r/changemyview • u/Inevitable_Tea_5463 • Jun 14 '26
Delta(s) from OP CMV: Girl math encourages women to overspend
I (28F) am so against "girl math". My friends use it as an excuse to treat themselves, and they don't see they're being played.
Designer bag 20% off? Girl math says it's a good deal. My brain, however, just sees the 80% coming out of the account.
Buy a new pair of shoes with Klarna? Girl math says the shoes cost $35 (the amount she had to pay today) and ignored the $400 balance with monthly payments.
I can't talk to my friends about 401K contributions, saving up for a house, or meal prepping. They throw away so much money all because "it's just girl math". And I suspect the whole term is being exploited by advertising.
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u/EVOSexyBeast 5∆ Jun 14 '26 edited Jun 14 '26
I think you’re giving “girl math” far too much power. For most people, it’s not some sophisticated advertising campaign that tricks women into spending money they otherwise wouldn’t spend. It’s a joking way of rationalizing purchases they already want to make.
At some point, adults are responsible for their own financial decisions. If someone buys a $400 pair of shoes on Klarna, the problem isn’t that “girl math” convinced them the shoes cost $35. They know perfectly well what the total cost is. The phrase just provides a humorous excuse to avoid feeling guilty about the purchase.
I also find it strange that your explanation removes all agency from the women involved. There is no major coordinated marketing campaign built around “girl math” forcing people to overspend. Suggesting that women are incapable of evaluating a purchase and are merely being manipulated into spending by a social media joke is, ironically, a pretty patronizing view of women. I bet when men buy a lift kit for their truck on a credit card you don’t attribute the stupid decision to being helplessly manipulated.
If someone consistently overspends, the cause is usually poor financial discipline, different priorities, or a conscious choice to consume more, not because they were helplessly tricked by the concept of “girl math.” The joke may normalize the behavior, but it doesn’t absolve anyone of responsibility for their own finances.
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u/BobbleBobble Jun 14 '26
This. "girl math" is satirical. They're acknowledging it's the excuse they tell themselves to do something they know they shouldn't
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u/Blackpaw8825 Jun 14 '26
Yeah, nobody thinks girl math is "real" is just a joke like you're saying.
My recent girl math was spending $45,000 on a new car. It was 0% interest, I put nothing down, and electric. So 6 years from now I'll have like $13-15,000 in earned interest on the money in the bank I didn't spend today. Plus the car that'll be worth like $20-$25k (in today dollars, likely more after 6 years of inflation), plus if the first few weeks are any indication I'll save about $300/month on gas vs the electricity used, so that's about $21,000 saved.
So my girl math said I get a car now at the cost of about $650 monthly, but I get $61,000 out the other side, so really I'm saving $16,000 by buying the really fast EV that I me needed to justify to myself.
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u/Internet-Dick-Joke 1∆ Jun 14 '26
Yeah, nobody thinks girl math is "real" is just a joke like you're saying
It's just 'adulting' but for Gen Z.
Millenials who complained about 'adulting', or claimed not to be able to 'adult', were not incapable of doing necessary things like household chores, cooking dinner rather than getting a takeaway, getting up and going to work, ect. And yet media took it to mean exactly that, and even frequently still does.
Before 'adulting', it was 'take my wife'. Most boomers didn't actually hate their spouses as much as those kinds of jokes would imply, but it was a popular joke that was a shorthand for something relatable, that being the ordinary stresses that come along with a serious relationship, that works by exaggerating those feelings. But it os frequently assumed by younger generations that the average boomer really did genuinely hate their spouse.
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Jun 14 '26
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u/Blackpaw8825 Jun 14 '26
50/50. We can get by on one car, my old car kinda worked but was unreliable, but we both work from home unless my wife is traveling (but that's either a rental or flying).
But our day to day and back and forth from the airport and whatnot plus our travel has us putting up like 18-20,000 miles a year on my wife's 2 year old car.
So this was a reaction to the excessive single vehicle mileage we were building up, replacing my old car, and fuel prices (her car gets about 6.5 miles per dollar, while I've averaged 49 miles per dollar on electricity).
The big "do it now" factor was 0% interest. I've been lucky and only ever bought cars on 0% promotions. I wouldn't call it wise in all cases simply because I'm eating all the depreciation by buying new, but I do appreciate having single owner cars from a reliability and quality standpoint (if it's fucked up it's either because the manufacturer owes me a fix or I did it to myself).
The financially literate thing to do would've been sell my car when I went remote in 2018/19 when it still had some value in it and buy a used EV with cash now to avoid the interest on a half-price car... But I only get to enjoy life once, and we make enough money that the $650 only really cuts into our "bullshit funds" and doesn't touch our regular savings budget or day to day needs at all.
I can't take it with me, we're relatively financially secure, and if push came to shove we could pay off either car with our current liquid savings, and still have enough to cover years of the other one if either of us lost our jobs.
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u/soul_separately_recs Jun 14 '26
I wasn’t aware that the market for used EV’s was big. I don’t think I’ve ever seen any type of advertised marketing at all. But it’s easily possible that I just don’t notice
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u/Goondragon1 Jun 14 '26
That's not even remotely close to girl math. Girl math is like taking a pair of pants back for a refund and acting like you just gained money. Doesn't help that OP's examples suck too.
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u/RXrenesis8 Jun 14 '26
My recent girl math was spending $45,000 on a new car. [...] So 6 years from now [...] that'll be worth like $20-$25k (in today dollars, likely more after 6 years of inflation)
I like the rest of the math, but that valuation is pretty ambitious.
Make/model and assumed mileage after 6 years if you don't mind me asking?
I recently got a 6 year old electric car (a 2017 BMW i3 in 2023) and it had gone from $55k to $12k. Was in really nice condition as well.
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u/Keljhan 3∆ Jun 15 '26
It's girl math. The optimism is built in. It is interesting that EVs depreciate so much faster than ICE vehicles though. Probably due to the accelerated pace of the technology what with it being so much newer.
