Article created by: Dominyka
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and being broke fit’s into that category pretty easily. Stress does have a magical way of making us very, very creative, or at least breaking down our inhibitions to such a degree that we do things we otherwise would never have done.
One netizen wanted to know what was the “brokest” thing people did when they were low on funds and the internet responded with all sorts of comical and sad tales. We got in touch with Nick Loper from SideHustleNation.com to learn more about money management and how to perhaps avoid being that broke in the future.
More info: SideHustleNation
Turns out they had bagels in there. I was just starting out my career (I was 21 or so) and money was tight. I would go in 3x a week and get bagels. If no one was looking I would stuff an extra into my suit pocket. I don’t at all look Jewish and almost no one from my part of the world is Jewish. The rabbi approached me after a month and I told him “I saw free food in a house of God and just figured since I am not a bad guy, God wouldn’t be too mad”. Rabbi laughed and said something like “from now on say hello. You don’t have to act like a thief trying not to get caught.”
In a few months when money was less tight I would stop by at lunch and chat with the Rabbi. It was a simpler time.
Brokest and stupidest thing I did. I bought scratch tickets in hopes to win money to buy Christmas presents when I was 18. I didn’t want anyone to think I had money problems at the time so I spent $10 on a scratcher and won $500. I don’t know how but it was enough for car insurance and presents.
Bought a case of ramen noodles at the self checkout at Walmart with 4 different different debit cards that each had less than a dollar on them. You can make partial payments at Walmart self checkout and nobody has to know how broke you are. Me and my 3 kids ate for the next 2 days.
I was subletting a place and needed bus fare to get to work that day, so I searched every couch cushion and coat pocket in the hopes that I could find enough to get there. I ended up finding a ton of pennies, so I paid the bus fare in pennies. I was 30 cents short but the bus driver just gave me a transfer and waved me in.
The first customer of the day tipped me like $5 on their coffee and I’ve never been so happy in my life.
I had $10 for food for 2 weeks so I got things to make a large pot of veggie soup (lentils, broth, canned veggies) and a large tub of plain outmeal and ate vegan (not on purpose) for three weeks till it was gone.
I’ve been told that rich people call this a “cleanse” diet now.
When I was a single mom struggling, i had to ‘make arrangements with the landlord’ 3 months rent paid in 3 mins. Still ashamed to this day. But my son needed a roof over his head.
Picked up dropped coins from the floor of a laundromat when I was a kid, to buy a pot pie for my mother. She made me eat it because she was a saint.
In my brokest days, I worked with animals. I was perpetually hungry because my parents were also struggling financially and helped me as much as they could, but I still couldn’t afford much. I remember once a guy came in to my company to promote dog shampoo that he said didn’t taste bad to the dogs, and he put a little dab on his finger and ate it to show us.
I was so hungry that I went to the grooming room and tried it thinking it could satiate my hunger for a little bit. It was disgusting, and it did not make me any less hungry.
That’s the most depraved thing I did out of poverty, but I also remember trying wet dog food (even though I was a vegetarian), eating sausage egg biscuits (that I consider unethical) when my manager brought in breakfast for us because I was so hungry, eating people’s leftover fries when they walked away at bars, and so much more.
Poverty is something else. I remember how stressed I was back then and how many double shifts I took even though they drained me completely. But I still had it better than some people because my parents still threw me a few hundred dollars each month. This was also many years ago, and despite inflation, the minimum wage has STILL not gone up nationally. I don’t know how people in situations similar to mine survive.
Told my brother his Christmas gift was going to be delivered a couple of days after Christmas. Waited until I got a couple of gift cards, that I asked for a Christmas gift, and bought his gift using those.
Reading through these, and I’ve had to do so many of these to ‘survive’ over the years.
I think my most shameful and ‘felt so low’ moment was having to use toilet paper and scotch tape, as I couldn’t afford pads or tampons.
When I was *really poor* and hungry and had $1.32 to my name, I bought one of those super cheap frozen tv dinners that cost a dollar, peeled the top back, put a little salt on my tongue, sniffed the meal like *a lot* to just visualize how good it would be, and then put it right back in the freezer to save for when I “near-death” starving.
I lasted 4 days and then actually ate it for real. I thank the lord I was never in a position like that ever again after that day
I stole 20 gallons of baby formula to feed my baby son. Walked right out the door and nobody noticed.
Stole a roll of TP from a public restroom because I was out and couldn’t afford any. It was an extra roll. I didn’t take the one in use and leave none behind, lol. That’s just mean.
1992, 22F divorced single parent 2F, working part time, going to nursing school full time. I was broke enough to qualify for food stamps and back then they were actual paper. If you paid in food stamps the store gave your change to you in paper food stamps and coins. Every day on the way home I would stop at a couple stores to buy something for $1.05, or $1.10 so they would give me the maximum in coin change. I would use the $3 – $4 for gas to get to school and work the next day. Did that for a few months to get through a hard time.
Getting evicted and leaving a hidden key so I could go back and squat there for a few days tops my list.
called in sick on Wednesday because I didn’t have enough gas money to drive to work but one more time, which I waited til Thursday to do, because that was payday.
Donated blood to get the free cookies, juice, and a $20 gift certificate to Walmart.
Ate nothing but rice for 3 months. Want a different flavor? Add bouillon, sugar, or extra butter. We were poooooor for a while. Almost wanted to kill the mouse that got in to use as protein 🤣
Got a gym membership just for the shower when I was living in my car for 3-ish months at 22.
My motorcycle headlight broke, so I started riding around with a flashlight in my mouth. True story. I was young, and very, very dumb.
Had to fish for our food. Sometimes would get one fish sometimes nothing. Would go to bed hungry most nights.
I had two bank accounts at two different banks.
When I was really low on money. I would transfer money from one back to my other bank. Knowing there was nothing to transfer.
My bank would honor the transfer while It waits for the funds. This… I know takes 1 business day. (So you get extra days if it’s done on a Friday after 5pm)
Which means I have 24 (48) hours to deposit that exact amount into the account before the bank drafts it.
Now I was an uber driver at the time… So if I was really short on gas for the day but I needed the money… That’s what I would do.
I would transfer $100 to my account. Buy $40-50 worth of gas. Drive 8-10 hours as fuel efficient as possible
Deposit the money at an atm by midnight. Kept (if any) any profit…
No one was the wiser.
It wasn’t sustainable. It sucked. But that’s just what I had to do…
I had no job. No money. All I had was bills and creative ways to make money out of nothing.
Hocked wife’s engagement ring that she wasn’t wearing so I could buy her a Christmas gift. She thought I just took it back because we were “on a break.” I was eventually able to buy it back and return it to her jewelry box. That was over 25 years ago, and I still haven’t told her.
Went around my university finding abandoned textbooks to sell back to the store.
Collected change from a public fountain to buy something from the dollar menu when I was a teenager, starving and super poor
Looked up google images of steak and milkshakes and other good meals while I was actually eating crackers and water trying to envision good food to make the experience more enjoyable
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