Money superstitions are beliefs or rituals associated with attracting wealth, avoiding loss or protecting good fortune. They differ from practical financial plans. This article explores familiar examples and the everyday money rules we may carry alongside them.
Never put your handbag on the floor or you will lose money.
Do not give someone an empty wallet.
Money comes, money goes.
Talking about salary is rude.
People with money are greedy.
You have to work painfully hard to deserve financial security.
Some of these sound like superstition. Others sound so normal we rarely notice they are beliefs at all.
Examples of money superstitions
You may have heard one of these sayings in your family or community. Versions and interpretations vary:
- Do not put your purse on the floor: the saying links it with losing money.
- Put a coin in a wallet before giving it as a gift: a symbolic wish for prosperity.
- An itchy palm means money is coming or going: the meaning can change between versions.
- Pick up a found penny for luck: finding a coin becomes a hopeful sign.
- Carry cash at the start of a new year: a symbolic wish to have money throughout the year.
These are examples of beliefs, not evidence that a ritual changes your financial outcome.
These are the playful ones. The ones that shape our lives more quietly sound much more sensible.
FREE PRINTABLE · €0
The 7-Day Money Anxiety Reset
Ten quiet minutes a day to understand your money worries and choose one calm next step. Guided prompts, a Day 1 and Day 7 check-in, and the Matriarch Money Pattern quiz.
13-page PDF · colour and low-ink versions · instant download
Every family has a money mythology
Long before we earn our first salary, we watch how adults react to bills, debt, wealthy people, asking for more, losing money and spending on themselves.
We learn what money means before anyone formally teaches us how money works.
That can leave adults carrying rules whose original author they cannot even remember. Psychologists sometimes call these money scripts.
The inherited sentence test
Finish these quickly, without trying to sound sensible:
Rich people are…
Women who care about money are…
Asking for more money is…
Spending on myself is…
If I had a lot of money, people would…
Your first answers are not necessarily truths. They are clues.
Whose voice do I hear when I feel guilty about money?
Which financial rule in my family was never questioned?
What did money seem to represent growing up — safety, conflict, status, secrecy, freedom?
Which belief would I choose if I were writing the rules today?
You do not have to fight every old belief
You only need to notice that a belief is a belief before deciding whether it deserves authority.
That is one of the reasons journaling can be useful here: a thought that feels like reality inside your head can look surprisingly different once it is sitting on a page. If guilt is one of the beliefs you inherited, read why you feel guilty spending money on yourself.
Frequently asked questions
What are money superstitions?
Money superstitions are beliefs or rituals said to attract or protect wealth, such as never putting your purse on the floor or carrying cash on New Year's Eve. Many are passed down through families and cultures.
Why shouldn't you put your purse on the floor?
The superstition says a purse on the floor means money will leave you. It's common in many cultures, and some people also see it as a sign of respect for money.
Why do people put money in a wallet as a gift?
Giving an empty wallet is considered unlucky, so a coin or note is added to wish the new owner lasting prosperity.
Do money superstitions affect how we handle money?
A ritual may feel meaningful without being a financial strategy. It is useful to distinguish a symbolic tradition from a rule that influences your choices, such as avoiding salary conversations or feeling guilty about personal spending.
Next Halloween File: The 11:47 PM Shopping Cart: Revenge Bedtime Procrastination Meets Impulse Buying.
If these questions surfaced something, the free 7-page preview of The Matriarch’s Money Brain goes deeper into the beliefs and emotions underneath everyday financial behaviour. The workbook is a 100% digital PDF you can download right after purchase; no physical book is shipped.
“Which money rules did I inherit without choosing them?”
Explore what your family’s money stories mean to you today. The workbook focuses on reflection and everyday choices; it does not promise to attract money through rituals.
Try seven sample pages from The Matriarch’s Money Brain to explore your money beliefs, emotional triggers and values.
7 sample pages · No email required
Explore the full digital workbook →
Downloadable PDF · No physical book will be shipped