Shush money

It's an era of unsubtle excess – but if you'd rather not yell about your financial situation, this trend might be right for you

- By ELLA WALKER

YOU may have heard about “loud budgeting” - a crucial tenet of it being people shouting and sharing loudly about their money decisions, especially on social media.

“Loud budgeting is letting everybody know how much money you've got, what you're doing with it, what you can't afford and what you're not willing to afford,” explained Vix Leyton, consumer expert at thinkmoney.

“Whereas quiet budgeting is a little bit more low-key, a little bit more old school. It’s about getting your money in the right place in a completely fuss-free way.”

Loud budgeting, she said, “became quite performative and not everybody is comfortable with talking about every element of their financial life”. It was also a trend that risked people thinking, financially speaking, that “you have to be doing a lot, and if you're not doing enough, then maybe you shouldn't bother with anything. That fatigue around all the things you 'should' be doing risks people not making small changes that would have a big impact,” said Leyton.

Quiet budgeting is the antithesis of that.

WHAT ARE ITS CORE PRINCIPLES?

The basis of quiet budgeting is “making quiet decisions, automating what you can and not making yourself the main character. You don't have to worry about it,” said Leyton.

“It’s about knowing how much money you've got to spend, straight off the bat, and then moving on with your life and living it without too much worry, because you've dealt with as much as you can.”