The Money Habits Each Enneagram Type Wishes They Could Change
From chronic impulse spending to pretending you “don’t even want to look” at your banking app, we all have money habits we secretly wish we could change. You might swear you’ll “be good” this month, only to watch your willpower crumble the second a friend suggests drinks. Or you keep lending people money you can’t really spare, then panic later when you realize you’ve left nothing for yourself.
On the surface, two people can have the exact same spending pattern, but for totally different reasons. One person is splurging to feel loved; another is stockpiling cash because the future feels scary. The key to changing those habits for good is understanding the deep psychological needs driving them, and the best tool for the job is the Enneagram.
At Truity, we surveyed over 58,000 people about their Enneagram type and financial habits, from what they overspend on to what keeps them up at night about money. Drawing on those findings, let’s look at the one money habit each type most wants to change—and how understanding your type can help you finally do it in a way that fits how you’re wired.
Type 1: Squeezing Their Budget too Tightly
Type Ones stress about not having enough money for the future, and they tend to be frugal, but not in the cheap, penny-pinching way. They just want to be responsible with their money. Ones would rather save for a year to buy one high-quality, durable item than buy three flimsy versions they have to replace every few months.
In pursuit of their long-term savings goals, though, they can squeeze their budget so tightly that something eventually snaps. A One might decide to save up for a high-end, designer winter coat they can wear for the next 10 years, but to stay on track, they deny themselves every small pleasure until the pressure of self-denial becomes too much and they flip to the opposite extreme, spending freely on everything they’ve been missing. Once the dust settles and they come to their senses, they regret taking that 180-degree turn that set them back from their goal.
Tip for Ones: Look at your past spending to see what you actually need to feel balanced, whether it’s a weekly dinner at a restaurant or a daily Starbucks run. Calculate the monthly total and move it to a prepaid card dedicated to pre-authorized, guilt-free purchases. Treat this money as a small pressure valve that keeps you from rebounding into all-or-nothing spending.
Type 2: Overspending on Others
On the whole, Type Twos are not especially motivated by money, and they may use it more as a tool to gain affection from others. They are the type most likely to “over-gift” their loved ones or cover an entire bill at dinner, even when they can’t afford it. For them, the fear of being seen as ungenerous or unkind is greater than their financial anxiety.
For example, a Two might spend the last of their monthly cash on a birthday gift for a friend, secretly hoping the gesture proves how much they care. After the high of appreciation fades, they’re left wishing they hadn’t been so quick to prioritize people-pleasing over their own financial stability.
Tip for Twos: Decide on a fixed monthly amount to spend on planned acts of kindness, including gifts, treats and favors for others. Once that cap is reached, the “bank of generosity” is closed for the month and you switch to non-monetary ways of helping, like showing up and listening, or offering practical support.
Type 3: Funding the Facade While Living in Scarcity
Threes are a bit like Ones in the sense that they will financially “starve” one area of their life to “fuel” another. The difference is that Threes prioritize anything that boosts their image or signals success, rather than quality for its own sake. A Three might live in a tiny, rundown apartment with minimal furniture so they can afford a designer wardrobe or aspirational vacation.
However, after yet another shopping spree, they might look at everything they bought the moment their paycheck cleared and realize they’ve left themselves with just enough for bare necessities until the next one. In those moments, they wish they had set some money aside for things that provide a genuine quality of life rather than just an appearance of it.
Tip for Threes: Create a “living comfort fund” account and set up an automatic transfer to it the second your paycheck hits. This money is strictly for things nobody else sees but that actually make your day-to-day life better, like a solid grocery budget for quality meals, comfortable bedding, or the occasional low-key weekend out.
Type 4: Neglecting the Boring Bills
While they’re not motivated by money for money’s sake, Type Fours rank among the spenders of the Enneagram. Their type of spending is best described as “identity spending,” where they buy things that project their internal complexity to the outside world. For example, a Four might splash out a high-end fragrance that they feel “captures their essence,” while simultaneously neglecting boring necessities like renewing their car insurance or paying a looming utility bill.
In the moment of purchase, the idea of prioritizing a bill over a “soul-stirring” object can feel almost offensive. But when the neglected reality catches up to them, they wish they’d been more practical and less romantic with their purchases.
