Ever find yourself saying “I have no money!” “I’m broke!” etc?

Is that …*actually* true? Or, is that a way of thinking about money you need or want?

It’s the rare person who can survive with no money in a literal sense* — often instead one of two things is going on:

  1. You have less money than you need or want for the things you need or want.
  2. Someone else is providing money for things you need or want, so you aren’t paying for those things with money: e.g. when someone else pays your rent or pays for a place you live.

Here’s an example: you look in the fridge or cupboards and say, “There’s nothing to eat!” Is that accurate? Sometimes. More often, there’s nothing you want to eat right now, there’s not enough of the things you’ like, or there’s nothing you feel like assembling at the moment.

Similarly, most times when I hear people say “I have no money!”, #1 is happening – there’s not money for things right now.This is what I’d call:

THE REALITY OF MONEY

Money is a resource used to get other resources. It has a discrete value, and that’s calculated by numbers. When your spending needs, priorities, and numbers don’t add up to your resource needs and wants, it sucks.

When it’s not the same thing as “not having any money,” however, saying that is a disempowering inaccuracy to tell yourself that. Additionally, it’s frustrating for people who literally don’t have money.

You deserve accuracy! So, try saying instead:

“I don’t have extra money right now.”

“I don’t have that in my budget this month.”

“I need/want that and am figuring out how to get it.”

 

*up the punx and poor folks who do!