for females as not being good with their money, and for placing guilt on women for spending on what they want.
Girls (and yourself), you shouldn’t feel bad about spending on something you really like if you can afford it at that moment. However, let’s also remind ourselves to promote healthy spending habits too.
For example, maybe stick to the 50-30-20 rule, where 50% of your money goes to your necessities, 30% goes to your wants, and 20% goes to your savings. That number could also be adjusted to the kind of lifestyle you have.
Another is to keep a budget and spending tracker, so you’d be able to follow all of your expenses for the month. Remember, budgeting is not the same as restricting or depriving yourself of what you want (and deserve). It’s just taking better care of your money in the long run!
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