Twelve cents behind the couch
Posted Aug 29, 2020, 8:39 AM UTC
22K233
200$ to me is money I cannot spend. I have to have contingency. What if my car breaks down? What if I have to go to the hospital? That money is indispensible. Unless I've got over 1000$ I don't feel financially secure and will budget until I do.
Ive only ever been 100% broke once bc i forgot to check my balance and bought a fidget spinner. I then returned it to buy food, once again rendering me broke. Horrible feeling.
305
I don’t check my balances as much as I should but I’m lucky to usually be financially stable. I don’t really have any emergency funding but my bills always get paid
Also R.I.P. fidget spinner
54
Start an emergency fund! Even if it's just a little per month it adds up quick.
25
As someone who has been on their own financially since 18, I don't know how people sleep without an emergency fund. I went to university full time, living in Virginia commuting to take classes at UMD and GWU to finish on time while working 2 day jobs and a night job. I couldn't just trust nothing would go wrong, I needed that money in the bank.
8
You don't sleep well. My wife and I hit a point in our life where if we had less than -$500 in the checking account on payday, it was a good week. We would plan out when to buy food/diapers because a big bill would overdraft our account and we needed to feed the family.
We were being sued for medical debts and they were trying to take our couches/tvs/vehicles to auction to settle the debt.
It has been 3 years since then. We Have since settled all our debts, bought a house, taken trips, and have a healthy emergency fund.
We recently had to dip into it to pay for our AC, oven, and networking gear being blown out by a lightning strike.
What changed - We moved our family to a new state for a "dream job" that many people would kill to have. It turned out to not be what any of us expected, and I found myself unemployed for a time. I started selling cars, which at least kept food on the table and my wife was working as a dispatcher which paid the bills, but there was no extra. We soaked our own beans and ate rice and beans regularly for a year or two. We both made career changes and I am now middle management for a chain of lumber yards, and my wife is in high level management for a city. We went from making 50k/yr household income to around 150k/yr.
7
This here is the way it is. If I have less than $1k i my account I'm eating bologna sandwiches and ramen. Life is expensive. I can't get to work to make money without my car and gas to put in it. Shit breaks, life happens. Gotta have a buffer.
20
Which is financially sound, but impossible for many people. Which is what the post is referencing. Only in the last year did I start getting paychecks over 1k, and COVID lost me that job. I'm lucky to have a few hundred in the nightstand in case we're short for groceries or blow a tire, a lot of people can't even do that.
9
I agree - people are (comparatively) lucky to have some emergency fund or money set aside, but I think gatekeeping whether or not those people are broke doesn’t really make sense. Broke is a spectrum, not a single state of having <$5.
11
Having lived in the world of being happy if I wasn't in the red come payday, I can tell you it breeds bitterness. If I'm rationing a box of pasta for the week and my friend tells me she's broke while sipping a takeout coffee and asking if I want to get lunch tomorrow, it feels gross and sad and will make me angry, I'm human. The way I, as a thin and fit person, don't complain to my overweight friend on a diet when I'm feeling bloated or have gained a few pounds, or to my friend facing a bipolar diagnosis when I'm feeling a bit anxious. It's good to be sensitive to others when complaining about your own hardships.
4
am I overcomplicating it? Isn't it just as simple as if you're in the red or close to it you're broke, and if your well into the black, you're not.
If you have $500 in the bank and $3000 across 2 credit cards, you're broke.
If you have £1000 in the bank and $200 on your card, you're not broke, no matter how much you'd like to have more...
2
I understand, trust me. Living that way through my 20s is exactly why I'll never let myself run that low on funds. I would rather be broke in my mind and live on barely anything than be actually broke. Which is the mindset the post is dissing on.