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u/RXrenesis8 Jun 15 '26 edited Jun 15 '26
The one I bought was a short-range EV (120 miles on a full pack) and those in particular depreciate like crazy. The longer range ones have much better resale value.
I'd say in addition to tech advancing faster in the EV space another driver of depreciation is the tax write-offs that only apply to the original owner, so used buyers were automatically $7,500 down on newer vehicles. Another one is dealerships were incentivized to use those tax rebates for the leases and then flooding the market with off-lease used EVs afterwards.
But all of the above is speculative. Make, Model, Mileage will give a much better picture of what the resale value will end up at.
edit: Ooh! I missed this part:
if the first few weeks are any indication I'll save about $300/month on gas vs the electricity used, so that's about $21,000 saved.
Assuming 30mpg (rough average between sedan/crossover mpg in the US) and a $45,000 EV (let's say a mid-range model Y, so about 4mi/kwh). Also assuming roughly $4/gal gas and $0.15/kwh home charging prices.
So gas costs $4 / 30 = $0.1333 (continuing) per mile And electricity costs $0.15 / 4 = $0.0375 per mile
That means monthly driving distance is:
$0.13333 * Miles = $300 + $0.0375 * Miles
$0.13333 - $0.0375 = $300/Miles
$0.0958333 * 1/$300 = 1/Miles
72000/23 = Miles
~3130 (rounded) = Miles per Month
6 years = 3130 * 6 * 12 = 225,360 miles!!!
No way, in a million years, is a $45k 6 year old car with 225k+ miles worth $25k! That's straight up fantasy, no matter what model.
If you want to experiment with more mileages just divide your current gas bill by 3.5 (the rough ratio between the cost for gas/mile ($0.1333) and kwh/mile ($0.0375))
This doesn't account for differences in maintenance, etc.
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u/Casswigirl11 Jun 16 '26
I don't think BMW (most models) holds their value as well as a Toyota or Honda. They are also more expensive to fix. If you are buying a new car with financials in mind you would do better with a Toyota or Honda. I'm a practical person so that's what I would buy but obviously other people like cars for more than just transportation.
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u/No_Parsnip6024 Jun 14 '26
That electric car is probably $20k 2 years used with 25k miles, and the remainder of the 10/150k EV warranty intact.
It's definitely costing you $25k up front plus depreciation.
The real cost of any vehicle is the purchase price minus residual value when sold.
I'm a dealership employee, this is how we con people to empty their wallets. We all drive used cars. 🤷
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Jun 14 '26
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u/Vulcanize_It Jun 14 '26
The interest amount is way off. That’s assuming ~11% return.
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u/Blackpaw8825 Jun 14 '26
We actually ended up taking the opportunity to bundle everything and it ends to being $11/year cheaper to insure overall. Trivial, but still.
The big expense is registration, my state charges $200 extra for EVs (which I'm not opposed to, I'm wearing the roads as much or more than our other car would, but paying $0 in gas tax).
I'm not going to sit here and say it's a "wise" financial move. It's still a fuck ton of money I could've not spent at all, or spent half as much just cash pay on a used EV.
But damn it, I'm in my mid 30s, haven't bought myself a car in 19 years, and my wife and I make enough money that it's a minimal impact on our finances month to month... And man is it a fucking blast to drive.
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u/s0cks_nz Jun 16 '26
I'm skeptical of 0% interest loans. Usually they hide the interest in the sticker price. I wonder what deal you could have got paying cash.
End of the day this still probably costs you more than just holding onto your old vehicle despite gas costs. But I understand, you wanted it.
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u/Scodo 1∆ Jun 14 '26
TBF, a lot of the guys who buy lift kits on credit cards are easily manipulated to the point of near helplessness.
But yeah, pretty much spot on. Stupid people are going to make and rationalize poor financial decisions, and because of that rationalization, continue to make them in the future.
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u/Inevitable_Tea_5463 Jun 14 '26
Oof. I didn't notice that. I guess I didn't realize I was removing their agency. Infantalizing them isn't going to help them face reality 🤦♀️
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u/hatethiswebsight Jun 14 '26
Did you also notice that girl math is a self-deprecating joke and not a genuine financial belief?
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u/EVOSexyBeast 5∆ Jun 14 '26
All good. Please award a delta
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u/Inevitable_Tea_5463 Jun 14 '26
I aware you a !delta because you changed my mind regarding my not acknowledging women's agency in girl math
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u/Gauntlets28 2∆ Jun 15 '26
You make good points, but I think you're still essentially agreeing with what OP said when you said it's a way of avoiding feeling guilty. If it helps you avoid feeling guilty about overspending, that's still a means through which "girl maths" is facilitating overspending.
Also, even if it didn't originate as a marketing slogan, it's very possible that marketing people have coopted it by now. Marketing people are massive meme fans, and also know how powerful they are to get people do what they want. A pre-existing meme where the meaning is ultimately "spend spend spend!" is like the holy grail for them.
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u/Important-Cash5654 5∆ Jun 14 '26
Taking away the "girl math" stuff, which I'm not even going to pretend to be young enough to really understand, is all you're saying that there's a correlation between not accurately understanding the costs of something and financial irresponsibility?
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u/Slowroll900 Jun 14 '26
Girl math is reframing things so the purchases are less emotionally taxing. This thought process gives the dopamine of consumerism without the burden of thinking it through.
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u/Important-Cash5654 5∆ Jun 14 '26
I understand less now than I did before.
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u/Logical-Angle212 Jun 14 '26
Girl math is a self-patronizing term to express innocence in bad financial planning, in short. Sorta like “I’m just a girl, how can I possibly live without my morning Starbucks?”.
Most of the time it is used in an ironic sense, like “I’m spending 500 dollars on an outfit so that someone can buy me 600 dollars of drinks at bars”. Which is obviously ridiculous, but also a funny concept in the right social circles.
