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People Speak Out About Life-Turning Things That Helped Them Stop Being Broke (30 Answers)
Poverty is an incredibly difficult thing to get out of. It’s kind of like climbing a sheer cliff - it’s totally possible to get out of it with insane effort and a considerable amount of risk to your very real life. At the same time, you could lose your grip and fall to your untimely doom at the worst and have to start from fresh at best.
Today, we’ll take a peek at some of the funniest, most bittersweet, and sometimes even plain sad ways that netizens managed to get out of it. Or at least stop being broke.
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One phone call.
Short version - I was studying programming and got pretty good at some niche stuff that was in demand. I was pretty worried/afraid of the unknown but my gf was suddenly pregnant and she hit me with the 'It's now or never to get off your a*s' and I took it to heart.
I finally put my resume out and applied to a few jobs. Got a call a week later.
Here's the cool part, at the time I was making about $25k/yr - the person on the phone offered me $70. But I'd have to move 6 hours away and be able to start within 7 days.
I took it.
I was so excited to be making $70k.
Before the call ended the recruiter said 'Well I'm going to put you down for $80, I have some wiggle room I left in to negotiate and I also get a little extra the more you make'.
I said that sounds great..
Then as she's closing the call she says she's got me down to start in 7 days, at $80hr.. see you then.
The reality is I took the job happy at $70k, but she meant per hour. She then upgraded me to $80/hr without me asking, and before the call was done I was making $165k/yr on a job that I had accepted for $70k.
By the end of the year I had made $275k with the overtime, basically 10x'ing my income all from that one call.
But was it stressful and could you do it? I've had those phonecalls with headhunters and just done a ..... No, that sounds like a sh1tshow and I'll have no life
Being at the right place, at the right time, talking to the right people.
You can be the most talented person in the world, but if you don't know how to play the social game, and have a lot of luck it sadly isn't going to happen.
Urgh, the social game. You can get on with absolutely everyone at "your level" but if refuse to suck up to management you'll never amount to anything. It's why I've always worked in small companies, you can tell people they're doing it wrong and more often than not they'll listen. Weirdly I now work for a FTSE company which is comprised of lots of small operating companies which still act as such. The communication is appalling but somehow it still works. Just
After we married, my husband and I bought a small home at the time when it was low interest, we ate cheap and at home, when we had too we cut back on luxuries (Netflix, etc.)We did not go out to bars or night clubs, we paid our bills on time and we didn’t spend money we didn’t have. And we worked our butts off. Now my husband owns the business we work for we have three homes (two we rent out) and I became a stay at home dad.
Might sound harsh, but I dropped the group of people I was hanging with.
They all had no aspirations or drive to do anything or get out of the small town we grew up in.
I knew that if I stayed in that circle of people, I wouldn’t go or do anything with my life.
That was 8 years ago now.
I got a college degree, have my own house, and make $120k a year. Everyone back at home that I left still isn’t doing anything
I high-tailed it out of my small town as soon as I could after high school. I struggled for a while (couldn't afford college), but found a vertificate course in CADD (computer aided drafting and design). I don't do that anymore (I'm a writer--go figure), but that was a big leap out of the "small-town" mentality of making a living.
As a former banker and Financial Adviser the best advice is have an actual plan. I’ve seen so many people, even ones who make great money, who are always totally broke and can never achieve their goals because they have never taken the time to sit down and formulate a realistic plan to get there. They just have a dream and go through life always assuming “it will happen eventually”.
My wife and I set a goal to be mostly retired and living on our sailboat by 40. She used to roll her eyes at me when I pulled out my notebook every month or 2 and completely reevaluated every step in getting there. Well I’m sitting here typing this from my boat on the way to the Caribbean at 39.
An actual plan is all well and good if you want no social life but I spent my 20's partying hard, settled down in my 30's, started sorting my finances in my 40's, still party.