3
I also think the mindset that you "can't allow" yourself to be that broke can be problematic. Since going back to work, 2 shifts a week because that's what's available now, my whole paycheck goes to health insurance. Unemployment gives me $120 a week. It's not always somebody's fault they can't make ends meet, shit happens, and hearing things like "I won't allow myself to be that broke" sounds like if you just tried harder or wanted it more you'd be better off. I'm not saying broke people always make sound financial decisions, just that some compassion for those in that position and an acknowledgement that the vast majority of us are one lost job or broken leg away from being in their shoes could help us all understand each other better.
3
question
how much was that fidget spinner?
4
5$
7
Right? I think they were normally $2-5 with some really nice looking ones going for like $20.
I'm curious what he bought that was enough for food
1
If it comes down to it that badly you buy a bag of rice, or beans, or potatoes and live off of that.
1
When they first came out, they were hundreds. Look up the torqbar.
Source: I'm an idiot who bought one.
1
Same here! Idk how some people can allow themselves to drop down to the last penny, I know times are hard and not everybody makes the same. But when it comes to your financial stability buying unnecessary items can wait!
One time my mom found out that I had $300 in my account but was saying I was broke, she acted as if I was crazy because “I only have $5 to my name” Well boohoo Im smart with my money...
2†
Idk how some people can allow themselves to drop down to the last penny
The industry I foolishly chose to pick a career in decided in March that it didn't feel like existing any more. RIP savings.
6
That's fair
2
I also said I know times are hard so sorry if anyone misunderstood. Things arent fair and this year has really put a huge stamp on everything
2
For a lot of people, "unnecessary items" just aren't in the budget at all. Even if you're in a position to have a savings account stocked, all it takes is one large (e.g. medical, automotive) unexpected expense to put you behind the 8 ball.
1
My savings is the only reason I can still pay rent right now.
2
We had a solid 6 month buffer saved up, but an injury in January and car problems in April made our "rainy day" fund not as weather-proof as we'd hoped.
Have been finding work where we can but it just feels like trying to fill a wicker basket with water.
Hope you and yours make it through this thing too! :)
2
Unfortunately many people live completely paycheck to paycheck, and have no choice but to drop down to the last penny :/ no matter how smart they are with their money, cost of living vs income can be a bitch.
2
If you have $200 and have to go to a hospital in America, well, you may be able to afford a band-aid.
1
Yeah I once got caught in the trap if predatory leanding and even though I had just got paid for an 150 hour paycheck with bonuses I was still broke because I had bills to pay the week after that.
1
Cmon bruh it’s just a meme. Not to be taken seriously.
0
What is this gatekeeping for being poor?
256
If we hate people slightly less poor than ourselves then maybe the rich can avoid that hate.
86
the goal is to divide. this is someone at the bottom dividing someone with $200 for having more than them but comparing themselves to them. That's crazy. Imagine being poor and your focus is some guy with $200 and not one of the hundreds of billionaires that has a higher net worth than hundreds of millions of people combined.
26
That's absolutely true, but I also think part of it is the fact that the two groups on the bottom interact pretty frequently, while the one on the very bottom gets jealous or angry when they think someone else's idea of being broke isn't being as broke as them.
5
I read a post somewhere the other day about the difference between being poor and being broke. Being broke, you can’t buy the things you want; being poor, you are stuck in a system of being in a lower-class. something like that..
11
It's not gatekeeping cuz we can't afford a gate.
7
Nah, it’s gatekeeping when you should complain to others that you don’t have any money.
Which is still not great, but the dude isn’t telling people to spend their money, just to not complain to him about being out of a discretionary fund when he’s actually struggling.
-3
I honestly hate people like this, “you have money left in your account you aren’t broke!” Your right I’m not, but I’d rather save it for something other than buying stupid shit I don’t need, plus rent is going to be due eventually, figure your life out.
169
right? i've got plans for that money (bills, groceries, etc), so i can't go out with you. i don't have the money for it.
28
The difference between having 200 in your bank account and not is when you decide you are too broke to keep spending it.
