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Image shows a pile of UK cash notes beneath an X on a red circle background
I watch a lot of finance videos on YouTube. Currently, I'm mostly focused on Ramit Seti ("I Will Teach You To Be Rich"), having ditched Caleb Hammer ("The Financial Audit") for a very strong swerve to "right-wing screaming", an attitude of "I'm not gonna bother qualifying to actually be a financial advisor, so nothing I say is actually advice", and ramping up from "roasting is a banter-y part of the process" to "this channel is now just me getting to rage on people", none of which are my cup of tea, and Chelsea Fagan of The Financial Diet for "OMG, men are just literally the worst, they ruin women's financial lives, let me just present all the women who've BROKEN FREE from TERRIBLE men! Oh, yeah, the ONLY reason I'm not f-ked by all the debt I ran up in college is I married a rich dude who took care of that for me, but I'm still going to trash talk men forever, because the algorithm loves it!" (Also, she's most recently announced her plan for FIRE - Financial Independence Retire Early, which is...not remotely appealing to me as a lifestyle.)
Even when the general advice given to specific people in specific situations is good, and the presenter comes across as intelligent and compassionate (something I can unfortunately only do in writing, hence why I don't have a YouTube channel and am not on TikTok), I consistently find myself eventually hitting the "Oh. You really don't understand being actually broke, do you?", and that becomes a particular kind of brain worm for me.
Even when the general advice given to specific people in specific situations is good, and the presenter comes across as intelligent and compassionate (something I can unfortunately only do in writing, hence why I don't have a YouTube channel and am not on TikTok), I consistently find myself eventually hitting the "Oh. You really don't understand being actually broke, do you?", and that becomes a particular kind of brain worm for me.
I'd honestly love to do courses geared to the actually broke - but promoting courses immediately makes you look like a scammer, it doesn't work if you're not already doing high numbers on social media (I don't even have 100 followers, so no one's buying anything from me...), and it p*sses off a lot of genuinely broke people, for entirely understandable reasons - 90% of "courses" are literally "I asked ChatGPT to compile the results of a 10min Google search into a course - pay me £149". (Sometimes, they even skip the 10min Google search...) With that sobering reality, I completely get why actually broke people hate even the idea of courses. Because sure, I would actually do the work, I would create a genuinely high value offering - but people have no way of knowing that. I don't buy courses - I'm even wary about buying from Reed, because I've now had two experiences of paying £20 for a course, only to never be sent the login details by the course provider (Reed is just the Amazon of the course world; they're a shop window for course providers, Reed themselves don't actually hold any of the details or access for the courses.) Plus, when you're getting to £50+? I only occasionally have that kind of money that's not committed elsewhere, and I know that will be the same for those who are are actually broke.
Why do I keep saying "actually broke"?
Because "social media broke" means "I have money, I just don't want to spend it, so I'm going to bleat about how broke I am!"
Actually broke is either: "I literally have nothing. Small change, if that", or "Yeah, I currently 'have' money, but it's all committed to essentials - and essentials are mandatory bills, and basic groceries."
Why do I keep saying "actually broke"?
Because "social media broke" means "I have money, I just don't want to spend it, so I'm going to bleat about how broke I am!"
Actually broke is either: "I literally have nothing. Small change, if that", or "Yeah, I currently 'have' money, but it's all committed to essentials - and essentials are mandatory bills, and basic groceries."
"Pity party broke" means "I have a very comfortable savings account, a solid emergency fund, but wahhhhh, I'm not making a six-figure salary/the nasty mean government steals too much taxes from poor little me, and gives it to those skiving underserving trash people!"
Actually broke? You are the people other people see as "skiving undeserving trash." I have huge issues with high income earners bleating about "I'm literally broke from paying tax!" - trust me, 55% of £126k, 60% of £50k, looks a lot better than 80% of £20k. (For the visuals: 55% of £126,000 = £69,000. 60% of £50,000 = £30,000. In contrast, 80% of £20,000 = £16,000.) No one in the UK currently pays even half their income in income tax; once you make £126k +, you're keeping 55% of that, even once you're in the millions.
"Faux broke" is "I want to do FIRE, but it's literally never going to happen! I'm going to be working until I'm sixty at least!"
Actually broke is "I'll be working until I die, or until my body or brain decide they're not going to co-operate on the "earning a living" deal. (As a person with a disability which has a significant impact on how I'm able to earn money, and which has caused energy-limiting cascade chronic illness, my mental health is absolutely wrecked from the anxiety around that reality, especially as AI slop, and people's selfish, lazy rush to it, business' bottom-line-fixated grab-fest around it, and the resulting job losses - mostly of things which are the only skillset I haven't completely lost to disability - ramps up.)
