More worried about bad breath than bad credit
Money worry is something we all have to live with at least some of the time, but where do our finances rank on the scale of 21st-century things to fret about? We wanted to find out once and for all, so we asked over 2,000 people what they were most scared of.
Out of the top 50 fears, which do you think they found the most horrifying?
1) — Going to the dentist, or going overdrawn?
2) — Making small talk, or not making it through the month?
3) — Buying clothes before they go on sale, or never being able to buy a house?
In each of the three scenarios, the first fear ranked higher.
The findings — 50 fears
Fifty makes for a long list, so here are just a few of our biggest worries, in order of their dread-inducing capabilities:
#4 — 💷 Not being able to pay our bills
#6 — 😨 Getting a filling at the dentist
#10 — 💷 Going into an overdraft
#11 — 😷 Finding out we have bad breath
#12 — 😬 Making small talk at a party
#17 — 💷 Having a bad credit rating
#19 — 😒 Buying something BEFORE it goes on sale
#23 — 😱 Having a bad hair day
#25 — 💷 Our bank balance before payday
#30 — 💷 Not making it onto the property ladder
The biggest causes for concern for today’s adult ranged from a winter boiler breakdown at #1, to a shortage of avocados in at 50…
And the list revealed a lot about the sorts of things we’re worrying about.
According to the research, our health, money, love, and work are causing us the most stress. But in amongst our greatest financial woes — like not managing to save up, or not being able to afford our bills — everyday anxieties such as having bad hair or accidentally liking something on Facebook ranked worryingly high.
So, what does this tell us? Are we concerned about our bank balances? Sure.
Are we any more concerned about our bank balances than our phone batteries? Well, no, not really.
Burying our heads in the sand
It could be that we’re choosing not to spend too much energy fretting about our finances because we feel like they’re out of our control anyway. Either there’s nothing we can do about our money situation, or if there is something we can do, we’re a bit clueless as to what.
If you have bad breath, you brush your teeth.
If you have bad credit?
We just need a hand
Whether it’s remembering the dates and amounts of each direct debit, sticking within budget month-on-month, or managing to save up enough to pay for the things we really want to do — the task of managing our money can sometimes feel impossible.
But maybe we just need a little help. Half of the people we talked to said a digital tool (ahem, like U Account) could make it a bit easier to stay on top of all that.
Maybe technology could stop us worrying about money altogether?
U Account helps you set cash aside for rainy days and sunny ones, arrange direct debits to pay your bills from separate accounts, track your spending in graphs and charts, and keep an eye on your finances on your mobile, on the go. You can get one here, if you haven’t already.
