I love a good personality test. I remember when I was younger taking various personality quizzes like “What Your Favorite Lipstick Color Says About You” and “Which Celebrity Crush are you Most Compatible With? “ These moment-changing quizzes would be in an overly colorful teen magazine and after experiencing much delight in taking them, I would bring them to school to force encourage my friends to take them as well, hoping that they got as many “A-ha!” moments as I did from them. Even now on Facebook, my friends are continually taking quizzes like “Which Disney Princess Are You?” Who are YOU? Who am I?? You’d think that since I’ve passed the age of thirty, I’d have me all figured out. Don’t get me wrong – I do know me to an extent, but it’s so much easier when someone else finds better words and meanings, right? Plus, they are usually written in a way that makes you feel like your trait is the best trait, similar to reading a Horoscope and, in my case, feeling as though Capricorn rules them all!
Never Too Old to Reassess
The adolescent personality quizzes were always fun and felt right during the times I took them. As I’ve grown up a bit, what I want from quizzes has changed. I no longer want to know “Which Friends Character” I am. I already took that quiz. I’ve wanted to know more about who I am as a professional, as a spouse, as a friend, as a frozen-yogurt flavor? Kidding on the last one! Just wanted to see if you were still paying attention. Though fro-yo does sound good right about now.
A few months back, I took a free online quiz called 16 Personalities. I was going through that yearly period of time where I was creating goals and analyzing my prior year and choices. This was the first serious-type of personality quiz I had taken and there was one tip that I found super helpful – answer honestly. It seems simple enough, but often times it’s easier to overthink the question. The answer that first pops into your head is probably the truest one at that time. Even if the answer isn’t ideal or makes your face wince at the thought of it, it’s still likely to be YOU during that moment. At the end of taking this quiz, I learned what my personality trait was and received a detailed analysis of it. While reading about me I was smiling, nodding, jotting down notes, and probably taking it way more seriously than needed; however, I felt I really got something worthwhile from it. Since taking the quiz, I’ve reached out to take a few more and, depending on the day, had some hits and misses. Overall, I’ve enjoyed them and have filtered out the areas I’d like to improve upon or enhance. I hope I’m never too old to want to reassess who I am at my varying stages of life.
My Money Personality
I have money on the brain. In fact, it’s been at the forefront of my thoughts for at least the last year. I went back to school to pursue a B.A., my boyfriend and I were saving pennies for a down-payment on a home and ecstatically recently closed on one, and I had some unexpected expenses (one flat tire = all new tires). I realize that now more than ever is the time to learn about how I manage money. Seriously, I think it takes guts to want to honestly talk about your spending habits in order to make improvements. I don’t have those kind of guts, which is why I referred to a few private Money Personality quizzes to help.
Quiz 1 - “Tips for Teens”
The first Money Personality quiz I chose kind of took me back to my teen years. It may have to do with the fact that the quiz was located under a “Tips for Teens” tab on TheMint.org website. So, I’m a little late with wanting to figure out my spending habits…whatever. I’ve always been a late bloomer. This quiz was only 5 questions and I thought it would be stress-free and a good warm-up for the following quizzes. Well it was definitely a good warm-up in the sense that I got a little heated after finding out the kind of spender I am:
Ouch! That truth stung a little. And, I don’t think pressing the “Try Again” button would help. In all seriousness, that brief quiz was right – I put off making money decisions. Again, late bloomer - I’m over thirty taking a Money Personality quiz for teens.
Quiz 2 - “Practical Money Skills for Life”
This next quiz was just what I needed after a blunt, yet vague response from the first quiz I took. While I didn’t answer any questions, I was able to use a measurement tool to determine my spending habits when it comes to the Acquisition, Use, and Management of money. What I found didn’t necessarily make me go “A-ha!” However, the PracticalMoneySkills.com website provided links to additional resources on saving and budgeting. For me, that’s a score! Along with finding out that I’m an Avoider, I’d also like some reading material on how I can make changes for the better.
Quiz 3 - “Your Money Personality”
My analysis states that as a money Hoarder, I am careful and conservative, will take on debt only if I need to (to buy a home), is content with my lot, and may miss opportunities to make my money work better for me.
Calculating What’s Important
The three Money Personality quizzes I took reinforced how I feel about money and what I’ve been thinking about as of late. While I may try out a few more to check for consistency, what I’ve taken from them is that I need to seek out the advice of financial savvy individuals as well as live a little. Reading words like “Avoider” and “Hoarder” translate for me to intimidated. And, why should I be? After using online and in-person resources about saving and spending smartly, I hope to reach a point of comfort and maturity with my finances. It’s time to go into the wild a bit, maybe take a chance, or at the very least, buy that $3 cup of happiness and know that the next time I take a Money Personality quiz, I will have reached another stage of life yielding yet another truthful trait.