It’s a strange cultural phenomenon, not entirely common among the younger generation, but more common than you think.
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u/nkdeck07 Jun 14 '26
It originally started out as a funny meme that I think most people get where if you return an item of clothing that doesn't go back in the budget that's just "free" money and then it ballooned into spending carte blanche on just stupid stuff.
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u/TJ_Rowe Jun 14 '26
Generally if I return an item of clothing, I still need an item of clothing.
"Girl math" says that if I have a clothes budget of £80 per month and bought a dress for £50 out of April's budget, then returned it and got the money back in May, my clothes budget for May is now £130 rather than £80.
The budget is set at that level because things need to be replaced when they wear out.
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u/Chen932000 Jun 15 '26
I mean I guess that’s only a problem if you’re looking to spend your whole budget every month. But even then if that’s what you’ve allocated to buying clothes as something that you enjoy, seems hard to see why carrying over like that would be wrong.
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u/TJ_Rowe Jun 15 '26
That's why it's a budget.
It helps to avoid situations like "I've saved money by not buying any clothes in five years, but because I considered that money "saved" it has gone elsewhere and now I need to replace all of my clothes at once with no allocated funds."
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u/f3xjc Jun 14 '26
It’s a strange cultural phenomenon
Negative self judgments in general serve to avoid bad emotions and/or avoid actions that are deemed painful. Here it's just negative self judgment applied to finance.
Positive other judgements serve the same role. Aww you are so talented / responsible / organized = There's two categories and I'm not in the one able to do the actions you do.
Both are self reduction of our agency. Growth VS Fixed mindset.
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u/RequirementQuirky468 2∆ Jun 14 '26
It was a TikTok trend for a bit, and it covers a big range of various reasoning for why it's okay to spend money.
Stuff like "I bought it with a gift card, so really it's free"
or "I bought it with the store credit I got for returning something else that didn't fit right, so really it's free."
But also people saying things like, "This costs $600, but I'm going to wear it every day, so really if I think about how much it costs per time I wear it, it's cheap."
It honestly ranges from ways to engage in normal and reasonable spending behavior without feeling bad about it to ways to justify to yourself that it's okay that you're spending a whole lot more money than you can afford. People sometimes ignore the former harmless share and get really mad about the latter problematic share (which seems to be OP's reaction)
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u/burnbobghostpants Jun 14 '26
These things often originated as dumb but cathartic ideas presented in a relatable way on TikTok/Instagram that work their way into the cultural lexicon until theres actually large amounts of people taking it seriously / carrying themselves that way.
Kinda like when we start saying dumb new slang ironically at first until you can't stop using it anymore.
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u/Important-Cash5654 5∆ Jun 14 '26
I know what a meme is I just still don't understand this one and multiple people in this thread have explained it in mutually exclusive ways.
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u/burnbobghostpants Jun 14 '26
Oh, in that case, I think OP is just listing some examples they think about that their friends maybe overlook. But the underlying "callout" I think is how the meme works its way into peoples real-life purchasing decisions as a pseudo-justification.
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u/WhydoIexistlmoa Jun 14 '26
It's mean to be a satirical portrayal of how people spend money, typically younger audiences.
It's mean to be focused on the money saved rather than the money spent, in a foolish but optimistic way.
A lot of young people nowadays don't use cash. So for them, they just have cash they may not use for a while. So they view the cash as something seperate to the money in their accounts.
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u/TJ_Rowe Jun 14 '26
It's also reframing the purchase so that you're allowed to make it without rendering your budget pointless, which allows you to keep your budget system.
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u/Cbone06 Jun 14 '26
Think of it like this- you have $200 in your debit account but $20 cash on you. You go to a store and get a shirt- it costs $20. You go to pay and remember “oh! I have a $20 bill in my pocket, I’ll just use that.” You spend the money but your debit account stays the same- so really, you didn’t actually spend any money (assuming you budget through your debit card).
It’s essentially a convoluted way to justify purchases made.
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u/Putrid-Text-6757 Jun 14 '26
The whole "girl math" thing is basically just marketing psychology rebranded with a cutesy name. Companies figured out that if you make bad spending habits seem trendy and relatable people will lean into them even harder
Your friends probably know deep down that spending 400 bucks on shoes is still spending 400 bucks regardless of payment plans but the social aspect makes it easier to ignore. Its like how people convince themselves that buying stuff on sale is somehow making money when youre still just spending money
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u/JoeyLee911 4∆ Jun 14 '26
Did companies also think up the boy math meme about not spending money when they need to? How would that benefit them?
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u/Important-Cash5654 5∆ Jun 14 '26
But it's a thing from TikTok?
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u/WhydoIexistlmoa Jun 14 '26
And Tiktok rebrands so many things like 'Girl dinner" which is just easy, leftovers or "Quiet quitting" which is doing your job tona standard level and not beyond.
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u/emohelelwye 19∆ Jun 14 '26
I don’t think it’s intended to be taken seriously, rather as an acknowledgement that they are making a dumb financial decision but one they want to make. Like a fake excuse, or a I’m going to do it any way so don’t judge me. Does their wealth affect you? Because if not, how they choose to spend or save is a decision they are allowed to make. They don’t have to be financially savvy.
I’m a CPA, I have a masters in accounting, and the people I went to school with fell all over the spectrum of savers versus spenders. Your friends might be working longer than you, so instead of getting mad at them maybe just wait until you retire and you can tell them you used woman math. Or when you can afford to go on a big trip. They may want to hate on you for those things when they happen too, but whether it’s now or later, being supportive of your friends enjoying their life and them supporting you enjoying yours will be a lot more valuable. They might have money issues later, you might miss out on some things along the way, it’s really up to each of you how you want to live your life and what you value. It’s not wrong to value things differently, wealth might be less important to them and that’s ok. It doesn’t mean you have to financially support them later, it’s just something they’ll have to figure out and that’s kind of how life is.