Grew up poor. I am good at learning and my country has affordable education. Getting into university is a matter of getting a diploma from the right level high school, which I did. I then went to university and got a good job. I now pay more in taxes than my education cost the government.
It should be that simple anywhere.
Made about $30k in the GameStop stock bonanza then proceeded to spend it it all on a master's degree. I'm no longer broke, but the feeling still lingers. I like to call it "phantom poverty."
Hard work and a huge dose of luck. I was a rock star at my former job. My former boss got a new job offer, and he asked me to follow him to the new company. I got a ~$15k/year raise doing the exact same job. But that job never would have existed if he hadn’t taken the job he did. He created it for me. 12 years later and he’s long gone but I’m still here, and making just shy of double what I started off at after a few internal role changes.
Where are people finding these jobs that rank them up? Every job I find I'm kept at the bottom with everyone else.
Grew up in poverty, trailer, no power, no food a lot of the time, hoarding food when I got it, watering down milk, etc.
Joined the USAF, got a B.S., broke my body, went to war, PTSD etc., saw friends die, almost died myself, medically retired 10 years later. Had to reinvent myself when I got out by changing careers since I wasn't qualified to do the job I was doing in the military (very common) nor was I physically able to anyways. 8 years and 5 jobs later, I work for the government making 6 figures. So yeah. That.
So f**k everyone who say all you have to do is work hard or just get a better job. Everyone I know is still back home besides one (and he's in the USAF Academy).
Still live like I'm broke and still do a lot of the things I did when I was poor. So does my wife. It doesn't leave you, really. No matter how much money you make.
Quit drinking. Turns out it's tough to get out of crippling debt and the cycle of homelessness if you're slowly killing yourself with alcohol. I was suddenly able to hold down a job and be a reliable, dependable, contributing member of society. I've got a fiancée, just bought a house in a decently middle-class suburb of a major city and have hobbies, interests and commitments that I honor.
Outside of overcoming addiction, the biggest learning for me has been not allowing my spending to increase as I make more and more money.
Every raise I get = a percentage increase to the amount I contribute to my investments. Never increase your spending, save for the thing you want as if your income hasn’t increased.
Luck. There was a fair bit of hard work involved, but we’d never have made it without a generous amount of luck.
Luck seems to be the running theme in this list. Doesn't give me much optimism.
Married my way out of it. I had no idea her family were doing well because they live so frugally, but when I moved in with them to "save money" after marrying her as they put it, I was put in charge of managing everyone's bills and credit cards.
When I saw my father and mother in laws bank accounts, I at first thought it was a mistake, but when I raised it with my wife she was like like no that sounds normal. I nearly fainted.
I know for bloody sure that their grandkids are going to want for nothing.
I grew up with addicted/alcoholic parents. I've worked every day since I was 16 and stay far away from my family. My wife and kids are my rock and keep me working hard and pushing to be better. Pro tip: leave your small town and never look back. Take control and grab life by the horns.
Taught myself a second language between the ages of 16 and 17, impressed some Rotarians and they whisked me away from the horrors of the trailer park and made me an exchange student. So then instead of being a trash man or at best a truck driver, I became a linguist.
Of course later in life I reverted back to abject poverty but that's a different story.
Trash men and Truckers keep the world turning. And get paid pretty well (uk). Don’t be derogatory.
I worked hard, didn't spend much, put money on the side when I could, worked even harder, tried doing many different things to earn money, diversify baby !
Then my mom gave me 100 000€ because she sold her house for way more than what she paid for it in the 80's and had money to spare.
So I bought a small house in a village where life is cheap, and now I just work part time. Crazy how life is so much easier without mortgage or rent to pay.
PS: if you wonder, the working hard and harder never gave me anything, I was still desperately poor, everything I did either failed or brought such little income it barely paid my bills.
Success consists of less hard work and more luck that some folks believe.
I mean I’m less impoverished and less broke? I got on disability. Got tired of trying to work like everyone else and get punished and passed over because of my health issues.
