Your Spending Reveals the Real YOUYour Spending Reveals the Real YOU
Livin the DREAM with Matt Scoletti
Matt Scoletti connects money habits, identity and values, using his past alcohol addiction and a friend’s story to show how spending tells the truth about priorities. He offers a simple values-versus-spending exercise to help people see where their goals and daily choices are out of sync.
11:24•19 May 2026
Your Bank Statement, Your Identity: Matt Scoletti on Money, Values and Sobriety
Episode Overview
- Spending tends to follow your identity, not the goals you say you have.
- Bank statements and calendars often reveal your real values more clearly than your words.
- Misalignment between stated values and actual spending can erode self-confidence.
- Writing down your top two or three values, then comparing them with your main spending categories, can highlight gaps.
- Changing how you see yourself is key to shifting both your money habits and your recovery choices.
“Values are not what you say. They're what you fund.”
Curious about how others manage their sobriety journey while tackling money habits? Matt Scoletti links spending, identity, and values in a way that hits especially hard for anyone in or considering recovery. Matt argues that, "You don't spend based on your goals. You spend based on your identity." He shares a raw story from his drinking days, when he told himself he wanted to be healthier but his bank statements told a different story.
Trips to the liquor store every few days, late-night pizza orders, and so-called "healthier" choices like organic wine and vodka with fizzy water showed that his true identity was, in his words, "I'm somebody who has to drink alcohol to be social." That disconnect between goals and behaviour will feel familiar to many people who've struggled with addiction. He also talks about a friend who claimed to value spending time and travelling with mates.
When they checked his spending over the last three years, almost none of it went towards those things. It was a wake-up call: the calendar and the bank account were telling the truth that his words weren't. The core message is simple and challenging: "Values are not what you say. They're what you fund." Matt suggests a practical exercise: write down your top two or three values, then compare them with your top spending categories. Do they match, even loosely?
If not, that misalignment can quietly chip away at self-confidence and trust in yourself. The tone stays upbeat and energetic, but Matt doesn’t shy away from emotion or past mistakes. For anyone rethinking their relationship with alcohol, money, or both, this episode offers a straightforward way to see whether your day-to-day choices match the life you say you want. Are your values showing up in your bank statement, or just in your head?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.
Related Episodes
Similar episodes from other shows in the catalogue.