6
Seriously, people try to guilt trip me into spending money on stupid shit, and I'm like...hey aren't you tired to being totally broke?
Like my finances aren't the greatest, but at least I have money in between my paychecks.
21
Fucking A. For about 5 years now I've never been properly broke with a bank balance of 0 or negative. I still will say I am because the thing you want me to spend money on looks like stupid shit and I don't want to go through the details of my finances with you.
Saying I've got no money at all is easier than explaining why I don't want to spend a couple grand on a fucking hydroponics set up or whatever BS thing you're looking at.
14
This guy gets it
6
That does sound slightly annoying but having barely more than a dollar sucks on a next level. The objective of the post has nothing to do with people telling you that you should spend your savings on stupid shit. You are a responsible one, well done 👏
3
Congrats on proving my point.
5
Maybe you should just be honest and say "I can't afford it" instead of "I'm broke". Your friends are probably just annoyed that you feel like you have to lie about your money. Everyone understands what it's like to want to go out but not be able to afford it, there's no need to lie and say "I'm so broke I literally can't" but people usually say so anyway.
It's insulting to people who've actually struggled when you act like you know what it's like to be broke when you've never been there.
-5
Fuck off you are part of the problem.
Edit: you raise good points but still, my financial situation is nobody business unless it’s my wife.
Edit:2 I don’t have a wife.
Edit3: yeah I’ve been broke (completely) at least 6 times in my life, learn some money management skills.
-1†
I don't know why you're so confrontational it seems like we agree.
My point was that most of these commenters don't know what being "completely broke" actually means. Imo it's a state worse than simple poverty, where your lack of money is actually preventing you from obtaining essentials. Imo going out with friends has never constituted a vital necessity, so being too poor to do it doesn't make you broke. Being too poor to function equals broke. As in its not working. Broke.
My other point is that your friends should be able to take no for an answer without you needing to exaggerate your money problems.
2
Not going to lie, was a bit drunk when I responded, but I don’t believe in deleting my comments, and it doesn’t excuse my actions, I wish you a good day.
1
This used to resonate with me so much. At that time I was sometimes a day away from losing gas and electricity. It's only in the last year I have some savings and a bit of disposable income.
I met up with a old friend recently. He told me how annoying it was when I said I was broke all the time when he wanted to do somthing. I was speechless. I didn't fall out with him but I won't forget it.
43
No no. I am broke. I have enough to pay all my bills and buy food. That's it. No money for extra activities, no savings for an emergency, just enough to scrape by until the next paycheck.
You, my friend, are destitute.
39
Realistically both these people techincally broke and that's the real joke
30
If that 200 can't pay your rent then the difference is mostly pedantic
4
I came here to say this. Well done.
3
Alright alright, Bill Gates, don't need to brag how much money you've got in the couch.
27
This 🤣
1
You're 👏both👏 broke 👏!
27
If you don't feel broke until you are down to $1 then I have an idea of why you are so broke.
24
laughs looking at $10 bank balance and $50k in student loans
17
Look, we’re all suffering under capitalism, guys. No need to tear each other down. We’re not Yorkshiremen.
15
r/gatekeeping lol. You could have 200 in your account but 200.01 debt due by tomorrow morning.
15
I search my couch and I lose money.
13
Having only 200 bucks is fuckin broke man. That 200 is for gas and food and any emergencies and it spends fast. I'll probably have 12 cents if I don't get paid first
13
Unless you're a twelve year old kid, you're right
3
You know what that means
You dont have enough money for chicken nuggets
6
You're only broke if you dont have enough money for chicken nuggets
6
I use to feel the same way but then I moved out of my parents house without a whole lot in savings If your rent is $1k, you have $200 in your bank account on the 28th and your paycheck on the 31st is only $700 - to me that feels much more "broke" than having effectively $0 but not any pressing financial obligations
I am doing much better in terms of money now and haven't worried about making rent in a long time, so please don't like think I'm dumb or need pity, I'm just saying
6
1 er right here with that whole 12 cents down the back of the couch.