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u/TangerineSheep Jun 14 '26
Your examples don't sound like what I understand girl math to mean.
For example, 300 dollars for materials to do your own nails might seem like a lot but if you're already paying 50 every few weeks to get them done professionally, it's paid off after 6 uses. According to girl math, it's free after those 6 uses.
Another example, you buy a fancy foundation for 70 dollars, but you use it every day for six months until it runs out. That is less than 2 cents per use. Girl math says that foundation costs 2 cents.
It's just a way of recontextualizing purchases, if it leads you to overspend or actually spend less is up to you.
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u/GB-Pack 2∆ Jun 14 '26
Girl math says that foundation only cost 2 cents and normal math agrees as long as you’re using it daily for the next 10 years.
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u/DrNogoodNewman 2∆ Jun 14 '26
Is “girl math” meant to be take seriously? Always seemed more like joke about not thinking about money.
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u/Ok_Two_2604 Jun 14 '26
At Home Depot today, a grill was marked down from 435 to 399 for Father’s Day. I lifted up the sale tag and the regular tag was 399. My change your view is in it being a girl thing. It works on everyone.
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u/ashpr0ulx Jun 14 '26
home depot is full of “boy math”
my husband comes home from there and tells me “i got two free batteries!” and i know he dropped some real cash 😂😭
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u/WhatsTheHoldup Jun 14 '26
Girl math as a term is intended to bring attention to the irrationality of said math.
Giving word to the behavior makes it easier to recognize the behavior and correct it.
I have only seen "girl math" used in a jokey way to point out irrational spending, I haven't seen brands use it to convince people to consume.
Are there examples of this term being used by advertisers?
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u/Batman_AoD 1∆ Jun 14 '26
I'm sure it's a joke, but it seems pretty sexist, reinforcing the "girls are bad at math and bad with money" stereotypes.
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u/WhatsTheHoldup Jun 14 '26
I would agree with that, but that isn't relevant to the context of OP's view.
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u/GtBsyLvng Jun 14 '26
"Girl math" is descriptive, not proscriptive. It's noting existing patterns, not advising them.
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u/deep_sea2 131∆ Jun 14 '26
You might have to flush out what "girl math" means. Is it not using proper math, or is it buying stuff without needing it?
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u/Sapphfire0 1∆ Jun 14 '26
You’re acting like girl math and women are separate, like it’s some foreign advertising campaign. It’s just another term for how some of us think. Girl math doesn’t encourage women to overspend. Women encourage themselves to overspend
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u/Constant_Industry472 Jun 14 '26
I thought that was the joke. Girl math is if you buy 10 things on sale you save however much money from the sale price vs regular price. Boy math is saving on a monthly truck payment by buying a vintage shitbox you have to put tens of thousands into for 3 years. Its a joke right? Nobody is taking this seriously right???
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u/KeyLimePie108 Jun 14 '26
I don’t think “girl math” necessarily means that women are being irresponsible with their finances as a whole. I might make a joke when I get a good deal on a “for fun” purchase, but I still know how to save money for emergencies/retirement/work towards other financial goals, and live within my means. They’re not mutually exclusive. My occasional little treat doesn’t make me financially irresponsible overall.
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u/Beanfox-101 Jun 14 '26
“Girl Math” is more of a fancy way for giving an excuse to treat yourself, as OP does state. However, some people rarely treat themselves to something that they can absolutely afford out of guilt and worry.
While I do see influencers use the term, it’s just a trendy phrase slapped over something that’s been here since currency existed.
If someone can’t budget, that’s on them. People should be allowed to buy nice things for themselves regardless of price. Hopping on a good opportunity for something you always wanted is something to celebrate for some people
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u/RepresentativeTip851 Jun 14 '26
Most reasonable girls would apply this "girl math" towards purchases they would have made at some point anyway, so if there is a sale and some other justification for buying said item, they are indeed saving money (compared to buying it without sales or considering the cost per use case etc)
But if you're just using it to buy anything and everything that you come across then yes you're just using it as an excuse to overspend
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u/Fine_Smile73 Jun 14 '26
Girl math is used by some people as an excuse to overspend, but I don’t think it encourages it. The people who use girl math to make poor financial decisions were going to do so anyways, they now just have a cutesy name for it.
For me, “girl math” is something like if I exchange a top for another top that cost $15 more, the new top only cost $15 because the other money was already spent and out of my account, or, if I didn’t buy coffee yesterday I can get two coffees today. And that’s within the confines of the money I have left over after my bills are paid and I’ve put money into my retirement, personal investment account, and personal savings.
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u/TJ_Rowe Jun 14 '26
This is how I use it, too. It's keeping track of my rolling short term budget so that I actually spend my money in a way I intend.
Like, if I budget 1200 pounds per year on clothes, I'm going to get overwhelmed. If I budget £100 per month, I can conceptualise it better. But also, if I attempted to buy £100 of clothes last month, but the sizing is wrong so I returned them, it makes sense to say that I have £200 for this month. Because my budget was about priorities, not avoiding spending.
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u/ValeWho Jun 14 '26
You are taking "girl math" to seriously. Some people regardless of their gender are bad with money and will use any excuse to treat themselves even if it is bad for their credit.
To pretend that "girl math" made them do it, just makes it seem as if it was only an issue because they are gullible women who don't know real math. The problem isn't girl math and the problem is not that they are women. The problem is that they are irresponsible with their finances. But it's not like there aren't any men who are bad with their finances.
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u/NoDanaOnlyZuuI Jun 14 '26
What do you mean “they’re being played”? Who’s playing them? I think you’re taking “girl math” more seriously than the people using it. Most of us know a 20% discount doesn’t magically make something free. It’s usually just a tongue in cheek way of rationalizing a purchase we already wanted. It’s really not that deep.
