The Meaning Behind Dreams About Money

Do you have wacky dreams about money that you just can’t figure out? I know I do. Sometimes I wake up and think “what the heck was all that about?!”

Many people have strange dreams related to money so I thought I’d take a look and do some research on the meaning behind dreams about money.

Dreams are a complex look inside our mind at the psyche that drives our actions and thoughts when we are awake.

Whether it is a nightmare about losing money or a fun dream where you are bathing in a tub of cash or winning the lottery, there is sure to be a more complicated meaning behind it.

When we are sleeping, our brains begin to process the emotions and experiences of our day-to-day lives to integrate them into our memory.

As our body interprets our waking lives, the brain works to create dreams that reflect our joys, worries, fears, and contentment.

It makes sense that our first instinct is to believe that money dreams are focused on our financial standing, but this is not always the case.

Money often symbolizes important feelings such as self-worth, self-esteem, power, success, or wealth.

However, in the dream world, it can often be linked to more abstract ideas. I’m sure you’ve heard common sayings like, “she is rich in spirit.”

These sayings correlate to how money dreams are interpreted. In dreams, money can be interpreted to symbolize happiness, romance, energy, mental well-being, and many other concepts that make up who we are as people.

The meaning behind these dreams are complicated. You can have dreams about all kinds of things related to money: finding money, winning money,  losing money, receiving a gift of money, giving money away and more. All these dreams have different meanings.

Here’s our list of the most common types of dreams about money, what they could mean and how you can take action in your life accordingly.

Winning Money

There is nothing more satisfying than waking up feeling refreshed and motivated after a dream of winning or receiving money.

Who wouldn’t want a pile of money to fall into their lap?! 

So it’s no wonder that this kind of dream brings a positive feeling into the next day and can often leave dreamers with a sense of hope surrounding their finances.

In the context of a dream where you win or receive money, it’s best to look at it overall with a sense that you are gaining something or are acknowledging that you feel a sense of wealth in one or more aspects of your life, such as romance, support, or spiritual energy.

If you recently had a dream where you won or received money, it may be time to reflect on parts of your life that you feel particularly grateful for or lucky to have.

On the other side of things, there is a chance this dream type is genuinely reflecting what you are expecting in regard to your actual finances, which may require some reflection to determine how you can accomplish that goal.

Finding Money

One would think that to find money; you would need to be searching for it. However, finding money in your dreams can be as simple as looking down to the floor or as complicated as finding a bag filled with stolen money.

 As we discussed before, money is a symbol that we attach to our self-worth, success, confidence, and power.

When you find money in your dream, you are likely finding parts of yourself that you are searching for.

 And once you find what you’re looking for internally, you experience a feeling of richness.

Some examples of things your brain could equate with finding money in your dreams:  finding your purpose, taking a step toward a big goal, feeling confident, feeling lucky in a supportive relationship, or embracing something that makes you unique.

Pretty much anything that makes you feel rich and worthwhile can manifest itself as a dream in which you find money.

If you happen to come across stolen money in your dream, this likely relates to a darker meaning.

Stolen money tends to point toward a moral dilemma in which you have to decide whether to keep it or not.

This means you may have to face a hard decision and struggle to determine the right or wrong choice in your waking life.

See what I mean about the meaning behind dreams about money being complicated?!

Losing Money

Fortunately, deciphering a dream where you find yourself losing money is quite simple. Dreams about losing money generally come from worries surrounding your financial health.

These dreams signify that something may be amiss in your real-life finances, or at least that you feel that there is something to worry about.

Typically, this dream comes during a period of turmoil where you may be experiencing a financial setback, feel that your finances are out of control, or be based on a worry that your life is out of control in general.

After having a dream where you lose money, you may need to reflect and reassess how you handle your finances.

Maybe it’s time for you to finally tackle setting up that budget. Maybe now’s the time to get a side gig to help make ends meet.

Whatever you choose to do after a dream like this, one thing I wouldn’t do is ignore it. Your subconscious mind is giving you a sign that you need to take financial action.

There is also a chance that this dream may reflect an inner fear that you could lose newly found money or assets in your life.

The fear of losing parts of yourself or not being successful enough can drive this dream, as well. Remember how you felt in the dream to help figure out any unconscious feelings linked to this dream.

Giving Money Away

When you give money away in your dreams, it is often symbolic of you giving away something of yourself and not your finances.

The critical part of determining what these dreams mean is remembering the emotions you felt while dreaming. Were they negative or positive?

After you have figured out whether giving away the money made you feel good or bad, you’ll be able to decide if there is a balance that you need to find in your waking life or not.

Here are a few examples of things that may have you dreaming about giving money away:

•    You may feel that you give a lot of your time or energy to a project, work, family, and friends.

•    You are giving special care to a friend going through a rough patch.

•    There is turmoil happening in your life, emotionally, physically, or financially.

If you felt positive when giving the money away, you subconsciously feel prosperous in one or more aspects of your life and acknowledge that you have an abundance of blessings in your life.

On the other hand, if you felt negatively in the dream, you are harboring a fear of losing control of your prosperity or that you may be spreading yourself too thin.

Stealing Money

Dreams about stealing money are perhaps the most difficult to decipher because every dreamer has their own unique moral compass to compare the dream against.

While I’m sure the majority has an adverse reaction to the idea of stealing money, dreams about stealing could have a very positive meaning as well.

Positively speaking, a dream about stealing money could reflect a set attitude to do whatever it takes to accomplish a goal or get what you feel you need.

This perspective can be very beneficial when tackling a challenging task, such as starting a business.

How you feel in this dream can reflect how willing you are to do whatever it takes, regardless of the extremity that may be needed.

On the negative side of this dream, it often reflects the dreamer’s subconscious feelings of being greedy or selfish.

Or they may feel that they may have recently done something that was utterly self-serving regardless of how it impacted others.

Stealing comes with guilt, so it is essential to realize that this dream may be rooted in something you may not yet realize you feel guilty about, such as a lack of selflessness in a relationship or job.

Your next step after a dream about stealing money is to take time to reflect on any guilt or shame you may be harboring unknowingly.

Final Thoughts

The next time you find yourself wanting to understand the dream about money you just awoke from, I hope you can refer to this list to help you understand your money dream.

While you may jump to the conclusion that the dream is directly related to your finances, remember that a dream about money can have varied hidden meanings and may not be about money at all.

Do you ever have dreams about money? Comment below and tell us about them!