Even though they’re living paycheck to paycheck, broke people always have money for a distinct set of things. You know personally that they don’t have any money, yet they’re still spending like they didn’t just ignore the third eviction notice.
From a financial perspective, some people are just built differently, but not in a good way. They spend their money on dumb things.
Are you or your friends in the same situation? Regardless, here are 15 things broke people always have money for.
Don’t worry if you don’t feel like reading, you can enjoy the video below or watch it on YouTube:
1
Tattoos
We triggered some of you, didn’t we? But you know it’s true.
Some of the poorest people you know have tattoos.
It’s like a law of the universe. “I don’t have any part of my life in order… Lemme get a face tattoo.”
It might have started with a tribal tattoo or a Japanese word—despite not being part of a tribe or speaking Japanese—all the way to dragons because dragons are cool, and we ended up with full sleeves.
That “cool” self-designed tattoo you thought was a phenomenal idea in your 20s, you end up wishing you could cover up in your 30s.
Tattoos used to be a sign of rebellion—of being different from everyone else. Now that everybody gets them, you’re no longer feeling special.
2
Cigarettes and Booze
If there’s one thing broke people will conjure money for, no matter what, it’s cigarettes.
Truth be told, they’d still make it happen even if cigarettes were $60 a pack.
How are you barely getting by but still taking down a 6 pack before bed?
We once heard someone say that if they had to choose between food and a pack of cigarettes for the day, they would pick the cigarettes.
It’s so habitual and brain-numbing that people default to it.
It’s the same with weed, and especially true with more addictive, harder drugs.
3
Avoid sunk cost fallacy
Anyone can get it.
You lack proper education, and you lack any real skills, but you’ll never miss your nail or lash appointment because the Kardashians got rich because of their looks.
No, they didn’t. They got rich because they had someone with S-tier marketing skills pimping them out to the media.
That’s not you.
Sure, take care of yourself, but at this stage, you can’t really afford to throw money on something that’s a recurring liability.
4
Lottery tickets and sports betting
How many of your friends talk about sports betting? How many are just waiting for the ticket to come in?
They’ve been playing for years, haven’t they?
If you ask every single one of them, they’ll tell you they’re just above breaking even.
They’re not like all the other losers who bet. It turns out that’s what everybody thinks.
You can’t complain about traffic if you ARE the traffic.
It gets even worse; we’ve seen people miss rent payments to hit the casino, and hit the like button if this sounds familiar: “I’m just going to double it once or twice, and then I’m out, pay back the landlord, and have some spare change for myself”
And what actually happens? The third joker doesn’t come in. The stupid ball lands on black when they put it all on red.
You might not know this, but they don’t sell lottery or scratch tickets in higher-end supermarkets, it’s just in discount stores.
Because the only people dumb enough to buy them are broke people, who instead of buying just one more piece of food get to spend that money on a dream that will never come true.
The rich know this, and the poor will never stop dreaming of it.
5
Payment plans for a large TV or a new phone
We’re going to say it once, so you remember it: Just because you have the money for the downpayment or the first payment doesn’t mean you can actually afford the item!
This is your ego doing its bidding.
You’d feel ashamed going out with an older phone model.
This is because of how toxic and flex-focused the culture has become, like Brenda here:
Don’t be like Brenda
TV is the biggest medium of entertainment, so every broke person will wait for prices to be artificially doubled, then cut in half on Black Friday, and trample each other just to get the largest flatscreen they can.
6
Pets they can’t afford to take care of properly
The old lady with a big soul and 20 cats the skinny dude with the pitbull that they have no chance of containing if Jaws decides otherwise.
At some point, they don’t even take the animals out of the house anymore, so the smell builds up.
The paradox is that they love their animals, which is why they wouldn’t allow anyone to take them away, even if it was for everyone’s well-being.
7
Loud exhausts and car parts
We get it. The need for speed underground was a cultural moment.
Some people outgrow it, some don’t. But as it seems, broke people always have money to make their car louder.
Putting a spoiler on a 1998 car and painting a flame on the door doesn’t count as car tuning, nor does it make the car go faster.
Also, making the exhaust louder doesn’t make you cooler.
You just bring upon yourself the karma of all the newborn babies that parents have carefully put to sleep—that you wake up when your death cage of a car goes by.
It certainly can be an extraordinary hobby and passion project, but save it for when you will be able to actually enjoy it.
Use that money to make something of yourself right now, instead of sacrificing the future for a Christmas light you duck-taped under your car.
8
Brand accessories
Versace sunglasses are usually the first thing you notice when someone’s broke and trying to look rich.
Versace, or anything for that matter.
Since Versace is the most reproduced brand on the black market, you’ll see them with Versace towels and Versace slippers, and if you’ve seen our piece on 15 Things That Scream “I’m Pretending to Be Upper Class” – you know about Versace Gates.
More recently, the brand of choice became Moncler, and everybody and their grandmother had a Moncler puffer.
They’ll say they have a connection—they know someone—and that these have genuinely fallen off a truck.
In reality, broke people always have money to buy a Moncler from the trunk of someone’s car.
Usually Made in Turkey.
9
Holidays on borrowed funds
No matter how broke you are, society tells you you should never let others know how broke you really are. Protect the appearance, Right?!
So what does a young gentleman do when he wants to impress a lovely lady?
He borrows a friend’s car for the first date. Eats on the tab.
The date goes well, and the lady agrees to a second one if he levels it up.
So our young Casanova takes out a payday loan or borrows money from whoever he can get it from to take the girl to Miami, Greece, Dubai, the Maldives, or however far the money will stretch.