5
If that money is set aside for say, the rent, gas to work and food until payday, or just bills. Might as well be just 12 cents.
Exactly! I set that money aside and pretend it doesn't exist. If something comes up and I'm "broke" I have an emergency savings.
So broke just means you don't have a third pile of money called "Extra"?
Yes exactly. This is how people with good money responsibility treat their finances. And it’s how you should treat it.
You have your mandatory spending (bills food rent etc) which does not exist because it’s always going to go out so you can’t spend it.
You have your emergency cash in case of critical break down of something like your car or your computer if you use it for work because if those break down and you can’t replace it you could lose your job you can’t spend that either.
THEN you have your free money. As soon as you’re out of free money you are essentially broke. Sometimes I’m broke 3 days into the month because I decide to treat myself to a new graphics card or upgrade my speaker system or maybe just buy some fancy books. Doesn’t mean I’m gonna starve but it does mean I can’t go out for a pint until the next month.
This is great financial advice, but if you've got money to pay your bills and eat you're not "broke" your just poor. Big difference. I think the point of this post is its annoying when people exaggerate how poor they are.
Being poor sucks. Not being able to buy the things you want or do the things you enjoy is a drag. To Compare it to the struggles of not knowing where your next meal is coming from or where you're going to spend the night is very insulting to anyone who's been in that situation.
Sadly, even if you follow all the right advice bad luck can still lead you broke if you have enough of it. More often than not people go broke because of bad planning and risk taking but that doesn't make the struggle any easier when you're going through it.
TL;DR if you have any money you're not broke.
Sure, I stop spending money when my budget tells me to, but I don’t go around telling people I’m broke.
For me yes. Having 0.89 in my bank account with nothing else to my name would mean I’m in a financially horrible place that I would never want to be in. And I’ve seen pretty bad times. Broke means I may have $700 in my account but it all goes to rent. All of it. I don’t touch that money until I’m paid again. To me broke doesn’t mean poverty, it means I’m temporarily without money and it’s just a minor inconvenience compared to what other people have to live with
Yes, if you're budgeting properly. It's not about not having money, but about not having money for a particular thing because all the money has been earmarked for one or more categories like rent, savings, investments, other purchases, etc. People over at r/ynab are experts in this area and seem to be doing pretty well.
I’ve been using ynab for a couple of years and I’m pretty sure it makes money come out of thin air at this point. It’s sorcery.
I currently have $3000 in my checking account. Currently that is all I have. So to me, I am fucking broke. No savings to fall back on if needed.
My roommate in college didn’t get this. I had 5k in the bank that I’m saving for after I graduate and he’d always say somethin like “you’re not broke you have money in the bank” but I only had it in the bank bc I pretended it wasn’t there. Would’ve blown it on better alcohol anyways
Was gonna say the same, if it's the first of the month and I only have $200 that has to get me through the month than I am broke, it's called budgeting and being responsible with my money
True that. Just because you the money doesn’t mean you can afford it.
Sure, but it means you aren’t broke.
This seems to be the fundamental difference between being good with money or bad with money... some people are incapable of saving
Right? I wonder why that person only has 12 cents, maybe it's because when they have $200 they spend it because "they aren't broke."
Maybe they should act broke more.
Or because that money went to rent or utilities or gas. And then when their bills were paid they had 12 cents. That’s a real, common experience of many people.
Most people I know that are broke all the time spend beyond their means.
Then meet better people.
For real. How anyone have a home with 0.89. They don’t. So what they mean by broke is that they are jobless, live with their parents, and broke.
I’m just broke. We need to explain our suckery accurately
Usually being that close to the negative is broke, people who don't see that are hopelessly broke I guess? If you can't afford a small inconvenience then I consider it broke....
Yeah that’s what I was gonna say. People have different expenses