Like, if I’m heading towards homelessness because my health won’t allow me to work 40hrs a week on site then call me disabled I guess.
The thing is, if more places allowed remote work I could work fine.
I got completely clean. Then got a non-union apprenticeship, then went union
This is awesome and also proof that once you get clean that things will be better and get easier. As long as you avoid the substance and change your behaviors and get a great support system the only way to go is up. Just take it one minute at a time if needed and the amazing possibilities are endless!
Keep job hopping until you find something that pays you what your worth. Believe me though…being broke never leaves your thoughts.
It’s something my girlfriend has never had to deal with and it’s difficult to get her to understand that in our relationship. I go home every night and make dinner. I bring lunch to work everyday. She eats at restaurants for lunch and fast food for dinner almost every day and she makes 15K less than I do annually.
Once you’ve been poor and get a taste of freedom, you NEVER want to go back and do everything in your power to stay out of poverty from then on.
Thank you for saying this. My husband HATES the fact that I hop jobs to find a "good one." He grew up with money and all of the opportunities in the world. I grew up playing with a tire in the hallway with my sisters. He doesn't understand.
Live like you only get half of your paycheck and throw the other half in a saving account you don’t touch
If you can't manage on half a paycheck, put away a certain amount weekly/monthly. Try not to look at the balance, until you actually need it for something.
I'm a child of poor immigrants. I just happen to love science and especially mathematics. I obsessively studied it because it was cool. Enrolled in a community college because I wanted to learn more before getting a "grown up job." One thing lead to another and now I'm a faculty at a university.
I think people should choose something interesting and focus on doing it well, learning, and developing as a person for a few years. After a few years, then decide if you want to continue or not. If not, then look for ways to use your new skills to take a step in a different direction.
Working hard and having a growth mindset is huge. But I have to acknowledge that I was **super lucky** that I just happen to love mathematics. Mathematics is one of those things that everyone needs yet everyone refuses to learn so I have a lot of opportunies.
I wouldn't say people 'refuse to learn" math. It can just come so hard to some that they just get put off by wanting to deal with math. Being dyscalculic, I can learn math, but it just takes a bit longer for me to comprehend the gist of the formulas and figuring out sequences. My mom discovered I can figure out simple equations when there is an easy pattern, such as 2, 4, 5 and 10 times tables. But for the ones such as 7 and 9 it was mental torture. The methods of learning math also plays a huge factor. You can cram study all night and still not remember everything for the big test because schools tend to be focused on memorization and abstract equations, rather than using visualizations and real world, everyday examples that may prove math and sciences are not as complicated as they are taught to be.
Learned a trade
And, what's the trade? Why is a 3-word answer sufficient, BP???
Been a computer guy all my life, tried to go to community college for CS, but dropped out cus I was paying my own way and didn't want any loans. But picked up the fundamentals of programming over the years. Pursued other careers for a few years, before realizing none paid what I wanted.
Then had a buddy help get my foot in the door at a programming job. Now make great money, with significant raises coming soon. Also live in a low COL area.
The saying "it's all about who ya know" has rung true for me most of my life.
It's the "what you know" that gives you the "who ya knows". A good attitude helps.
My Mum worked 3 jobs to put me through uni, I worked a job at near full time hours. If I wasn’t at uni, I was at work. If I wasn’t at work or uni, I was studying. If I wasn’t doing any of those things I was sleeping. Literally had no social life.
After uni I got an entry level job in my field (Marketing) and still worked a second job on top of that so I could make ends meet. Eventually I moved into the Marketing team at big corporate retailer and worked up from there. I didn’t quit my second job until I started making over $80k/year. 3 years later and I now earn $135k/year at the same company and love it. I also own an investment property with my brother and SIL, shares, a motorbike and was just able to purchase a new vehicle in December last year (I have ALWAYS gotten the hand me down cars from family members).
