Value vs. Values: Aligning Your Wallet With What Matters
- BetterYourFinance.com
- Aug 7
- 3 min read
We live in a world where it's easy to measure success by net worth, paychecks, and possessions. But somewhere between chasing discounts and climbing the corporate ladder, many of us forget to ask: Does this align with what I actually care about?
There’s a quiet conflict in modern personal finance that no spreadsheet can solve: value versus values. One asks, “What’s the price?” The other asks, “What matters?” And when we get these two confused, we often end up spending money in ways that leave us feeling empty.
What You’ll Learn:
The difference between value and values
Why the cheapest option isn’t always the best choice
How aligning your spending with your values brings clarity, confidence, and peace of mind
A personal story that brings this to life
Tools to help you audit and align your money with meaning
What Is It?
Value is about utility, cost-effectiveness, and getting the most for your money. It’s what you consider a “good deal.” Think: buying in bulk, finding a discount, or maximizing rewards points.
Values, on the other hand, are your core beliefs and priorities. These are the principles that guide your decisions—things like sustainability, family, education, freedom, or justice.
When the two align, it feels amazing. When they clash? You feel the friction.
Why Does It Matter?
Because how you spend is how you live.
If you believe in community, but all your purchases support faceless corporations over small businesses, there's a disconnect.
If you value time with your family, but your spending locks you into working overtime just to maintain a certain lifestyle, you may be sacrificing your values for a perceived value.
Misalignment here isn’t just a budgeting problem. It’s a life problem.
How to Calculate It
You won’t find this in a formula. But here's a simple 3-part reflection tool:
Track your spending for 30 days.
Identify your top 3 values.
Ask: “Is this purchase helping me live those values?”
Use a highlighter. Color-code it. Yellow for aligned, red for out of sync. The patterns will surprise you.
Using an Example to Understand It
Let’s say John spends $150/month on subscription boxes full of stuff he barely uses.
When asked what he values most, he says: freedom, nature, and time with his kids.
But that $150 could’ve been spent on:
A national parks pass for weekend trips
A camping gear rental for a family adventure
A contribution to a college fund or experience-based gift
The value of the box was quantity. The value to John was quality. His spending didn’t reflect his values.
A Transformation Story
Ann was an interior designer who loved clean, minimal spaces—but her Amazon cart told another story. She’d become addicted to deals, buying “just in case” items because they were on sale.
One day, after maxing out a closet she never opened, she had a realization. She said, “I was getting more for my money—but I wasn’t getting more from my life.”
She paused all non-essential spending for 30 days, then created a “Values Budget.” If something didn’t align with her core values—beauty, simplicity, generosity—she didn’t buy it. Within 6 months, she’d saved thousands, felt lighter, and said her home finally “looked like her values.”
Strategies to Maximize This Financial Concept
Create a "Values Filter" for purchases. Before buying anything, ask: Does this align with what I care about most?
Conduct a Spending Audit quarterly, not just to look at numbers—but meaning.
Automate value-aligned spending. Want to give more to causes you care about? Set it and forget it.
Say no unapologetically to deals that don’t align—even if they’re amazing deals.
Why This Is Important
Because financial freedom without meaning is just consumption in disguise.
If your money isn’t supporting your deeper goals, you’re not gaining—you’re trading. In the long run, people who align their finances with their values experience less stress, more purpose, and a much deeper sense of wealth.
Steps You Can Take to Get Started
List your top 3-5 personal values.
Track your spending for the next 30 days.
Color-code your purchases by alignment.
Cancel or reduce the red.
Redirect that money toward your “green”—your true values.
Final Thoughts
Your values are a compass. Your money is the vehicle. When they move in the same direction, your life becomes less about more and more about meaning.
Don’t just save more. Live better.
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