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Monday, January 18, 2016

Many Shades of Broke

Being broke is subjective.
Really, really subjective.

At Christmas time, my cousin shows pictures of all these gifts she bought and she is always talking about going out to eat.
She's broke.

 There are the people that are broke after paying for cable/dish with all the fixins, paying for an extremely expensive family cell phone bill, and going out to eat on a regular basis.

There are the people that are hanging on. Can pay bills ( late ), but not much else.

There are people not going to the doctor because they can't afford the co-pay and/or deductible.

There are people that have to put groceries back at the store because they find they don't have enough money for everything they need.
This makes me sad. My daughter works in a grocery store and said it actually happens a lot.

Last week, I read somewhere that you aren't broke if you can afford air conditioning for your home.
Really?
I can't afford not to have it.
My husband can't handle heat and would end up in the hospital and A/C is cheaper than repeated trips for heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

I can't afford a cell phone or to go out to eat. I find it hard to pay medical bills.
I don't really feel broke though.
I can pay my bills. Even if they are late.

Sure, it sucks when people tell you that they are in the same boat when they don't have a clue.

That's OK.
I gots the frugal skills.

I reuse everything I can.
Now known as re-purposing.

I can stretch my food dollars so far that dollar groans in protest.

I am broker than some, but not as broke as others.
More would be nice, but I have what I need.

That is what matters.

18 comments:

  1. Then there are the morally bankrupt.
    I'm not sure what I'm talking about, but it sounds profound, doesn't it?

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    1. The moral FICO. That does sound pretty cool.

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  2. I know that feel exactly.

    Neither of us are wealthy either, but we both gots the frugal skills, too. We don't buy what we can't pay for. Paying interest is not worth having something early. I learned a long time ago how to cook well, so I don't need to go out all the time to have something good to eat. I live within my means and while I don't have a lot of luxuries, I also have zero debt. In fact, I got one of those credit cards that has cashback rewards, so by paying it off every month without fail, my credit card is literally paying me to shop.

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    1. ABFTS, zero debt is awesome. I always tell people if you get by without credit, do it.

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  3. I worked with a woman who claimed she was broke, yet she had one of those $500 purses. I asked why she didn't just buy a knockoff and she showed me the designer's name on the interior of the purse, as well as how the zipper and handle were of better quality. I was thinking, "Who the heck cares if your zipper is fake if you can't pay your bills?" She ended up being fired for stealing money. It was okay when she went into the supply closet to get her kids school supplies, but when she started taking the checks that came in, depositing them in her checking account, then sneaking the money back in on payday, apparently that was not a-okay anymore.

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    1. Stephanie, $500 for a purse? I don't like paying $30. She sounds like a winner.

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    2. This lady has all the ear marks of a compulsive shopper. It is an addiction and one not totally understandable. There may have been sexual abuse or some other abuse when they were young. To escape they spend. They often buy high end stuff and multiples. They will use all types of credit and finally will steal/embezzle from where they work. Once they have the product, they often don't use it. It is the actual act of buying that gave them the high.

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  4. I have relatives who say they are "broke" and yet between the two they pull in 120K a year easily. I roll my eyes at them. I'm almost broke, end of Feb my account will read $0 lol that counts, right?

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  5. Pat, Holy Buckets! They need a reality check. Tell them they can switch bank accounts with you.

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  6. Yes, having what we need makes us fortunate.

    What irks me greatly is that people who are broke keep intentionally breeding. I wish they'd stop. Stop breeding, people, if you can't afford one McDonald's value meal.

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    Replies
    1. Robyn, I know! What are these people thinking?

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  7. That is so true about being broke being subjective. People need to learn how to live within their means; sounds like that is what you are trying to do!

    betty

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    1. Betty, I am doing my best. Sometimes I have to use a credit card, but always a last resort.

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  8. Oh I see this every single day since I am a Credit Counsellor. When I ask people if they go out to eat, they say no but when I mention McDonald's or ordering Pizza, they will say they do that once per week. Many go to Tim Horton's or Starbucks and will go 3 times per day which adds up to over $2,000 in a year. Many no longer have a house phone saying it was too expensive but spend $150 to $200 month on the cell phones. If it is a family, each one has a cell phone and it is costing them over $400 per month. What people want is infinite but what they need is truly finite.

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    1. Birgit, that is nuts. I bet your eyes get quite the work out, what with all the rolling.

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    2. Wait for it...I have a client-family-Mortgaged to the limit. $400,000 home. Owed $165,000 in credit card debt. His income alone is....$18,000 per month-after taxes! It is a crime that it took everything for him and his wife to come in for budgeting. He paid off his debt but there is no reason for this except gluttony

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    3. Wow, I can't imagine that much debt or that much income.

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  9. Chahat... Aur Jo Na Utha Sake Wo Hamari Mohabbat Hindi Love Shayari In English At Poetry Tadka play bazaar Dur Na Jaya Karo Dil Tadap satta kingJake Samandar Ke Kinare Tum... Apne Hathon Me Pani Utha Lena...Jitna Tum Utha Lo WoTumhari.

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