It was not easy. It was f*****g hard. I missed out on so much in my late teens and early 20’s to make sure I could get ahead. There were times that I had to ask Mum and Dad for help here and there which at the same time, they were just getting their own businesses off the ground.
I did all of what they tell you not to do (was first in the office, last to leave. Always said yes to extra work even though there were times I thought I could be taken advantage of etc.) and it paid off big time. I have never been on major overseas holidays (Europe, America etc.) and instead used that money for my down payment on my investment property. I am also open and honest about the fact I wouldn’t not have been able to afford the investment property without my brother and SIL going halves with me and I’m forever grateful for that.
The sacrifices I made help me sleep at night because I now know I’ll never live paycheck to paycheck ever again.
I guess you gotta do what ya gotta do. However, it doesn't sound like this person was all that broke. Just really motivated to make as much money as possible.
Taking a loan and going back to school, studying hard, making good grades, getting an industrial degree, and moving 1,000 miles away from everything I know. It was terrifying, the biggest leap of faith I’ve ever taken. It was a calculated risk but I was dirt broke, and had skipped meals for years. Making that decision at 22 changed my life. Now 10 years later I’m happily married, a home owner, and make over 100K a year.
39 now grew up p**s poor most of my childhood and paid my parents mortgage since like the age of 21 with my brothers .
You suffer and work 70-100 hours a week if you need to and save and do whatever it takes .
I took off 3 days a year from work for probably a 6 year stretch of working 7 days a week
you will lose friends , miss vacations and some drunk memories but I assure you taking a vacation at 35 years old with a savings account is far far superior than at 25 and broke .
Zero regrets trading in my early 20’s freedom for 40 year old freedom
Totally happy that OP was able to obtain a lifestyle like his by his mid-thirties to forties but even if some people bust their àsses when they're younger working 70-100 hours a week like OP did they still may not be able to obtain what he was able to. For example OP had to pay his parents mortgage but he had the help of his brothers. Not everyone has siblings or maybe their parents have more debt, so many variables. I just feel some of these people will never make it out no matter how hard they work and its a sad reality but don't make someone feel less than because it worked out for you and not them even though you both put in the same amount of work.
I went back to school at 24 to get a degree in cs, got an internship at a big tech company and converted it to a full time offer at the end of the internship. Now I make insane money.
I worked full time with a lot of mandatory over time during the entire period I was in college. It was brutal, but ended up being worth it.
I got lucky.
I liked computers, and I could study a vocational degree in my country which was free at the time.
Then my family kicked me out so I had to move to a big city to get a low pay, entry, thousand hours job, completely alone. There was 0 opportunities or support for me. I was broke, sharing rooms and flats with... "interesting" people.
Then it turns out computers are a field with a lot of workers needed, so in a big city your skills are on demand and I got a better pay progressively.
Then I studied English and that opened international opportunities so I could work in a better field, maybe remotely.
Then I opened my own small company and I don't have to put up with a*****e bosses.
Read, learned, exercised, went to night school, got a GED went to university (got a loan for that) learned to live on beans and rice for 6 years got a contract job in my industry worked, studied, learned took every minute of work that came my way. Gained the trust of the middle class people around me, made them believe I wasn't some white trash loser, read learned exercised, saved up $10,000 started my own buisness, struggled for years, failed many times and finally got here. I am 52 and still working 6 days a week 12 hours a day. Sad but true. No easy options for me, unfortunately.
I really don't like the way he referred to himself as "sad white trash looser" we are not our parents or our beginning
Good scholarship to private Uni, got the first major related job by being able to talk to ppl not necessarily skill. Made a bunch of connections. Those connections got me references and doors opened to other better paying jobs. Never burn bridges. Words are powerful and even when you think no one is listening. Also, a lot of f*****g luck.
