“The checkbook and the calendar never lie”
“The checkbook and the calendar never lie” (or “the calendar and the checkbook never lie”) means that you can tell about a person’s priorities by looking at how he or she spends time and money. New York (NY) Times columnist Carl Richards has used the saying frequently since at least 2011 (when he called it an “old saying”).
“Show me your checkbook and I’ll tell you your values” is a related saying that dates to at least the early 1960s.
Google Books
Dignity and Solidarity:
An Introduction to Peace and Justice Education
By Owen R. Jackson
Chicago, IL: Loyola University Press
1992, ©1990
Pg. 259:
“Show me your checkbook and calendar, and I’ll tell you what your values are.”
Twitter
Manisha Thakor
@ManishaThakor
“Two Things Never Lie, Your Checkbook & Your Calendar” says @behaviorgap http://bit.ly/hugLaw [this graphic & post are spot on…] #fb
11:09 AM - 23 Apr 2011
New York (NY) Times—Bucks blog
Why Most Investors Don’t Measure Returns Correctly
By CARL RICHARDS JULY 11, 2011 11:43 AM
(...)
There’s an old saying that you should take a look at your checkbook and your calendar to see what you really value as opposed to what you say you value, because the calendar and the checkbook never lie.
Google Books
A Year of Sundays:
Gospel Reflections 2013
By Cackie Upchurch
Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press
2012
Pg. 41:
“The calendar and the checkbook don’t lie.” These words of worldly wisdom came from a financial planner who lost most of his personal wealth and his home in the financial meltdown of 2008. His misfortune led him to reexamine his priorities and place more emphasis on his family and personal relationships.
Twitter
Rob Schrand
@Rob_Schrand
The calendar and the checkbook never lie. If I want to see what you value I can look at how you spend your time and money.
4:57 AM - 2 Jan 2012
Google Books
The One-Page Financial Plan:
A Simple Way to Be Smart About Your Money
By Carl Richards
New York, NY: Portfolio
2015
Pg. ?:
That’s why the old saying “The calendar and the checkbook never lie” resonates with so many of us. It turns out the way we spend our money and our time often says something about what we value.
Abnormal Returns
Q&A with Carl Richards on the One-Page Financial Plan – Discovery
March 30, 2015
(...)
Carl: I love the old quote that the checkbook and the calendar never lie. I know for myself that I don’t really care what people tell me is important to them. I know what’s important to them, what they value most, based on how they spend their money and time. Now, the question of why we often find conflict between what we say is important to us and what we actually spend our money and time is most often a function of not remembering what’s important to us in the heat of the moment.
New York (NY) Times
Your Spending Choices Often Reflect Your Values
By CARL RICHARDS JULY 7, 2015
(...)
Sometimes our time and money won’t be spent perfectly. But there is a reason I often refer to the old saying, “The checkbook and the calendar never lie.” How we spend our lives, be it money or time, says something about us. It says something about our values.