The term social media coined “girl math” — not to be confused with “explaining things for the girls” — is a phenomenon or brain trick I have been using for years to feel less bad about spending money.

My parents instilled financial responsibility into me from a young age. Especially once I got my first job in my sophomore year of high school, almost all expenses outside of what I actually needed were coming out of my own pocket.

If I wanted fast food, I would spend my own money. Instead of buying name brands at full price, I would buy them secondhand online or at thrift stores. My Chase Bank app was my best friend; I would track my money by the transaction. 

Ultimately, my feelings of being frugal went out the window once my entire savings account was exhausted on one semester’s tuition and I only had the $1,000 in my checking account to my name.

To cope, I started tricking my brain into thinking I was spending less money than I actually was. Here is where the girl math comes in: Cash isn’t real, the same $20 my best friend and I Venmo back and forth is me earning money and if I spend $20 on a discounted item at the store, I am actually saving money.

Now, to anyone older than Generation Z reading, this probably sounds ridiculous — stay with me.

I probably couldn’t even go a week without using my debit card while on campus. Whether it is groceries, an impromptu coffee date with a friend or gas to fill my car, I am always watching the number in my bank account go down. 

So, when my friend sends me money for the fast-food order I used my card to pay for, I am getting money back into my account, even if the number only goes up by $5. 

The same goes for returns or even using cash. Cash doesn’t reflect in my bank account, so I feel less bad about using it. Ultimately, if there is a higher number — or the same number — in my bank account than the last time I checked, I take it as a win. 

The more time I dedicate to celebrating these small wins in my week is time taken away from spiraling over the countless debts I am accumulating or beating myself up for going to Chipotle for dinner instead of using my meal plan. 

Unfortunately, since its original use, the idea of “girl” or “boy” math has morphed into making fun of each other’s gender stereotypes, such as suggesting girls do not know how to manage their money, or “boy math” is putting the United States billions of dollars into debt. 

But I want to draw it back to the original fun, lighthearted use it started as because I have been using “girl math” long before it was a term. 

Megan is a sophomore in Media.

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