What To Do When You Are Broke

What To Do When You Are Broke

Lyra Hartlein, Entertainment/Student Life Editor

As young adults, we are deprived of money. If you are like me, you are broke 24/7. No matter how much you work, you always end up broke. You’re either paying bills, filling your gas tank, or just going out with friends. I feel your pain, and that’s why I am here to help.

First tip: Do everything in your power not to drive. Driving = using gas = needing money to fill gas tank. Ask friends to pick you up, or do the good ole fashioned “Mom, can you take me to ___?” Hopefully, your friends/parents will do you the favor.

Second tip: Eat at home. Eating out is probably one of the most satisfying feelings, you can pick whatever you want to eat and all you have to pay is a simple fee. Well, you can’t afford that fee. Eat at home until your next pay, it isn’t that bad. If your friends ask you to go out to eat, tell them no. They will get over it eventually. And, if you chose to go grab some fast food, McDonald’s and Wendy’s always have a dollar menu!

Third tip: Save every penny you find. From on the ground, to in between your couch: Save. It. All. My personal favorite, save all the lunch money your parents give you and just pack a lunch.

Fourth tip: Make a new budget for when you get paid again. Start thinking of ways to divide and SAVE your money. Figure out how much it takes to fill your gas tank and save that money specifically just for gas money, how much money you need for bills/debt, a small amount of spending money, and some just save for emergencies. If you start budgeting, your life will be much easier and you won’t have to be broke 24/7 anymore.

Fifth tip: Don’t date. Dating is a magical, expensive thing. Once you are in a relationship, it is game over. Most of the time, you and your significant other will go out to eat at least once a week, because what else is there to do in Pittsburgh? Also, holidays put a huge dent in your wallet, girl or boy. You have to get your significant other great gifts that you know they will love, and those gifts are usually very expensive. So, if you would rather keep dating your significant other/start dating, get used to staying at each other’s house to hang out and be ready for them to be disappointed on holidays because you are broke and probably got them a Chipotle gift card.

Sixth tip: If you want to go shopping, try to get your parents to buy stuff for you. We all want new wardrobes when the seasons change, but we are broke. Solution: Mommy and Daddy’s money. Pull out those puppy dog eyes and beg your parent/guardian to buy you some clothes, not a lot, just some until you get paid. Hopefully, they will feel bad that you are basically a homeless person and buy you new clothes.

Seventh tip: Don’t wasteful spend. If you see something you know you don’t need, do not buy it. We tend to buy stupid, useless things just because for that time being, it is what we want. Then, two weeks later, you kick yourself for being something so dumb that you will never touch again. Stop doing that.

Eighth tip: Be a smart shopper. When you aren’t entirely broke and want to buy some clothes, go to cheap stores. Plato’s Closest is a good choice for us broke people; it has cheap name brand clothes like Hollister, Victoria’s Secret, Abercrombie, etc. Even check thrift shops! There are always hidden gems in those stores.

These eight tips should help you on your road of broke-ness. Follow these tips and you will survive being broke, or avoid the path of being broke. And remember, being broke doesn’t make you a bad person; it means you are just bad with money.