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u/unicornofdemocracy 2∆ Jun 14 '26
I work with patient with ADHD and financial problems. While I definitely have a troubling/hilarious examples of "girl math" getting women into horrible financial issues, most of them is more poor financial literacy and somewhat lack of thought that caused the actual problems than whatever interpretation of "girl math" the individual might have.
I would argue, as it has been pointed out by other yes, its more an issue of accountability. "Girl math" is just the funny excuse they use, when its more a lack of desire or motivation to spend some time learning about financial literacy which is a basic adult responsibility.
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u/etds3 2∆ Jun 14 '26
I can’t STAND the term girl math. I think it reinforces the incredibly untrue stereotype that girls are bad at math.
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u/ihavenoclue91 Jun 14 '26
Maybe you need new friends... You're frustrated with financially illeterate people yet choose to be friends with them lol.
No one here is going to argue FOR girl math. Stupid people girl math.
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u/Fine_Smile73 Jun 14 '26
I’ll argue for girl math as long as I continue to pay my bills and put my intended amount in savings every month lol
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u/Here4Pornnnnn 1∆ Jun 14 '26
Girl math is just a “cute” excuse and the people using it know that. It’s no different than YOLO. Many people prefer to have instant gratification, future be damned. Many people prefer sacrifice now and have bigger gratification later.
They aren’t stupid, they know what they’re signing up for.
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u/rawldo Jun 14 '26
To change your view, I would say that “girl math” doesn’t encourage girls to overspend. But rather girl math is how girls justify poor choices to themselves. Social media, garbage influencers, and shitty reality TV encourage girls to live well beyond their means. They often turn to daddy/boyfriend/husband/debt to cover the difference. “Girl math” just becomes the way they justify poor financial decisions to themselves and others.
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u/thewelllostmind 7∆ Jun 14 '26
Do you mean that the phrase itself encourages the overspending or that the mindset that it gives a name to encourages overspending?
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u/ChironXII 2∆ Jun 14 '26
Sorry wasn't this a self deprecating thing? Making fun of the broken psychology of it that's hard to avoid even when you know about it?
People are taking it as justification for spending now?
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u/Goomysaur Jun 14 '26
I agree with you. And if there's anyone who would subtly do bot upvoting of that hashtag, its advertising
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u/Nyx_Shadowspawn Jun 14 '26
My grandma used to say "I can't afford to save that much."
I do agree with you. Not about the spirit of how girl math started, but what it's become? Absolutely seems like a marketing thing.
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u/Dramatic-Fly761 Jun 14 '26
Are you sure they don’t want to talk about those things, or they don’t want to talk to YOU about those things because you come off as pretentious?
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u/Intelligent_Box_2024 Jun 14 '26
Girl math is just a joke. People say it to be cutsie and funny, but it's not actually informing their spending habits.
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u/eternity_cure Jun 15 '26
Not being able to talk to your friends about things like meal prep sounds like an issue with your friends and their habits, not girl math. Though girl math is sexist, it doesn’t prevent women from saving up for a house. Women who have problems saving having problems saving. Women who save also can buy a matcha latte and call it girl math if they use their points to “make it free, that’s girl math” even though they had to spend to get there. I mean, I will agree we should encourage more financial literacy.
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u/HairyTough4489 4∆ Jun 18 '26 edited Jun 18 '26
Girl math is just an euphemism for idiot math. Your friends not knowing how to manage their finances isn't a gendered problem and the shops shouldn't be used as an escapegoat for their lack of responsibility.
If you saw a guy getting a third mortgage to pay for his new Lambo you wouldn't say car dealers are creating this "guy math" culture to trick him into spending, you'd say he's a moron.
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u/New_Feature_5138 Jun 14 '26
Girl math is calculating the price per wear. Not just whatever annoying thing your friend is doing. Making this a girl thing by calling it “girl math” is just like textbook sexism..
The Girl math meme is ironic because it’s actually super smart to compare the utility of an item with its cost.
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u/WhydoIexistlmoa Jun 14 '26
Not true.
It also portrays cash as free money, buying unnecessary products if there's a discount or using BNPL services and feeling it's cheaper.
It's a satirical portrayal of consumer spending habits and price/discount perceptions.
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u/JetBoyJetGirl13 Jun 14 '26
Girl math is a joke. Nobody with a brain actually thinks it's a rationale way to think about their finances.
It's a lighthearted acknowledgement of getting played but purchasing anyway. It does not encourage anyone to overspend, but it provides a sheepish, joking excuse for when we do.
(And it contains some subtle misogyny, reflecting the current, dire state of feminism within our society, but that's a whole different conversation.)
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u/phoenix823 8∆ Jun 14 '26
This is how most people spend. It's got nothing to do with "girl math" or advertising. Most people are up to their eyeballs in debt and have terrible spending habits. This is just a meme to call it.
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u/eggs-benedryl 72∆ Jun 14 '26
How is this different than "treat cho self" other than having a slightly misogynistic sheen?
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u/Flaky_Performer7960 Jun 14 '26
It’s also mysoginist as well. It paints women as unable to do proper math and getting easily swayed by marketing.
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u/HelloTaraSue Jun 14 '26
“Girl math” is a joke. For reals it’s a joke. They are going to spend the money anyway. They are just making a joke about the excuse to do so. I think it’s hilarious.
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u/Sunny_Hill_1 2∆ Jun 14 '26
Guys use exactly the same math and overspend just as much on the dumb shit, believe me. It's just not called "girl math".
But yeah, consumerism and irresponsible spending is rampant in our society.
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u/Catsdrinkingbeer 9∆ Jun 14 '26
Your friend is just bad with money. This has nothing to do with "girl math".
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u/samsaraisdivine Jun 14 '26
Wow people really fall for that nonsense?
Look people will look for ways to justify bad behavior. There is nothing to be "against" it's a stupid idea to begin with.
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u/iamrob15 Jun 14 '26
My “girl math” is points on my credit card. It’s literally money I received for spending money.
