I’m increasingly annoyed by people who claim they’re broke
yet fritter away their money endlessly.
I can accept that we all need to indulge occasionally for our own
sanity, but I think most of us could use a little bit of tough love when it
comes to what we can and can’t afford.
So here’s my list.
If you’re broke you can’t afford to….
-
Go to the Movies.
o Movies
are absurdly expensive. There’s
nothing about them that can justify me spending $13 a head. I can get almost two months of netflix
for that price. At $13/week going
to the movies will cost you $676 a year.
-
Buy Concessions.
o If
funds are tight there is no excuse to be buying concessions in places where
prices are inflated two to three times their regular retail price. The movies, amusement parks, sporting
events, etc. Plan ahead and bring
your own refreshments. It’ll save
you more than any popcorn and soda is worth.
-
Smoke.
o Not
only is smoking disgusting, it’s expensive. I can’t think of one positive thing about smoking, the fact
that it’s still as prevalent as it is boggles my mind, but that’s another topic
altogether.
-
Have a Pet.
o Having
a pet is a MAJOR expense. Food,
veterinary care, mats, litter
boxes, the damage to your furniture and floors. Pets are not for people who don’t have enough money to
support themselves. It’s not fair
to you or to them.
-
Buy the latest Technology.
o For
someone who is “broke” to own a laptop, kindle, iphone, ipod, and ipad is
nonsensical. Stop buying things
that are redundant- it’s money you don’t have.
-
Have an Unlimited Data Plan.
o Unless
you have family that works for the phone company you can’t afford a plan with
unlimited data. You can live
without posting your exact location on twitter from your cell phone every hour. I
-
Eat out.
o Going
out to eat once can run up a tab of anywhere from a day to a week to a months
worth of groceries. It’s a no
brainer. Eat at home and pack your
lunch.
-
Make daily coffee runs.
o One
$3 cup of coffee a day will run you over a thousand dollars a year. Buy a travel mug and brew at home.
-
Attend every wedding, shower, and bachelorette
party.
o Clothing,
transportation, gifts- weddings are an expensive enterprise and not just for
the bride and groom. Chances are
most of your friends will get married while you’re still in your broke years-
but unless you want to be broke forever, you have to pick and choose. Destination wedding in Fiji? Unless
it’s a brother or sister, I don’t think so.
-
Go away every weekend.
o Even
if it’s to your parents’ or friends’ upstate house, paying for that much gas
each weekend is not in the broke budget.
-
Run up a Bar Tab every weekend.
o It
amazes me that people don’t realize they’ve dropped 60 or a 100 bucks at the
bar till the next day. Pregame at
home and stick to one or two drinks that are on special when you get to the
bar.
-
Get your hair cut and colored every six weeks.
o Skip
the color for a few years and stretch the cuts out to two or three times a
year. Skip the salon in
favor of a cosmetology school and you’ll save hundreds of dollars a year.
-
Go Shopping.
o Shopping
has become a past time rather than a task. Random meandering will inevatibly
lead to unnecessary purchases. Go
to the store only when you need something and only purchase what’s on your
list.
These are not all black and white (except smoking, yuck). I go out to eat, I buy gifts, I like to
plan getaways. This is just my
tough love list. When I indulge in
any of these activities I think carefully beforehand and acknowledge that it
truly is a a treat. Something
special that I will enjoy here and now because it’s not something that I can
afford on a regular basis. There has to be some beautiful in the broke life,
but too much beautiful will keep you broke forever.