The work I can reliably do until I die is business consultancy and writing.
AI is rapidly replacing writing, and, where it isn't, the competition is so high it's driving pay into the dirt. I'm not the second income in my household; I'm the sole income earner, facing having to support two disabled adults, when one can't work much at all because of her disabilities, for potentially the next 30-40 years. I simply am never going to be in a position where I can compete with people whose spouses earn a decent income, people doing writing as a side hustle, people in low cost of living countries, or AI.
My disability and chronic illness makes it very difficult to network effectively. There's also the reality that networking costs money. At bare minimum, you have to buy drinks at overpriced venues. I often also would have to pay taxi fares or hotel costs to actually get to the networking event on time, or get home from it - my disability is multiple diagnosed sight loss conditions, which means I'm legally blind, and can't drive for that reason.
Actually broke? You are the people other people see as "skiving undeserving trash." I have huge issues with high income earners bleating about "I'm literally broke from paying tax!" - trust me, 55% of £126k, 60% of £50k, looks a lot better than 80% of £20k. (For the visuals: 55% of £126,000 = £69,000. 60% of £50,000 = £30,000. In contrast, 80% of £20,000 = £16,000.) No one in the UK currently pays even half their income in income tax; once you make £126k +, you're keeping 55% of that, even once you're in the millions.
"Faux broke" is "I want to do FIRE, but it's literally never going to happen! I'm going to be working until I'm sixty at least!"
Actually broke is "I'll be working until I die, or until my body or brain decide they're not going to co-operate on the "earning a living" deal. (As a person with a disability which has a significant impact on how I'm able to earn money, and which has caused energy-limiting cascade chronic illness, my mental health is absolutely wrecked from the anxiety around that reality, especially as AI slop, and people's selfish, lazy rush to it, business' bottom-line-fixated grab-fest around it, and the resulting job losses - mostly of things which are the only skillset I haven't completely lost to disability - ramps up.)
The work I can reliably do until I die is business consultancy and writing.
AI is rapidly replacing writing, and, where it isn't, the competition is so high it's driving pay into the dirt. I'm not the second income in my household; I'm the sole income earner, facing having to support two disabled adults, when one can't work much at all because of her disabilities, for potentially the next 30-40 years. I simply am never going to be in a position where I can compete with people whose spouses earn a decent income, people doing writing as a side hustle, people in low cost of living countries, or AI.
My disability and chronic illness makes it very difficult to network effectively. There's also the reality that networking costs money. At bare minimum, you have to buy drinks at overpriced venues. I often also would have to pay taxi fares or hotel costs to actually get to the networking event on time, or get home from it - my disability is multiple diagnosed sight loss conditions, which means I'm legally blind, and can't drive for that reason.
(Sight loss conditions: FEVR, severe binocular vision disorder, glaucoma, macular degeneration, and inoperable cataracts...I'm also waiting on tests to confirm potential retinitis pigmentosa, but I've been waiting on those for over a year, and it won't change anything, so I'm not chasing that up. The reality is I'll lose the 40% of my vision I have left by the time I'm 50. Currently, that 40% is exclusively the left side centre field. And, because of the severe binocular vision disorder, that 40% isn't a strong 40%. The additional internal energy drain of a predominantly visual species member not having effective vision has caused cascade chronic health issues, including severe IBS and fatigue. I also have a severe psychiatric condition - formally diagnosed; the stress of trying to manage near-poverty, financial insecurity, and disability and chronic illness, as well as gestures - the world right now - is regularly tripping that, which can result in entire days just being...lost.)
Without a strong, relevant, engaged network - which relies on me being engaged with that network, which is something disability makes very challenging - consultancy gigs are very difficult to come by, because that world is very much about who you know.
