Definitions of "I'm broke"

QueenB.

clarab wrote: »

My definition of 'broke' is when theres more month left than money.

I like this definition. We have been broke so many times in the last few years whilst reducing our debts. Nothing in savings living not just week to week but day to day. No spare money for anything and my OH and I going without certain meals, gifts on christmas and birthdays and so on just so the kids where ok.

I have come across many people who say they are broke but wouldn't enter a shop unless it was designer and only eat branded food. I used to get frustrated and yes even a little resentful with those people but now i just think each to their own and i concentrate on my situation. Thankfully we are no longer broke in those terms and have no more debts but the memories of those days keeps me fired up to continue my debt free ways, just in case.

heatherks

to me broke means no or very little money in purse or bank .. worry about living from day to day and having nothing to fall back on in case of emergencies

amibovvered

My brother had a friend to whom being broke meant having to cut his twice-yearly visits to a French spa down to one visit! I'd love to be that broke! Mind, he was a nice bloke, just didn't have quite the same concept of money as us mere mortals.

seaglass4

to myself, being broke is going out with no money to cover any slip up, i.e. not really enough petrol in the car but not enough cash to put any petrol in it, but I go out anyway!

Truthfully because its as close to living on the edge that I get (saddo that I am!)

I tell other people I am broke, if I do not feel comfortable with the amount of cash an activity requires, I may have money to spend on other things but I have to prioritise where my money goes. I do not expect others to pay for me though & have had to tell friends not to in the past as I do not want to change the dynamics of our friendship.

Turtle

Broke to me is if I have to use some savings to get to the end of the month. So, if we've had a holiday for example and I know we have a big credit card bill to pay then I might need some savings to cover it and I wouldn't buy anything not needed that month, or go out. I'm very grateful that I've never experienced 'proper' broke, literally no money at all.

Trajal

To me "I'm broke" means "I have no money I wish to spend". Now whether that is a question of me not having any money or me not wishing to spend my money is between me and my bank manager at any particular time!

Plumjam

To me 'I'm broke' can mean two things - either (a) I have better things to spend my money on or (b) if I spend on something now then I'll have spent more than this week's budget and will have to claw it back from next week meaning that I start next week in debit. It happens occassionally but I'd rather it didn't. I know so may people who say they're broke or can't afford something and then buy new clothes, have the weekend away, meal out etc. I often wish I was broke in the way that they are broke.

piptom&AndyPandy

lucystardust wrote: »

I agree with alot of what other people have said, to me being 'broke' is having no money in the bank and means if I need to buy things/pay bills before pay day I'm gonna have to use a credit card. Previously though it would mean I was near my credit limit!

Some of my friends say they're 'too broke' to come along to things we invite them to because they have no money, yet these are the same people who every year still go on a 3 week holiday to some exotic destination and always have the latest iphone etc. I remember once meeting up with friends for a meal, a few weeks after my birthday. One friend apologised that she hadn't yet bought me a present, as she had no money in the bank. Yet during the meal she was going on about how the day before she'd bought new shoes, she didn't want to go into her overdraft but thought 'yeah why not treat myself'.

DH just said - that's not a friend! But been there - no gift for me but asking for specific gifts such as a dinner service for Christmas from us!

Lol

piptom&AndyPandy

NicChanna wrote: »

To be honest, being broke to me means...

• putting 2l of petrol into the car at a time to get to work
• eating every last thing in the cupboard for dinners
• if necessary to buy new food, only buying whoopsies or basics
• eating smaller portions of food at dinner so that some can be taken for work lunch the next day
• selling something on gumtree like books, CDs, DVDs to get to the end of the month

Probably other things too but that's a start ...
Other people have different ideas ... one friend of mine talked all the time about how broke she was, getting me to pay her breakdown cover, buy food for her etc ... imagine my surprise when I found she had over 3000GBP in an easily accessible savings account. When I challenged her about this she said, well they're my savings, I never touch them ever.

Just had to say OMG!!!!

Amatheya81

Being broke to me means I'm not sure how I'll pay all the bills and eat for the rest of the month.

Being broke to my sister means she thinks twice about buring a £300 coat.

It doesn't irritate me to hear her say she's broke in the least! *sarcasm alert* lol