See spending as a story you tell yourself When a neighbor rolls home in a new car or posts photos of a kitchen update, your brain writes a quick story. It tells you that you are behind and must catch up. That story is persuasive and costly. It pushes you toward purchases that look good in the short run and feel heavy later. Real progress comes from rewriting the story so your spending matches your life rather than someone else’s timeline. Name the moment before the money move