I also can't bid on government contracts, because Companies House decided, last year, that you had to "prove British citizenship" to be a Director or Trustee, or to own a Ltd company; not an issue, you might think - until they only accept a passport or driving licence for their online verification portal. I'm medically banned from holding a driving licence. I haven't been able to find anyone who will agree to countersign a passport application, and I'm very wary of spending the best part of £100; more than £100, in reality, once you add in the postage (I legally changed my name almost 20 years ago, so I have to use postal application, because I need to send the Deed Poll documents - and passport photos) to not get any of that back if my application is deemed to be "unacceptable" for whatever reason - £100 is not an amount I often have that is uncommitted to something essential. To spend £100 on a passport application would mean accepting I can't travel anywhere before 9.30am, I can't take taxis, I can't stay over at a hotel for anything, and I can't do any "formalised socialising" (which always costs money.) And even with all of that, it still wouldn't be an effortless commitment of funds - it would cause me anxiety, it would be money I couldn't put aside in savings, which would mean an emergency could literally be something I can't afford to respond to.
Faux broke would be stepping in, finger raised, and "pointing out" that, since British passports are valid for 10yrs, that's "literally only around £10 a year - I consider that excellent value for money!" Great, dude - but I can't pay for a year at a time, so f-k you.
I have very strong aversions to any form of "mandatory digital ID", even if, if it were "free", it would be a huge benefit to me - it's only going to be free to apply for because the data that ID holds has already been sold, probably, knowing the UK government, to an American corporation. As a disabled trans man with a disabled trans spouse, I'm not handing over very sensitive details to what passes for America right now. Hell, I don't even want my own government to have that information on me, because I don't trust them.
I have a birth certificate. I have a National Insurance number. I have a Deed Poll that was formally witnessed by a literal solicitor. I have a disabled person's bus pass, which has my photo on it. I have utility bills which show both my name and address. I have a council tax demand which shows both my name and address - I should simply be able to take all of that to an office somewhere, and have someone official go "Yep, definitely seems like you're a British citizen, carry on". At minimum, I should be able to send it somewhere by email to have that happen - but no. I literally contacted Companies House to explain the situation, and just got "Yeah, we get that it's causing some issues for some people, but we're not going to do anything about that. Kind of sucks to be you, doesn't it?" (I'm paraphrasing - but honestly not by much.) I had to close down my Ltd company, and resign a Trusteeship I was genuinely enjoying, and benefitting from, and which I was told I brought valuable insight and background experience to.
My long-term plan had once been to be a Non-Executive Director (which, unlike a Trusteeship, is generally paid reasonably well, but with only a part time commitment) for 2-3 companies, and write books and articles around those commitments. The NEDs would provide a reliable income, which would mean I'd have the time to build up a portfolio without it having to make real-world money from the very get-go. That's not going to happen now - thanks, Companies House. I'm still trying to mentally process that, honestly, much less even think about what else I could do reliably, and in the face of my disability and health impacts.
So... that's my experience of being actually broke.
I also can't bid on government contracts, because Companies House decided, last year, that you had to "prove British citizenship" to be a Director or Trustee, or to own a Ltd company; not an issue, you might think - until they only accept a passport or driving licence for their online verification portal. I'm medically banned from holding a driving licence. I haven't been able to find anyone who will agree to countersign a passport application, and I'm very wary of spending the best part of £100; more than £100, in reality, once you add in the postage (I legally changed my name almost 20 years ago, so I have to use postal application, because I need to send the Deed Poll documents - and passport photos) to not get any of that back if my application is deemed to be "unacceptable" for whatever reason - £100 is not an amount I often have that is uncommitted to something essential. To spend £100 on a passport application would mean accepting I can't travel anywhere before 9.30am, I can't take taxis, I can't stay over at a hotel for anything, and I can't do any "formalised socialising" (which always costs money.) And even with all of that, it still wouldn't be an effortless commitment of funds - it would cause me anxiety, it would be money I couldn't put aside in savings, which would mean an emergency could literally be something I can't afford to respond to.
Faux broke would be stepping in, finger raised, and "pointing out" that, since British passports are valid for 10yrs, that's "literally only around £10 a year - I consider that excellent value for money!" Great, dude - but I can't pay for a year at a time, so f-k you.
I have very strong aversions to any form of "mandatory digital ID", even if, if it were "free", it would be a huge benefit to me - it's only going to be free to apply for because the data that ID holds has already been sold, probably, knowing the UK government, to an American corporation. As a disabled trans man with a disabled trans spouse, I'm not handing over very sensitive details to what passes for America right now. Hell, I don't even want my own government to have that information on me, because I don't trust them.
