Money Sense 101: Lesson 4 - Why We Spend Fast When We Finally Get Money.

Finally! The REAL Reason.

When money arrives, your brain celebrates like it just escaped prison.

This is the Hot Lava Principle:

Money feels unsafe to hold because:

• It might disappear (someone will take it)
• It might be demanded by others (family, creditors, emergencies)
• It has never stayed long (experience teaches you money = temporary)
• Emergencies always arrive (so spend it now while you can)

So the brain says:

"Spend it now so it can't betray you later."

Poverty Teaches Urgency, Not Planning

If you've never had money stay long enough to plan with, why would your brain develop planning skills?

It wouldn't.

Instead, it learns: Get what you need NOW because later might not exist.

Impulsive Spending = Trauma Logic, Not Irresponsibility

You're not being reckless. You're responding to:

• A lifetime of scarcity
• Unpredictable income
• Constant emergencies
• Family/community demands
• The emotional relief of finally having something

This isn't stupidity. It's survival intelligence wearing chaotic clothes.

Predictability Heals More Than Income

The secret to financial stability isn't more money.

It's predictability.

When your brain knows money will arrive again, it stops treating every peso like the last one.

Activity: Rename One Spending Habit with Humor

Laughter breaks shame. So let's rename your impulse spending with honesty and humor:

• "Stress Taco Mode" — When anxiety = instant food purchases
• "Revenge Shopping" — Buying something because life has been hard
• "Hope Purchases" — Buying things that represent the life you want
• "Future Me Will Deal With This" — Spending now, worrying later

What's yours? Give it a name.

The Micro-Win

Laughter breaks shame.

And shame is the biggest barrier to change.