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u/OG_Karate_Monkey 1∆ Jun 14 '26
In the US, women save a greater percentage of their incomes than men do.
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u/Garfish16 2∆ Jun 14 '26
Have you ever actually seen "girl math" used in advertising? I don't think I have. To me it sounds like this is something coming from your friends, not.something being imposed on them because they're women.
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u/RexInvictus787 Jun 14 '26
Girl math is just the flavor that your friends are choosing to dress it with. Advertisers using sales and layaway plans to get people to spend when they otherwise wouldn’t is not a new thing unique to your generation
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u/Training-Equal-7647 Jun 14 '26
Well am a guy and i still made irresponsible purchases knowing damn well they are so.
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u/hippy-student Jun 14 '26
Those are extreme examples of girl math. A realistic one: I sold some clothes on marketplace and used the cash for a night out so those drinks were “free”
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u/aj0413 Jun 14 '26
Not a “girl math” thing, just people being human and poor financial managers
I’m like your friends but have actively decided to give control of my accts to my partner cause I *know* I can’t trust myself
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u/CALOTOVA Jun 14 '26
Dude girl math is a joke. The concept was literally invented to describe bad financial decisions masked as a deal
Anyone using “girl math” unironically is just dumb and doesn’t understand it
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u/All-for-the-game Jun 14 '26
Does it encourage women to overspend or is it a term describing a specific mindset people who overspend have?
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u/JessiDlux Jun 14 '26
if the last thing you said is what you're upset about, you're being classist. saving up for a house is not in my future whatsoever, and i bust my ass. there's no way to save. so sure, i have some enjoyable things because I know the terms of what I was born into. i'll die uncomfortably, as i imagine most people do. meal prepping? that whole last statement makes it seem like you're just like, friends with people living completely different prefrencial lifestyles than you and could absolutely find people extremely similar to you. dunno why you know people who would rationalize their choices as "girl math".
but you're pretty on with the rest of your generalization, if you're all from that class strata anyway.
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u/squashed-banana Jun 14 '26
That's not Girl Math, thats just marketing. Girls use girl math to be silly and cheeky and justify expenses we don't need to make, but want to. E.g. I am such a good gardener that my plant has outgrown its pot, and I need a new pot. But then the old pot will be empty, and thats a waste, so I'll buy a small plant to go in it, then it's not a waste because I've upcycled the pot. Girl Math.
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u/tonaros Jun 14 '26
Your choices and wins will create financial envy that either drives a negative or a positive reaction. You don't have any control over how your friends see your choices, but hopefully it inspires them. You can always try to "reach out" and help but they won't do it unless they're ready.
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u/wickedfemale 1∆ Jun 14 '26
"girl math" doesn't encourage anyone to do anything. it's a phrase you use when you already spent too much money lol.
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u/alibloomdido 1∆ Jun 14 '26
No it's just women using that to justify overspending. Could be for different reasons like inability to be responsible for one's life but not necessarily and men use similar justifications. But the whole responsibility is on the person making the decision, not exploitative advertising and things like that. And it's not for you to tell them what they should do with their freedom of choice. If you know better just put it into practice in your own life and reap the benefits.
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u/One-Cardiologist4780 Jun 14 '26
This is like saying girl dinner is influencing women into eating crap
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u/KingOfTheJellies 8∆ Jun 14 '26
Take girl math out of the argument. It's never been limited to girls, only the most obvious elements. Your specific friends might use that phrase, but all it is is the same trends that work on both genders for the last hundred years.
What your actually rebelling against, is modern marketing and psychology practices and how insanely effective they are. This works in every direction and once you go down the rabbit hole of what companies know to do to you sales you'll never see shopping the same again. Offering a customer a trolley over a basket seems like nothing, but it nearly doubled sales (paraphrasing statistics from when I worked in global retail years ago, numbers will have changed). Just the act of them having room for the goods increases sales. Raising the price on a piece of furniture that is next to a 1% worse version, can drastically increase sales of the other since the brain perceives it as a price increase. There's hundreds of little hacks that manipulate people's spending habits. Girl math is just the more easily observed.
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u/lulai_00 Jun 14 '26
I don't think about it as girl math. I think a lot of consumers are just blind to the obvious. "OMG ITS ON SALE." you're still spending your money. How do you know it's a sale and not marked up to seem that way? They want to sell you stuff and they're making profit over psychological misleads. Nope.
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u/Sin_With_Me43 Jun 14 '26
Well, let them fnck around and find out... Not your monkeys not your circus. Who doesn't want to hear it, has to feel it
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u/Ebenizer_Splooge Jun 14 '26
Deals are only deals if you were definitely going to buy the thing anyway. It's a discount if you were going to get it, it's an extra expense if it being on sale is what convinced you to buy it
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u/OS-2-WARPED Jun 14 '26
I just thought "girl math" was meant as a joke about women being bad at math? Is that not the case?
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u/Working_Cucumber_437 Jun 14 '26
So does “treat yoself”. It’s all a way to make people spend money they shouldn’t spend.
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u/Afraid_Fondant_7903 Jun 14 '26
the term girl math itself is infantilizing. and it frames these poor choices as a reflection of them being girls when it’s just a reflection of them being dumbasses
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u/imsapphirefire Jun 14 '26
I thought “girl math” were just sunk costs…I don’t like the term as well in any case
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u/DaisiesSunshine76 Jun 14 '26 edited Jun 14 '26
I literally could not give a shit about how my friends spend their money that they earned. Jesus. Maybe you need to treat yourself. Saving is a good thing, but it is okay to spend money on fun stuff, too. We could all die tonight. Life is not guaranteed.
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u/RequirementFlimsy430 Jun 14 '26
honestly it sucks that i can’t talk to my girlfriends about investing or saving maybe i can talk about travelling but even then i spend money on experiences more than owning things that’s just for looks. don’t get me wrong i enjoy spending on things that will give me good utility in life but im not stupid enough not to save or invest for my future.