I have a birth certificate. I have a National Insurance number. I have a Deed Poll that was formally witnessed by a literal solicitor. I have a disabled person's bus pass, which has my photo on it. I have utility bills which show both my name and address. I have a council tax demand which shows both my name and address - I should simply be able to take all of that to an office somewhere, and have someone official go "Yep, definitely seems like you're a British citizen, carry on". At minimum, I should be able to send it somewhere by email to have that happen - but no. I literally contacted Companies House to explain the situation, and just got "Yeah, we get that it's causing some issues for some people, but we're not going to do anything about that. Kind of sucks to be you, doesn't it?" (I'm paraphrasing - but honestly not by much.) I had to close down my Ltd company, and resign a Trusteeship I was genuinely enjoying, and benefitting from, and which I was told I brought valuable insight and background experience to.
My long-term plan had once been to be a Non-Executive Director (which, unlike a Trusteeship, is generally paid reasonably well, but with only a part time commitment) for 2-3 companies, and write books and articles around those commitments. The NEDs would provide a reliable income, which would mean I'd have the time to build up a portfolio without it having to make real-world money from the very get-go. That's not going to happen now - thanks, Companies House. I'm still trying to mentally process that, honestly, much less even think about what else I could do reliably, and in the face of my disability and health impacts.
So... that's my experience of being actually broke.
Why Popular Finance Doesn't Work When You're Actually Broke
Popular finance doesn't work when you're actually broke because it all centres the idea that obviously you want to retire before the official retirement age (currently 67 for my generation in the UK, likely to rise to 70+ eventually), you obviously need to have passive income for that to happen, so the "advice" is all around "here's how to get into property/get a million invested so you generate a liveable passive income for the rest of your life, if you just stop buying shit you don't need, move back in with your parents for a year or two, stop taking holidays, you'll definitely get there.")
I was 14 when I started part-time work. Obviously, I was living at home. That meant "lending" my parents money when the one income that existed (my Dad's - my mother could have worked, but chose not to) fell short, or something unexpected cropped up. It meant "paying for myself" on holidays I had no choice about going on. It meant buying my own groceries, because "you have your own money now." Once I was working full time? It meant all of that, plus "here's the bills I have to pay; there's 3 people here, so this is what a third of the total bills would be, you need to pay that." I was also expected to pay for transport to places I wanted to go - bus fare, taxi fare, paying for petrol if I asked for a lift.
At that time, investing wasn't something that was accessible to ordinary people - we didn't have the internet (it had barely become a thing in the UK by the time I was 15, and my Dad saw it as an unnecessary expense), and, even if we'd had internet, it wasn't possible for an ordinary person to add "small" amounts to investments without a broker getting involved. Even when I tried to open a high interest savings account, I couldn't - every bank in my local town had a minimum starting deposit of £500 at the time. When I was working full time? That was more than my entire month's wages, after tax, but before I'd "paid my way" back home.
Popular finance doesn't work when you're actually broke because it all centres the idea that obviously you want to retire before the official retirement age (currently 67 for my generation in the UK, likely to rise to 70+ eventually), you obviously need to have passive income for that to happen, so the "advice" is all around "here's how to get into property/get a million invested so you generate a liveable passive income for the rest of your life, if you just stop buying shit you don't need, move back in with your parents for a year or two, stop taking holidays, you'll definitely get there.")
I was 14 when I started part-time work. Obviously, I was living at home. That meant "lending" my parents money when the one income that existed (my Dad's - my mother could have worked, but chose not to) fell short, or something unexpected cropped up. It meant "paying for myself" on holidays I had no choice about going on. It meant buying my own groceries, because "you have your own money now." Once I was working full time? It meant all of that, plus "here's the bills I have to pay; there's 3 people here, so this is what a third of the total bills would be, you need to pay that." I was also expected to pay for transport to places I wanted to go - bus fare, taxi fare, paying for petrol if I asked for a lift.
At that time, investing wasn't something that was accessible to ordinary people - we didn't have the internet (it had barely become a thing in the UK by the time I was 15, and my Dad saw it as an unnecessary expense), and, even if we'd had internet, it wasn't possible for an ordinary person to add "small" amounts to investments without a broker getting involved. Even when I tried to open a high interest savings account, I couldn't - every bank in my local town had a minimum starting deposit of £500 at the time. When I was working full time? That was more than my entire month's wages, after tax, but before I'd "paid my way" back home.
Now? My father has passed away, and I've already had to deal with other family demanding I pay off my mother's council tax arrears, my mother regularly asking me for money... even if I were in a position where I could live with her, it wouldn't help my financial situation - I'd just be paying for literally everything. Which is why the fact that it's not feasible to live with my mother is less of a stress for me than it might be. Why is it not feasible, the faux rich and the "gurus" demand? Any number of "anti-capitalist social justice types" insist that I'm just a selfish white person, that I'm ignoring thousands of years of how humans lived, that I've "swallowed the capitalist kool-aid":
. My mother lives in a very rural area. There is even less going on, work and networking wise, than there is where I live. The public transport is abysmal. There is nothing for 3miles, and nothing offering realistic employment within 8miles.
