Ayo Al: Why Are You Broke?

Why are you broke?

I admit this question is relative. I mean, ‘brokeness’ has different stages and reasons.

Let’s see….

Bayo earns one hundred and eighty thousand Naira but he is always broke, even though he still lives at home. Bayo has a weakness for fine things; shoes, clothes, cars. He likes the pricey things, those with known designers, you can never meet him at the ‘bend down select section.’ Bayo is a big boy. But the problem is,  he doesn’t have any savings and he is always begging others for money to survive till his next pay check. He drives a range.

Judith is a business owner. She deals with Ankara; makes shoes, dresses, bags and the likes from Ankara. She is very talented, but she is always broke. The thing with Judith is that she doesn’t have enough business etiquette. She sells on credit and then when her customers do not pay, she doesn’t know how to. Judith also makes things free for her friends. What shocks her the most is that these friends never loan her money when she is in dire need of it.

Olamide works as a clerk in a law firm. She lives at home because it is closer to work. Her pay is quite good and all her friends know this. Olamide’s problem is that she has a soft heart and can never say NO.  Her friends and family take advantage of that; they suck her dry,  always asking for one amount or the other until she is completely broke.

Mr Richards is unhappy. His family barely has enough to eat these days. He earns around ninety thousand monthly but they are never balanced. His problem begun when his wife insisted that their children attend ‘Eaglet memorial college.’ She said that was where all the nice kids went. They couldn’t afford it but his wife was unreasonable and he hadn’t been strong enough to refuse her. It is killing him gradually,  this new school of his children.  They always have one activity or the other and this is always accompanied with the children bringing home large bills. Mr Richards is broke, and he does not know how to come out of it.

Chile has a provision store in Lagos. He knows how long he struggled before he could put the shop together. He knows how he aches daily from the bags of rice and beans he lifts. He knows that he cannot afford to be stupid. Chile knows that he has younger ones, he has parents and one day, he would have a family of his own. Chile is obsessed with saving. He is a prudent spender. Chile’s business is progressing and he is not broke.

Isabel’s salary is sixty thousand Naira. She works as a teacher in an average secondary school. Isabel dresses really well,  she is always neat and decent. She cooks food from home and goes to school with it. Once in a while, she hangs out with her girlfriends to catch up on old gist. She lives alone in a self contained apartment not too far from her school. Isabel being so sensible has a particular amount she gives her parents monthly. She saves too. Isabel never runs out of money. She just knows at the back of her mind that she must never go broke.

Kemi’s husband is the cause of her problems. He takes her business money and uses it for his own pleasures. The day she dared to confront him, she ended up with a black eye and three broken ribs. Kemi has accepted her Fate. She knows there is no escape for her.

Tito cannot see herself doing business, even if it’s online. She thinks it is disgusting. Imagine, one would go through the stress of having an instagram page, appealing to people to buy from you and all that nonsense. She has heard stories from her friends who have businesses, they tell her of how rude some customers could get. On the other hand, she also cannot imagine being paid less than a hundred thousand monthly if she takes an office job. She is frustrated, all the jobs she keeps getting are around seventy thousand and she cannot take them. Tito is now a fine beggar. She moves from one guy to the other, from one friend to another, from one uncle or aunty to another just to survive. Of course,  as a big babe, she also has to look good. But she is a broke big babe.

Mary works as the manager of a supermarket. Her salary is really good but she still ends up being broke. She doesn’t give her parents any money neither does she save. Yet, her financial life is always in one crisis or the other. Mary is diligent with her tithe, so she gets exasperated whenever she has to ask a friend for a loan. Mary doesn’t have any good reason for being broke but she is always broke!

If you are a bit as peniaphobic as I am, you would know that being broke is scary, it is not a choice. Some cannot do an honest day’s work, yet they want money. Some on the other hand, work like slaves but don’t have results to show.  Check yourself and find out what your problem is. Balance is the key.

Now the big question is why are you broke? What is your ‘brokeness’story?

Photo Credit: Kiosea39 | Dreamstime.com