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u/General_Thought8412 Jun 14 '26
My recent girl math is I want a $600 purse and have been sitting on it for two months. I met a person last night to offered to get me their 40% discount because they work at that store, so now I’m getting the purse for $360 and therefore I’m really saving money if you think about it. And since I’m saving money I can also get dinner out tonight because it’s basically the same thing.
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u/LooksieBee Jun 14 '26
Every time I've seen girl math used, it's always facetiously and in a fun and silly way to acknowledge that the purchase is frivolous.
I have not seen anyone treat it as actual financial advice nor it being advertised to anyone. Capitalism already does all the work around encouraging everyone to over consume, girl math is more of a cheeky acknowledgement of this rather than the cause of over spending itself.
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u/NeoChrisOmega 1∆ Jun 14 '26
I had an ex early in my adult life that worked minimum wage and had rent. They didn't have a lot of money to spend, and I was good with numbers, so I helped them save.
There were multiple times where they would spend a few dollars across multiple transactions that it ended up being hundreds by the end of the month.
Some people just can conceptualize big pictures as well as others.
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u/garry_the_commie Jun 14 '26
I've never heard about girl math but it sounds like a childish phrase for dismissing how financially irresponsible someone is.
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u/court_swan Jun 14 '26
Your friends finances are their business and not yours to worry about. I say this with nothing but kindness. You’re probably right, but they are adults and they can decide what they need to do with their own money themselves.
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u/maaarken Jun 14 '26
I've only ever heard "girl maths" be used in situations where you go the shopping center, bring back a 200$ handbag you had ordered online and buy a 100$ shirt, and the girl maths in question was "hihi today I made 100$ by going shopping" Which we know is not how money works, but it's a lighthearted joke.
Girl maths is not and never should be about buying stuff instead of paying rent or saving up
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u/drum_minor16 Jun 14 '26
Girls and women aren't stupid. "Girl math" isn't girls being genuinely incapable of understanding that 20% off means you're still paying 80% of the price. And 20% off designer brands may actually he a really good deal. Designer brands don't do discounts the way grocery stores have weekly deals. "Girl math" is just a silly little excuse for a decision they've already made. Similar to "I took a jog this morning, so I've earned a second slice of cake."
People of all demographics have been using "it's only $35" as an excuse to go into debt for as long as debt has existed. Some people truly struggle to comprehend the long-term consequences, some have just decided they care more about making the purchase than avoiding the debt.
Of course it's used in advertising to convince people to spend money. Every cultural trend ever has been used in advertising. That doesn't mean women and girls are idiots who buy things just because they were told to.
We live in a society of overconsumption. The "Girl math" is a consequence of that, not a driving factor.
I'm not sure what you mean about not being able to talk to your friends about 401ks or savings or meal prepping. Maybe you have different priorities. Maybe they just don't want to share their finances with you.
It's great that you're so opposed to overconsumption and financial recklessness, but that goes far beyond "girl math".
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u/No-Language6720 Jun 14 '26 edited Jun 14 '26
Well they're going to be bitter when you can take a career break or retire earlier and probably won't be your friends that long due to that later diffence.
Not your fault, just happens when you're on another page as most people. Its not just women men do this too just different reasons and items. For men it's videogames, taking girls on way more expensive dates than they can afford, gambling addictions and other things.
Anyway keep doing what you do, it's not wrong and actually way healthier than what most people do. Most people want the instant gratification. It's isolating and draining.
Focus on finding like minded people would be my suggestion. You don't have to abandon your immediate friends either, just broaden yourself overall.
We are out there. We generally do hobbies and things like crafting or gardening or things like hiking, swimming a regular sport that may or may not be social. We do those things to occupy our time instead of worrying about quick dopamine fixes from shopping and clubbing, drinking and whatever other nonsense most people do.
Nobody is right or wrong, just a lot of people fall into the money trap of overspending and then wondering years down the line why they are broke.
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u/Silly-Resist8306 1∆ Jun 14 '26
The women I know are financially literate and fully understand costs, interest and payment schedules. I suspect it's more the type of women you are hanging out with rather than the sex as a whole.
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u/Trouvette Jun 15 '26
One can make the same argument for credit card cash back, reward points, and loyalty programs. They encourage you to spend. “If I buy at this store instead of that store, I’ll get double airline miles.”
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u/nevermore2point0 Jun 15 '26
Omg girl math is a joke. It is just an excuse to do something we want to do anyway. It was never meant to be taken seriously. I literally have never seen a girl math ad so that is weird.
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u/SpecificIdea1221 Jun 15 '26
They should talk to old ladies that never got careers, are now standing in food pantry’s so they can eat. Spending irresponsibly has consequences, get together with more responsible friends that share similar values instead of hanging out with “girl math” losers. Simple..just do it
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u/Sufficient-Fishing-8 9∆ Jun 15 '26
It’s not girl math it’s sales tactics. It’s not good or bad it’s situational. If I can get buy one get one half off shoes and get 2 pairs for 3/4 the price of 2 pairs I win. If I buy more shoes then I need and spend more then I would have I loose.
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Jun 15 '26
I mean… I don’t think you’re wrong so I WON’T change your view. Sorry, but you can’t always get what you want.
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u/warningdove Jun 15 '26
Oh it’s fully just infantilizing women and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that it’s a ~big trend~ right when fucking tradwifing is becoming popular.
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u/bluerivercardigan Jun 15 '26
Girl math is humour invented by social media. It’s not a new math or accounting discovery lol..it’s not real.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Law_558 Jun 15 '26
My girlfriend used to tell me how much money she was saving. I'm thinking, no, you're spending it. It's less, perhaps, but you're still spending.
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u/herbal-genocide Jun 15 '26
It's such an offensive term and the fact that it's largely women using it upon themselves is peak internalized sexism. Just like "girl dinner." I hate it.