. My mother has previously attacked me at knife point. She has suggested that r*pe would "put me back in touch with reality." She has told me I should k*ll myself. She has repeatedly physically assaulted me. I am only in contact with my mother because she opened post that was addressed to me, and which had to be delivered to her house as I was literally homeless, which dealt with the purchase of my current home (only possible because my Dad left me a 50% share of his life insurance - which my mother tried to keep from me, and which she regularly tries to emotionally blackmail me with), so knows where I live, and has threatened to call the police/turn up at my house herself if I don't call her (meaning she has my phone number...I get threats of her calling the cops if I don't text back the same day...) Living with my mother isn't just "not what I want to do at nearly 40" - it's not safe. It would also mean surrendering most of my pets, and essentially abandoning my wife (my mother is not accepting of our lives either as individuals or together, and is not a safe person for my wife to be around), neither of which are options in my mind.
That's what being actually broke looks like. It's not having family you can "just move in with to save money" - either because you'd have to cover a lot of your family's bills, or because your family isn't safe, or you don't have family. (I have a very good friend who, until she got married and had kids, was constantly being told "Well, if you're broke, just move back with your parents!" - both of whom were deceased...both in high-impact ways for her.) When you're actually broke, not moving back with your parents isn't a personal preference or point of pride/principle - it's brutal reality. Either because moving back wouldn't alter your situation, and might actually make things worse, or because it's simply not an option that exists any more, for one reason or another.
I don't want to retire. I never have, even before all the disability stuff hit. I always saw myself just...tapering away to a viable part-time income, probably earned through freelance/self-employed work, and living the life I want around that - going on weekends away a couple of times a year, having day trips out, having pets around me, being able to pursue my hobbies, and take walks in pleasant areas.
Right now? I'm doing that - I just need to add in a couple more freelance contracts than I currently have, at my regular day rate, rather than the minimum wage that is all my current contract was funded to pay me. It would be good to have two more eight day per month contracts, at £250-300 per day, so that I could put more in savings, add to my investments (which I maintain more to have something to sell if everything goes to sh*t, rather than for passive income); if I could get a contract that I can bill a quarter at a time, with the first quarter billed upfront? I might even be able to get the hole in my roof fixed (caused by seagulls, so insurance won't pay out.) That'd be nice.
But being actually broke, combined with the issues Companies House created last year, makes me feel that getting those extra contracts, or even lining up a new contract when this one concludes in December, is equivalent in terms of logistics and likelihood as successfully climbing Everest. Especially when all the "advice" is either impossible because of disability, or impossible because of being actually broke.
So - what is the advice for the actually broke?
1. Approach making financially stable friends like it's a job search, and the DWP are on your back.
I'm currently trying to figure out the logisitics of this, but I've recognised the pitfalls of all your friends also being actually broke - those people make fantastic friends, because you know what life is like for each other, you're able to genuinely hold space for each other, venting is completely acceptable, and they're quick to help where they can; but, just as you can't often help much for them, they often can't help much for you. Financially stable friends can cover costs for you. They can lend you money. They often have connections they can put you in touch with.
They often don't completely understand why your life is such a shambles - but it being that way makes them feel very uncomfortable, so they're very keen to pull you out of a shambolic life.
2. Talk about money, and about what you're able to do to make money.
If someone asks "what do you do?" - tell them you already do the thing you want to make money doing. So, if you currently work on the tills at Tesco, but you want to set up and run your own retail business one day? Your response is "I'm a retail manager, and currently exploring opportunities for entrepreneurship." (Obviously, only do this in casual conversation - it's actually fraud to do it on a CV, whatever people on TikTok tell you!)
3. Get off social media.
. My mother has previously attacked me at knife point. She has suggested that r*pe would "put me back in touch with reality." She has told me I should k*ll myself. She has repeatedly physically assaulted me. I am only in contact with my mother because she opened post that was addressed to me, and which had to be delivered to her house as I was literally homeless, which dealt with the purchase of my current home (only possible because my Dad left me a 50% share of his life insurance - which my mother tried to keep from me, and which she regularly tries to emotionally blackmail me with), so knows where I live, and has threatened to call the police/turn up at my house herself if I don't call her (meaning she has my phone number...I get threats of her calling the cops if I don't text back the same day...) Living with my mother isn't just "not what I want to do at nearly 40" - it's not safe. It would also mean surrendering most of my pets, and essentially abandoning my wife (my mother is not accepting of our lives either as individuals or together, and is not a safe person for my wife to be around), neither of which are options in my mind.
