Why “Log Kya Kahenge” Is Actually a Financial Decision

How the fear of social judgment drives cars we can’t afford, houses that drain us, and careers chosen for optics.

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Let me ask you something simple.

Have you ever wanted to wear something, and then didn’t, because of what someone might say?

Or did you choose a college stream not because you loved it, but because it sounded “respectable” at family gatherings?

If yes, you already understand log kya kahenge.

You just haven’t realized yet how much it costs you.

· · ·

It starts small. Really small.

It starts with a phone.

Your current one works fine. But your friends all upgraded. Someone commented. Nothing means just a look. A small laugh. And suddenly your perfectly working phone feels like a problem to solve.

So you stretch your budget. Maybe ask your parents. Maybe put it on a card.

And just like that, a social moment became a financial decision.

This is how it works. Nobody forces you. Nobody even asks. But the fear of being judged — of being seen as “less than” quietly chooses you.

“Log kya kahenge doesn’t just affect your mood. It affects your money.”

It gets bigger as you grow up

When you’re a student, it’s a phone, clothes, or which café you go to.

But watch what happens as people get older.

Someone takes a loan for a wedding that costs more than a house deposit — because a simple ceremony would “look bad.”

Someone buys a car they can’t afford because the neighbour just got one.

Someone stays in a career they hate because switching would mean explaining themselves to relatives at every family dinner.

The amounts change. The fear is the same.

Here’s the part nobody tells you

The people you’re spending on?

They’re not watching.

Seriously. Think about it. The neighbour who may have noticed your old phone, do you think they’re still thinking about it? They’re too busy worrying about what their neighbours think of them.

There’s actually a name for this in psychology. It’s called the spotlight effect — our brain’s habit of thinking everyone around us is paying close attention to what we do. They’re not. We are the only ones replaying our own moments on a loop.

The audience we’re performing for mostly doesn’t exist.

So what does it actually cost?

Try this small exercise.

Think of one thing you bought in the last year, something where, deep down, you know part of the reason was “what will people think.”

Now ask: would you have bought it — or bought something cheaper, if nobody was watching?

That difference? That gap between what you wanted and what you bought for the audience?

That’s the real cost of log kya kahenge.

Multiply it over a lifetime of decisions, clothes, gadgets, weddings, careers, homes, and it becomes one of the most expensive things in your life.

Something that was never on any price tag.

· · ·

This isn’t about ignoring people

You don’t have to stop caring about others. Being part of a family and community is beautiful.

But there’s a difference between genuinely caring about the people you love — and quietly letting an imaginary crowd decide how you spend your money.

One comes from love. The other comes from fear.

And fear is a terrible financial advisor.

· · ·

The next time you’re about to spend money, pause for just one second.

And ask yourself honestly:

Am I buying this for me? Or am I buying this for them?

That one question, asked consistently, might save you more money than any budgeting app ever will.

✍️ From the Founder of Threads of Life, Money & Momentum.

— Arpita Srivastava

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