What to be broke means to me and how it affects me

Some people will tell you that being broke is when you literally don’t have a single naira in your account or pocket. Others believe that it simply means not being able to meet your financial needs at a particular time. For me, I see it from a more practical angle because of the kind of economy we live in today.

Personally, I consider myself broke whenever I have less than ₦10,000. It might sound like a lot to someone who measures “broke” differently, but with the way things are going, ₦10,000 in Lagos does not carry the weight it used to. At most, that amount can barely last me three days, and that’s if I really discipline myself and cut out every form of unnecessary spending.

To give you a clearer picture, let me break it down a bit. Transport alone is a major drain. On an average day, going to work and coming back takes a fair portion of money from my pocket. Then there’s food, basic meals that you can’t do without. If you decide to cook at home, foodstuff is no longer affordable, and if you try to eat out, the prices are even scarier. Before you know it, that ₦10,000 you thought was something is already gone.

Working at Universal Insurance PLC in Lagos has also shaped how I view money and what it means to be broke. I see how money moves daily, yet I know the struggle many of us face at the end of the month, waiting for salaries to drop just so we can breathe a little. For me, whenever my balance drops below ₦10,000, there’s this tension that builds up. It’s like I immediately start calculating, How many days can I stretch this? What can I afford to ignore for now? That is my own clear sign that I’m broke.

I remember a particular experience when I had only ₦8,000 left in my account, and I told myself I could manage it for a week. By the third day, transport and lunch had already swallowed a good part of it. I had to start saying no to outings with friends and ignoring little personal needs, like data subscription, just to hold myself together until payday. That moment made me realize that the meaning of broke is not just the absence of money, but the absence of peace of mind when you know you can’t afford what you need without thinking twice.

So when someone says they are broke, I no longer assume it means the same thing for everybody. For me, it’s less than ₦10,000. For someone else, it may be less than ₦1,000 or even ₦100,000, depending on their lifestyle and responsibilities. At the end of the day, being broke is relative, but one thing is certain, we all know that uncomfortable feeling that comes with it.

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