That's what being actually broke looks like. It's not having family you can "just move in with to save money" - either because you'd have to cover a lot of your family's bills, or because your family isn't safe, or you don't have family. (I have a very good friend who, until she got married and had kids, was constantly being told "Well, if you're broke, just move back with your parents!" - both of whom were deceased...both in high-impact ways for her.) When you're actually broke, not moving back with your parents isn't a personal preference or point of pride/principle - it's brutal reality. Either because moving back wouldn't alter your situation, and might actually make things worse, or because it's simply not an option that exists any more, for one reason or another.
I don't want to retire. I never have, even before all the disability stuff hit. I always saw myself just...tapering away to a viable part-time income, probably earned through freelance/self-employed work, and living the life I want around that - going on weekends away a couple of times a year, having day trips out, having pets around me, being able to pursue my hobbies, and take walks in pleasant areas.
Right now? I'm doing that - I just need to add in a couple more freelance contracts than I currently have, at my regular day rate, rather than the minimum wage that is all my current contract was funded to pay me. It would be good to have two more eight day per month contracts, at £250-300 per day, so that I could put more in savings, add to my investments (which I maintain more to have something to sell if everything goes to sh*t, rather than for passive income); if I could get a contract that I can bill a quarter at a time, with the first quarter billed upfront? I might even be able to get the hole in my roof fixed (caused by seagulls, so insurance won't pay out.) That'd be nice.
But being actually broke, combined with the issues Companies House created last year, makes me feel that getting those extra contracts, or even lining up a new contract when this one concludes in December, is equivalent in terms of logistics and likelihood as successfully climbing Everest. Especially when all the "advice" is either impossible because of disability, or impossible because of being actually broke.
So - what is the advice for the actually broke?
1. Approach making financially stable friends like it's a job search, and the DWP are on your back.
I'm currently trying to figure out the logisitics of this, but I've recognised the pitfalls of all your friends also being actually broke - those people make fantastic friends, because you know what life is like for each other, you're able to genuinely hold space for each other, venting is completely acceptable, and they're quick to help where they can; but, just as you can't often help much for them, they often can't help much for you. Financially stable friends can cover costs for you. They can lend you money. They often have connections they can put you in touch with.
They often don't completely understand why your life is such a shambles - but it being that way makes them feel very uncomfortable, so they're very keen to pull you out of a shambolic life.
2. Talk about money, and about what you're able to do to make money.
If someone asks "what do you do?" - tell them you already do the thing you want to make money doing. So, if you currently work on the tills at Tesco, but you want to set up and run your own retail business one day? Your response is "I'm a retail manager, and currently exploring opportunities for entrepreneurship." (Obviously, only do this in casual conversation - it's actually fraud to do it on a CV, whatever people on TikTok tell you!)
3. Get off social media.
Not only does it save your data, and thus potentially lower your fixed costs a little bit, but it stops you comparing yourself to people who are often being paid to lie. Being around real people in real life makes you realise how common shopping in charity shops, "cooking" being "heating up stuff", rather than creating three course, raw-ingredients-only menus every day, "holidays" being a couple of days away in the UK (or whatever country you live in) actually is, and how rare people earning six figures is. You might even find you're able to ditch the cost of internet entirely - which isn't going to be much, but it's something you can stash in savings.
4. Do not have your savings account on your phone.
It makes it too easy to just tap into the app, and "borrow" some money from your savings for things that are not essentials - yes, sometimes there will be a genuine need to use your savings for essential spending, or an emergency; that's what it's there for. But if logging in to your savings is a matter of tapping an app, it can be very tempting to see a snack run as "essential"... you always tell yourself you'll "pay it back"...but, when you're actually broke, life happens a lot. And the money you would have paid savings back with needs to be used on the water bill, topping up the electric, replacing something essential that broke.
4. Do not have your savings account on your phone.
It makes it too easy to just tap into the app, and "borrow" some money from your savings for things that are not essentials - yes, sometimes there will be a genuine need to use your savings for essential spending, or an emergency; that's what it's there for. But if logging in to your savings is a matter of tapping an app, it can be very tempting to see a snack run as "essential"... you always tell yourself you'll "pay it back"...but, when you're actually broke, life happens a lot. And the money you would have paid savings back with needs to be used on the water bill, topping up the electric, replacing something essential that broke.