Tips for Fours: Open a secondary bank account specifically for all your uninspiring bills, like insurance and utilities. Calculate your total monthly overhead and set your payroll to direct deposit that exact amount into this account. This physical separation creates a psychological firewall that stops impulse buys from touching the money you need to keep your life running.
Type 5: Over-Analyzing the Small Stuff
Savers by nature, Type Fives tend to treat expensive purchases like high-stakes research projects, obsessively trying to find the perfect option so they can avoid a financial loss. If a Five needs a new laptop, for example, they might spend hours researching and comparing specs for different models only to hit analysis-paralysis as the data points mount.
Eventually, the purchase is made not out of conviction, but out of sheer exhaustion. On top of that, they’re left with a deep sense of regret, wishing they hadn’t spent so much of their finite energy on something that, in the long run, doesn’t really matter.
Tip for Fives: To avoid falling into the research spiral for every significant purchase, you need a clear stopping point. One strategy is to set strict criteria (budget, essential features) and buy the very first item that meets them. Another is to use the 37% rule: spend the first 37% of your research time establishing a baseline, then commit to the very next option that beats what you’ve already seen.
Type 6: Beating Themselves Up for Unnecessary Spending
Sixes aim to avoid debt and save as much as possible because, for them, money, especially liquid cash, is a buffer against an uncertain future. This often makes them excellent at living frugally.
The problem is that they wish they were even more frugal. They beat themselves up for even the smallest frivolities. They might scold themselves for an “unnecessary” coffee while out running errands or feel guilty about ordering a takeout without having a “good reason.”
Tip for Sixes: Create a “Guilt-Free Spending” budget category for “luxuries” like coffee or an occasional takeout that you’ve pre-authorized. Also, take advantage of rewards programs where you can. Knowing you’re getting points or cashback for each purchase can offset the feeling of loss because you’re reclaiming some value from every dollar spent.
Type 7: Not Saving for the Rainy Day
Sevens are the type most likely to spend what they earn, treating any and all discretionary income as a “fun fund” meant to be exhausted in the pursuit of their next adventure. For example, a Seven might justify an expensive trip with a friend as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” even if their bank balance barely covers it.
Emergencies don’t usually factor into their thinking, because they operate on the assumption that things will just work out. Their financial regrets usually hit when an actual emergency happens, like a sudden hospital visit or urgent car repair, and they’re left at the mercy of circumstances.
Tip for Sevens: Every time you book a trip or a big night out, move 10% of the cost into an “Emergency Fund” account at a different bank. Make that money difficult to access to stop yourself from spending it on fun stuff, for example by keeping the associated card unlinked from your Apple Pay. Over time, this fund grows into a real safety net that is there when you actually need it.
Type 8: Taking on Too Much Debt
Though they tend to be high earners, Eights often overextend themselves financially. For instance, they’d rather rack up massive credit card debt to keep funding an expensive family lifestyle than admit their financial circumstances have changed. Or they might take out a business loan to keep a high-overhead office space long after the numbers stopped making sense, because moving to a smaller space feels like a public admission of defeat.
Ironically, this can trap them in a cycle of mounting debt just to maintain the facade of strength. In the end, they find themselves wishing they hadn’t rushed into aggressive decisions, because the debt itself becomes a bigger threat to their autonomy than vulnerability ever was.
Tip for Eights: Create a “hard logic trigger” to automate your exit from funding unsustainable expenses. For example, if your business’s net profit stays below a certain number for three months, moving to a smaller office becomes automatic and non-negotiable, regardless of how it looks. That way, rational thresholds call the shots instead of pride in the moment.
Type 9: Financial Denial
Nines are prone to the “ostrich effect” when it comes to their finances. They might avoid checking their bank balances or bills entirely because they don’t want to face the reality of what they can actually afford.
By burying their head in the sand, they can keep spending freely, at least until they hit a breaking point, like having their card declined at checkout or getting an overdraft notice. In those moments, they wish they’d been more mindful all along so money stress didn’t have to build to a crisis.
Tip for Nines: Instead of forcing yourself to log in and “face” your finances, let the information come to you in a softer, non-threatening way. Turn on push notifications in your banking app so you get an instant update on your remaining balance every time you spend. That gentle drip of information helps keep you grounded in reality without feeling overwhelmed.
