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Journalism of Courage
Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s Bollywood career catapulted him from humble beginnings to the pinnacles of fame, and with success came wealth and prestige. But for outsiders entering the industry, detaching from one’s old identity and money mindset is not as quick or easy as it seems. During a recent episode of Curly Tales, when asked if he is conscious about price tags, he recounted a funny anecdote with his daughter.
“My daughter lives in Dubai. She took me to the mall there, and told me she wanted a small bag. I thought it would be worth Rs 15,000-20,000, and said ‘sure’. She walked to the store and picked up a tiny bag. While billing, I asked them how much it was for, and they told me it was worth Rs 2.5 lakh! It was a Louis Vuitton bag,” recalled the Gangs of Wasseypur actor.
“Mera itna jee jala main bata nahi sakta. Humesha hum log 2000, 3000 ke bag khareedne wale log hai. Had it been my son, I would have forbade him, but it was my daughter, so I could not say anything,” he added.
When it comes to spending money, different people have different mindsets at play. And for common men, spending is often associated with fear and anxiety, said neuro-linguistic programming practitioner Sakshi Bahmani, adding that from a psychological and NLP perspective, the fear of the expenditure isn’t about money, “it’s actually about loss of control, unworthiness, guilt, and shame.”
“The subconscious layer here is self-protection, but it often manifests as over-correction — under-buying, over-rationalizing, or buying impulsively later to soothe the suppressed emotions,” she added.
The scarcity loop. A price tag leads to fear of loss, which in turn leads to an inner debate and guilt, and then shame and suppressed desire. All of this eventually manifests as an impulse to buy something later. “It’s not rational thinking that gets distorted — it’s emotional regulation. The brain is protecting itself from the pain of regret, not the reality of spending,” she explained.
And what is fear actually feels a lot like wisdom.
• “Better not spend.” sounds smart.
• “I’ll buy it later.” sounds patient.
• “I don’t need it.” sounds disciplined.
But underneath is often dysregulated desire — either fear of loss or craving approval.
Bahmani recommended reframing your thoughts and mindset. “Fear in money isn’t a warning bell, but an invitation to clarify values,” she said.
Create a 30-second ritual of pause: “Is this rooted in clarity or craving?” This trains your nervous system to differentiate impulse from intuition.
Define your own version of:
• What is worth spending on?
• What are my “signal purchases” (those that reflect who I’m becoming)?
• What is sacred vs performative?
This gives your brain an anchor in the storm.
Avoid spending:
• When you’re tired
• After a fight
• During emotional highs/lows
• In identity crisis moments (“I need to feel like someone!”)
Shopping when ungrounded leads to purchases that reflect your wound, not your worth.
Before impulse buying online — put it in the cart, write why you want it, and leave it for 48 hours. If the emotion fades, it wasn’t desire, it was just a dopamine craving.
Bonus — journal: what does “expensive” actually mean to me? Often, the fear of spending is inherited. Ask yourself, whose voice is that when I flinch at price tags? What did my family teach me about money and identity? And what does spending mean to you – rebellion, success, shame?
Fear of spending is nuanced and multifaceted. Meet it head on and let your spending becoming a true reflection of who you are instead of a mask you hide behind.