5. All jobs have days where you hate them, don't want to show up, and the work feels pointless.
If you're self-employed, those days can be really tough, because you may not even be getting paid for them; but even then, being pissed off and resentful about doing work is a better space to be in than having to deal with the attitudes of the JobCentre staff, and the constant insecurity around what the government are going to inflict on the dependently unemployed next.
6. Engage with short courses
Yes, it's often an initial outlay, but it keeps you in touch with where different industries and thought processes are currently, it shows the "self-motivated, coachable mindset" a lot of modern employers claim to want, and it keeps you from spending money on trivial stuff. Choose subjects you're genuinely interested in, go through a well-respected provider. If you get the chance to do an in-person course, definitely do those - because it might help you work towards objective #1.
If you're self-employed, those days can be really tough, because you may not even be getting paid for them; but even then, being pissed off and resentful about doing work is a better space to be in than having to deal with the attitudes of the JobCentre staff, and the constant insecurity around what the government are going to inflict on the dependently unemployed next.
6. Engage with short courses
Yes, it's often an initial outlay, but it keeps you in touch with where different industries and thought processes are currently, it shows the "self-motivated, coachable mindset" a lot of modern employers claim to want, and it keeps you from spending money on trivial stuff. Choose subjects you're genuinely interested in, go through a well-respected provider. If you get the chance to do an in-person course, definitely do those - because it might help you work towards objective #1.
7. If you have stuff that's worth selling, it's better to do that in person, rather than online
You don't get the hassle of messages demanding money back. You avoid postage costs entirely. You don't have to advertise as much (which can also cost money.) You don't lose out to the selling site's commission fees. You don't risk an endless runaround with "I have moral objections to PayPal - can I send you a cheque/money order, instead?" (I wish I was joking...I've actually had that...Sure; once I've cashed the cheque/money order, I'll send the item...Oh, you're not okay with that? Bye, then.)
Stick a note in your window if your house is in a high-traffic area.
Look out for local table-top sales (you usually have to pay around a tenner for the table, but if you're selling a lot of stuff, it's worth it if you have a tenner spare.)
Put an ad on Gumtree.
Stick a note in your window if your house is in a high-traffic area.
Look out for local table-top sales (you usually have to pay around a tenner for the table, but if you're selling a lot of stuff, it's worth it if you have a tenner spare.)
Put an ad on Gumtree.
8. Keep up with your appearance
Smart casual clothing if you're going somewhere you might meet the people you're looking to meet to achieve objective #1. Button down shirt, formal trousers, tie (for those presenting male), plain black trousers with a blouse in a single colour or a minimalist pattern (for those presenting female) for job interviews. Proper f-king shoes!!!! You can get shoes in charity shops, or for £10-20 in Shoezone. Trainers aren't it, even if you "literally wear them all the time".
Clean clothes, even if you're in a casual-casual situation. Neatly done hair ("bed hair" is actually a structured style...those people have spent hours looking like they just rolled out of bed....there's probably at least four products involved). Go for hairstyles that can be managed with just water and a brush, if you can (it saves you money.). Wash yourself and your hair regularly. (Yourself at least daily, for most people, hair is every other day to once per week, depending on hair type, some people will need to wash their hair every day.)
Use deodorant. (Please....you can get deodorant for under £2 in a huge range of places these days.)
If you have facial hair, keep it neat. Designer stubble is a thing, "haven't shaved for a week" just validates the idea that broke people are just lazy. A pack of disposable razors can be had for £2-5, depending what type you buy.)
Smart casual clothing if you're going somewhere you might meet the people you're looking to meet to achieve objective #1. Button down shirt, formal trousers, tie (for those presenting male), plain black trousers with a blouse in a single colour or a minimalist pattern (for those presenting female) for job interviews. Proper f-king shoes!!!! You can get shoes in charity shops, or for £10-20 in Shoezone. Trainers aren't it, even if you "literally wear them all the time".
Clean clothes, even if you're in a casual-casual situation. Neatly done hair ("bed hair" is actually a structured style...those people have spent hours looking like they just rolled out of bed....there's probably at least four products involved). Go for hairstyles that can be managed with just water and a brush, if you can (it saves you money.). Wash yourself and your hair regularly. (Yourself at least daily, for most people, hair is every other day to once per week, depending on hair type, some people will need to wash their hair every day.)