Never burn Bridges to me is the lesson that you're saying and I think that is so appropriate you know it's like remember that the toes you step on today maybe connected to that a*s you have to kiss tomorrow
By not allowing yourself to be content (yet), hustle every night and day until I can provide for myself and my family. Accepting any job (it can make a lot of connections), being humble about your journey, and always looking back at where you came from
Hustle culture is not for everyone, and doesn't provide quality of life, nor is it a guarantee you'll find success. It's a good way to burn yourself out, though. Being humble is a personality trait, and looking back at the past will make you stuck in the past. Of course it's good to reminisce time to time, but focusing on where you're headed will motivate you more.
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I was working in a small Government office in Australia & we - me, my wife & 2 children - were only just keeping up with the cost of living. Accordingly, after some serious family discussions, I applied for & was promoted to position that no-one else wanted with a different Department in a developing Country. We had subsidised Government housing &, in addition to my salary, a number of different allowances as well as free fares back to Australia every year for me, my wife & 2 then 3 young children. I was promoted 2 levels higher in the 4 years we were there & we were able to buy a small house in Australia, deposit & mortgage, that we rented out until we returned to my Department's Head Office. This opened up further opportunities for promotion, one of which involved a move Interstate. A year after we returned we'd saved enough money in 5 years to sell our small house & put a deposit on a new, larger house. I was earning enough for us to pay our mortgage, save money & take modest holidays within Australia each year. My wife wasn't keen to move overseas but agreed later that we would not have had anywhere near the same degree of financial stability had we not moved. We took a risk & it paid off
I've grown up poor. Dad had tight reigns on what mom could spend for food or on us three kids each week. No allowances. No dentists (well My brother had to because he knocked out his adult front teeth at 13) but not me or my sister. Bro is 9 yrs older from moms first marriage so my dads mom was horrible to him. Called him "the boy". The boy can't come. The boy is too old. But even for me an my 13 months younger sister she treated me an her like second thoughts. Had nothing mine growing up. Same for me an sister because sister always wanted what they got me. Forgot my bday a lot but the next month remembered hers. S****y jobs all my life til I landed where I am now. I get to work with my hands. Be artistic. It's just furniture repair but it's the best pay an close to home an benefits too. Prob til I retire. I have found I buy what I want an make myself happy these days too. Loosening up lol.
I was working in a small Government office in Australia & we - me, my wife & 2 children - were only just keeping up with the cost of living. Accordingly, after some serious family discussions, I applied for & was promoted to position that no-one else wanted with a different Department in a developing Country. We had subsidised Government housing &, in addition to my salary, a number of different allowances as well as free fares back to Australia every year for me, my wife & 2 then 3 young children. I was promoted 2 levels higher in the 4 years we were there & we were able to buy a small house in Australia, deposit & mortgage, that we rented out until we returned to my Department's Head Office. This opened up further opportunities for promotion, one of which involved a move Interstate. A year after we returned we'd saved enough money in 5 years to sell our small house & put a deposit on a new, larger house. I was earning enough for us to pay our mortgage, save money & take modest holidays within Australia each year. My wife wasn't keen to move overseas but agreed later that we would not have had anywhere near the same degree of financial stability had we not moved. We took a risk & it paid off
I've grown up poor. Dad had tight reigns on what mom could spend for food or on us three kids each week. No allowances. No dentists (well My brother had to because he knocked out his adult front teeth at 13) but not me or my sister. Bro is 9 yrs older from moms first marriage so my dads mom was horrible to him. Called him "the boy". The boy can't come. The boy is too old. But even for me an my 13 months younger sister she treated me an her like second thoughts. Had nothing mine growing up. Same for me an sister because sister always wanted what they got me. Forgot my bday a lot but the next month remembered hers. S****y jobs all my life til I landed where I am now. I get to work with my hands. Be artistic. It's just furniture repair but it's the best pay an close to home an benefits too. Prob til I retire. I have found I buy what I want an make myself happy these days too. Loosening up lol.
