4 Birth Months About To Drop Major Cash (But Are Nervous About It)

Big financial decisions have a funny way of turning even the most confident planners into second-guessing experts. Research in behavioral economics shows that people often experience “loss aversion,” meaning the fear of losing money feels stronger than the joy of gaining something valuable, even when the purchase is fully affordable. Studies also suggest that anticipated regret and emotional attachment to savings can make spending feel riskier than it objectively is. Keep reading to see if your birth month made the list and discover why you might be hesitating right before a major financial leap.

January

You’ve been saving for this purchase for what seems like your whole life. Your first [insert dream here]. And although you’ve followed all the rules, planned out a savings scheme, and stuck to this plan down to the very last penny, you’re terrified to pull the trigger. Even though you absolutely can, something inside you is making it feel like you shouldn’t, like you’re taking a risk when everything has been budgeted for in advance. What you’re really processing is the mental and emotional worth of all your effort. You like seeing that higher number in your checking or savings account, and know just how much blood, sweat, and tears it represents. All you need to do is level set with the fact that you deserve that equivalent value in happiness by realizing your dream.

May

Something in your life is getting a complete overhaul. Your wardrobe, your home office, your bedroom. Whatever it is, you’re hesitant because you fear being wasteful. You never buy anything “cheap”, and so when it comes to these moments in life where you are ready for a fresh leaf, you know it means getting rid of things that still retain significant value. There are options at your fingertips. You can sell, donate, or gift those possessions in order to make room for new ones. Someone out there would love to buy your desk for their high school student, you can donate that gently used quilt, and that jacket your younger sibling has been “borrowing” for the last few years? It’s time to hand it over. Bigger and better things await you.

December

You don’t like the idea of any kind of purchase that feels too much like you’re “settling down” or requires too big of a commitment. It doesn’t matter if it’s a car payment, a house payment, or even a gym membership, the idea of doing the same thing consistently for an undefined period of time terrifies you. You like spending your money on “fun” purchases. Trips, shoes, clothes, anything that feels like a toy. Even when you’re not spending on this category, you like knowing the money in your savings account could be used toward it. Even the imagining and anticipation is appealing to you. But the purchases that require monthly payments or insurance coverage are the ultimate buzzkill. You need to learn to balance that work and play mentality.

September

You’re about to go all in on a new endeavor. Starting a business, becoming a pilates addict, building a giant garden in your backyard, opening your home to a really large number of pets. Your enthusiasm is through the roof, but the planner in you is triple, quadruple checking this is the right thing to do right now. You are running through all the things that could technically go wrong, and re-reviewing the plan for how you’d deal with them. You ultimately know you’ve been ready for this next step in the process for some time, you just need to take that final leap into the deep end. Listen to your gut on this one, it’s rare that you give in to such an emotional pull, but this voice inside you is the inner child in you just waiting for you to make your own dreams come true.