Use deodorant. (Please....you can get deodorant for under £2 in a huge range of places these days.)
If you have facial hair, keep it neat. Designer stubble is a thing, "haven't shaved for a week" just validates the idea that broke people are just lazy. A pack of disposable razors can be had for £2-5, depending what type you buy.)
9. Free hobbies that bring you into contact with other humans:
. Jogging (if you're not looking to go competitive, you can absolutely just put on a pair of sweats, t-shirt, and trainers you picked up from a charity shop, or from somewhere cheap, like Sports Direct.)
. Jogging (if you're not looking to go competitive, you can absolutely just put on a pair of sweats, t-shirt, and trainers you picked up from a charity shop, or from somewhere cheap, like Sports Direct.)
. Community events
. Volunteering (choose a volunteer role that has relevance to the paid employment you eventually want - this is somewhat challenging in the UK, because volunteering is overwhelmed by "help out in a charity shop!" or "do local litter picks!", neither of which even offer transferable skills, even though working in a charity shop as a volunteer should be transferable to paid retail...)
Being actually broke can be really isolating, and, despite the internet's seductive promises, what actually gets you ahead is having connections with people who actually know you, have seen how you show up to things, have spoken with you, remember your name, and have shaken your hand. That means you need to be around people, which, when you're not employed, can be a challenge. (As an introvert with social anxiety, I hate the fact that this is the reality, but it is.)
10. Define yourself beyond your income
For me, my "wealth" is my creativity, my curiousity about things in the world around me, my marriage, my pets.
That helps me focus the management of what money I do have - saving so I can continue to uphold my "non-financial wealth" is a lot easier than "saving for retirement" (which might never come), "building an emergency fund" (what do I do if an emergency happens before I have an emergency fund?) or "investing for passive income" (the income is never truly passive, I am very risk-averse).
. Volunteering (choose a volunteer role that has relevance to the paid employment you eventually want - this is somewhat challenging in the UK, because volunteering is overwhelmed by "help out in a charity shop!" or "do local litter picks!", neither of which even offer transferable skills, even though working in a charity shop as a volunteer should be transferable to paid retail...)
Being actually broke can be really isolating, and, despite the internet's seductive promises, what actually gets you ahead is having connections with people who actually know you, have seen how you show up to things, have spoken with you, remember your name, and have shaken your hand. That means you need to be around people, which, when you're not employed, can be a challenge. (As an introvert with social anxiety, I hate the fact that this is the reality, but it is.)
10. Define yourself beyond your income
For me, my "wealth" is my creativity, my curiousity about things in the world around me, my marriage, my pets.
That helps me focus the management of what money I do have - saving so I can continue to uphold my "non-financial wealth" is a lot easier than "saving for retirement" (which might never come), "building an emergency fund" (what do I do if an emergency happens before I have an emergency fund?) or "investing for passive income" (the income is never truly passive, I am very risk-averse).
Are you someone who is not "actually broke", and would like to pay me for consultancy, one-to-one guidance, or commission an article? Email me at theproductivepessimist@yahoo.com
I offer consultancy and articles on the following topics:
. Working class inclusion in design and practice
. Disability inclusion in design and practice
. Car-free living
. Supporting and creating healthy masculinity
. Working class inclusion in design and practice
. Disability inclusion in design and practice
. Car-free living
. Supporting and creating healthy masculinity
. Business strategy
. Non-profit growth
. Non-profit growth
AI Statement:
I am ethically opposed to Generative AI on the grounds of the ecological, environmental, and cultural harm it causes in exploited places and to exploited peoples, and to the systemic net negative impact it is showing on human cognition, a fact which will only lead to higher income and health support costs for central governments in time.
I am a human who produces both ideas and content exclusively from my own brain.
As someone who is visually impaired, I do sometimes have to rely on the "AI" of text-to-speech, screen-reader interpretation, etc. Obviously, I use the internet as a "shop window" for my thoughts and work, and am aware that most of the internet sites, especially Meta's platforms, is almost entirely GenAI-geared.
I am a human who produces both ideas and content exclusively from my own brain.
As someone who is visually impaired, I do sometimes have to rely on the "AI" of text-to-speech, screen-reader interpretation, etc. Obviously, I use the internet as a "shop window" for my thoughts and work, and am aware that most of the internet sites, especially Meta's platforms, is almost entirely GenAI-geared.
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