Personal financial collapse… just to get laid.
These are also the same people who post pictures months later, making it seem like they’re still on vacation even though they’re back washing dishes to pay off the restaurant tab.
10
Scammers or fortune tellers
Broke people never have money for the truth!
But they always have money for the person who promises them immediate results.
We’ve seen people use their very last savings as “investments” in pyramid schemes.
They get tricked by evil people into the craziest stories.
They “invest” $500 a week while bringing two people who invest $500 each… and when they reach platinum emerald optimum status, they’ll get $25,000 per month or even more FOR LIFE.
Broke people would do anything to stop being broke, apart from the only thing that would actually do it.
They’ll “pretend to work” harder than the work it would actually take for them to stop being broke.
You might not have picked where you were born, but staying BROKE IS A CHOICE!
Here’s all you need to know about building wealth so you never fall prey to scammers again:
You have one of two problems:
- A knowledge problem – you don’t know what to do.
- An action problem – you don’t take enough action.
You either don’t know how to stop being broke, and for that, you watch our videos, read the books we recommend, or find a mentor and listen to them.
OR -and you’re not going to like this, but you know it’s true- you’re on the lazy side.
You know what you should be doing but are not doing it and constantly procrastinate.
You actually get good at surviving when you’re broke. But that’s no way to live long-term.
Here’s what we’re going to do for you:
We built the Alux app to be a performance-enhancing app that helps rich people get even richer and live better lives.
If you’re broke, go get the Alux app right now and start the free trial – you won’t be charged a dime.
There’s something called: Foundation Week or The First Alux Experience. It’s free, actionable knowledge. Next Sunday, we’re dropping a silent update to version 1.6, which grants you access to the entire library of content in-app.
Almost 1000 coaching sessions.
But do you think they will? Probably not. Because it won’t make them $25,000 a month starting next week.
11
Fancy bottle perfumes
No matter how bad things get, when the night is still young on a Friday, the collar gets popped, and you pull out that bottle of Paco Rabanne Million and bathe yourself in it.
Every single broke individual has at least 3 or 4 bottles of premium perfume.
It doesn’t last as long as the one in the store, but it’s close enough as a smell that we won’t ask any questions.
Also, people buy those toiletry sets to get the gift brand bag. Some ladies wear it as a clutch to events.
12
Wish or AliExpress junk
You know you’re broke and need to keep hold of every penny you earn, so what do you do? Go online shopping on a budget.
You go to Wish or AliExpress and buy the most unnecessary things ever because they seem like a good idea, but it’s not.
Everything you buy will end up filling a drawer and collecting dust.
No matter how much you think you do, you don’t need a helmet for your chickens.
Keeps your chicken safe. But do you really need it when you’re broke?
13
New Jordans
The new Jordans here stand for “the latest thing”.
The money you were saving up for that important thing can wait; you need this now.
So you act on impulse. You’ve just been marketed to.
If you’re broke, you don’t need the new iPhone, no matter how impressed Mother Nature was with its sustainability efforts. #Cringe
- You already have a phone.
- You already have shoes.
- You already have clothes.
Actually, you have everything you need, so keep your money close.
Most people blame others for their lack of money, only to give it away willingly when a cool product drops!
They don’t need the new thing. They don’t need more. And in spite of that, broke people always spend money on the New Jordans.
14
Ordering takeout
You’re broke; why are you eating out? Why are you ordering in?
“Because Alux, cooking food at home is more expensive than eating out”.
FALSE!
- The restaurant is making money off of you.
- The delivery driver is making money off of you.
- The delivery app is making money off of you.
- The credit card company just taxed you.
- The bank just taxed you.
You’re out there keeping the economy alive with your poor financial decisions.
The only reason why cooking at home is more expensive than ordering in, is because you got used to eating different, fresh meals every single day.
You’re too good to eat the food that you cooked yesterday.
This choice you’re making—that’s why you’re broke. It’s not cravings; it’s your money leaving your wallet to find a better home.
15
Fireworks and trampolines
Isn’t it random?
It sure is.
By some force of nature, broke people are able once in a while to make the weirdest deals, combos, or creative outcomes whereby instead of getting paid actual money, someone gives them a horse… Now you’ve got a horse.
Do you think you could sell it? Probably… But in the meantime, that horse is going to eat a lot on your dime.
There’s an element of financial randomness mixed with what can only be described as gambling.
That’s why broke people use their last money to buy abandoned storage rooms. So much so that there are not 1, but 5 TV shows about it.
We hope this article was not relatable to you at all, and if it was, we know it might be time to do something about it.
Bonus
The secret question that gets you more money
Remember this question for as long as you live, and use it wisely.
Learn it deeply because every fifth time you use it, you will receive more money.
Are you ready for it?
The secret question is: “What else I can do here for you to earn more money?”
It says the following:
- You’re here to work.
- You’re here to work for their benefit.
- You want to be paid out of the additional value that you create for them.
Ask a couple of times, and eventually, your boss will find something for you to do that gets you paid more.
Then – if you’re not lazy – you do the thing and collect payment.
It’s the same with job-hopping.
You go to your current competition, you tell them you earn in this range (which is always 10-15% higher than what you earn) and ask them: Hey… I’m looking to switch jobs, what can I do here for you to earn more money than I currently do?
And you listen. They’ll literally give you the game plan for what it takes to make it happen.
You can use this with everything.
The main reason people stay broke is because they choose to.
The main reason people get rich is because one day they choose to stop being broke.
The second group is where you want to be. So make a promise to yourself and never break it.
These are the 15 things broke people always have money for. See you next time!