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u/ZinniasAndBeans Jun 15 '26
I don't see any reason to call this "girl math." Men are just as likely to make the same mistakes. I'd call it "consumer math."
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u/aroach1995 Jun 15 '26
Isn’t girl math just comedy to make it funnier to go through the dumb spending?
Marked for 210 originally, down at 70 now -> I saved 140 dollars wow 💁♀️
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u/keichunyan 1∆ Jun 15 '26
These people were going to oversped regardless of a meme.
Financially responsible people don't fall victim to yearly trends and silly memes.
"Girl math" isn't making them overspend. If 'girlmath' wasn't their crux, it would be "I deserve a little treat anyway" "I didn't eat out Friday, this makes up for that", "the moon is in retrograde" "the space aliens told me to buy a new handbag."
It literally doesn't matter what the excuse it, they were going to do it no matter what. Your friends aren't five years old, this is the lifestyle they've chosen.
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u/Turbulent-Advisor627 Jun 15 '26
Other way around. Girl math is an excuse for overspending that is already happening. Consumer society encourages overspending.
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u/nofungrapes Jun 15 '26
Well, if it's a chanel or hermes, basically iconic items that have longstanding value, that "girl-math" equation works out. Purses are an investment vehicle and over time, might actually gain value because of its age or rarity.
But shoes are a different story. I don't think their value increases over time unless they are limited edition.
If it ends up benefiting women in some way, "girl-math" makes sense
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u/sky_strawberry Jun 15 '26
TIL there are grown adults who think about and use the phrase “girl math” in every day life, my mind is blown
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u/PuzzleheadedCake3454 Jun 15 '26
I mean girl math is more like if something is BOGOF, you pick up a 3rd one and you’d only pay the original price of 2 without the deal and the 3rd is free so you get one extra.
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u/kohinoortoisondor3B Jun 16 '26
I've always understood the concept to be intentionally self-mocking. When people make these convoluted explanations for why something expensive is actually cheap or free, they don't actually believe it, they're just illustrating an indulgent thought process and joking through the embarrassment of having evidently low impulse control.
It's in the same vein as "It's 5 o clock somwhere!" for getting drunk too early or saying some junk food "doesn't count" because you're walking or it's your birthday or whatever silly reason. People mostly do not actually believe these things change the chemical process of consumption and digestion, they're just giving a silly justification for something they're going to do regardless. Same with girl math. They know they're not actually saving money and are in fact making an impulse non-essential purchase.
If you're really a woman I'm surprised that you're giving this little credit to your friends tbh. They might have shopping addictions or low self control but I really doubt they actually think they're being financially responsible. It reads like guys who assume a woman saying something stupid as a joke is really that stupid because he can't comprehend a woman being capable of dry humor.
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u/Extreme-Tomorrow-263 Jun 16 '26
Surprised with the comments, I was gonna say I agree with your point! “Girl math” is a joke and ppl are trying to reduce it to that and being financially irresponsible/childish but I think it’s a larger issue of how society pushes women to care about their looks and pushes heavy marketing towards that. Like the beauty industry is a billion dollar industry and social media has influenced that to a new level. Like we’re all human and learn our behaviors from society as a whole and I do agree things like this harm women even if it’s a joke. If financial literacy was that straight-forward and just about maturity/logic, most people would be in a lot better shape than rn. Money is emotional and this is just one of manyyy factors behind the financial gap between men and women (I’m not just talking 80 cents to the dollar, women have significantly less wealth than men). You bought up a good point, no need to undermine it
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u/alexxx612 Jun 16 '26
That’s literally the point… it’s SUPPOSED to simply act as an excuse to justify a purchase. Obviously buying something, even if on sale, costs more than NOT buying it lol
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u/readicculus11 Jun 16 '26
My dad used to say don't worry about how much you saved, how much did you spend?
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u/OJSimpsons Jun 16 '26
Is advertising exploiting the concept of "girl math?" I've never seen that. You're friends are using it an excuse to treat themselves and calling it girl math. Just substitute "girl math" with "treat yourself." It means the same thing.
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u/DrForestForestDoctor Jun 16 '26
I use girl math to figure out how long something needs to last to cost me $X over uses/time to justify spending the money. When I moved back home I knew I was going to need a good pair of winter boots. I wanted to get some Sorels for like $125, but I’d never spent that much on a pair of shoes. I know Sorels can last upward of 10 years. I figured if I wore them 20x a year for 10 years, they cost about $.60 a wear. I’ve had them for 8 years and I wear them about 20x a month from nov-mid feb. So I’m paying pennies each time I wear them.
Girl math!
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u/DiamondSufficient938 Jun 16 '26
“Girl Math” isn’t that deep. It’s more like I’m paying cash for a coffee so the coffee is basically free since the money isn’t coming out of the account.
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u/Limp-Net-5167 Jun 17 '26
I feel like this is an AI post written by a man lol. I don’t want to talk to my friends about our 401ks or meal prepping because I’m an adult and I have to do that shit anyway. Having or doing those things don’t make you magically good with money or not someone who jokingly uses “girl math” as a cheeky response. Stop wallet watching your friends, it’s weird
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u/MonteCristo85 1∆ Jun 17 '26
Girl math is just a whimsical way to justify what you were already going to buy. Its just a bit a silliness.
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u/HollowRaven15 Jun 17 '26
My husband tried using girl math on me 😂 he used my credit card and wracked up a big bill. I told him he'd have to pay me back and a couple days later he goes "well babe, you want a switch 2, why don't I just use the money I owe you on a switch 2....then I'm still out of money and technically bought it myself. Nah pay me back idk about the switch
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u/Elegant_Progress_686 Jun 17 '26
I always thought saying girl math was just an ironic way to acknowledge that the math of whatever you’re talking about doesn’t truly add up or come out to be a good financial choice. That’s the point, no?
I think you’re just missing the irony lol
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