20 Things You’re Saying That Are Keeping You Broke and How to Change Your Money Mindset
The Law of Attraction might sound like a lot of new-aged weirdness. And I totally get it. But do you realize there is a science behind the things we say and think? Our brain is programmed to listen to what we tell it. The sad thing is, that in one of the major areas most people want to see improvement (their finances), they are programming their brain to keep them broke instead. So how can you change your brain, improve your money mindset and finally build wealth in a whole new way? By ditching and re-programming these 20 beliefs around money…
*This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a commission on recommendations at no cost to you.
Ready to quit being broke?
First of all, if you know you’re done with feeling broke, saying your broke and all around being broke…then I have something for you!
I created The Bucket List Budget as a tool to help non-budgeters actually win at this whole money thing. With all of the knowledge, it took me 5 years to acquire, I built this course as a stepping stone to financial freedom for absolutely anyone! Yes, the course covers money mindsets and negative talk but it also dives into so much more! Check out the BLB for yourself!
“If I had more money…”
Ahhh here it is…if I had more money…
If I had more money I would:
- Travel more
- Spend more time at home
- Fix up old cars
- Pay off my debt
- Buy a boat
No matter what it is, we all have that dream of, “If I had more money…” Unfortunately, so many of us dwell on these thoughts in a negative, defeating way.
Instead, I challenge you to make a priorities list that encourages you to spend on the things that matter the most to you. If you take the time to change “If I had more money…” to “I make it a priority to…” you’ll find that you can finish all of the above sentences in a better more positive way.
“I can’t afford a pay cut…”
Here’s the thing…maybe you can’t afford a pay cut right now. You might be living way above your means like my family and I were at one point. Don’t worry, a lot of people are in the same boat as you.
If you have created a life you can’t afford, then yeah, you might really feel stuck in a job that pays the bills. So why not make a plan to sell the expensive house, pay off the debt or reduce your monthly spending?
Get a strategy in place and then choose wording that fits perfectly. Something like, “Financial freedom is a goal of ours,” or “I put my paycheck to good use.”
“I can’t save right now…”
More accurately, you won’t save right now. In the rarest of cases people are making just enough to squeak by. However, the most common cause is that people just don’t make saving a priority.
Instead money gets spend on fast food, subscription services, cable or other not-as-necessary things. At the end of the day, if you don’t have savings it’s because you have chosen to stay broke and unprotected financially.
If you’re ready to actually make a change, I highly suggest setting up an automated online savings account. Having an account separate from your bank can make it easier to save and when you set up automatic payments (no matter how small) you stop even realizing your savings! Click here to open an account right now and change your phrase to, “I save before I spend,” or “I love having secure savings.”
“Money can’t buy happiness…”
Define happiness.
It’s true, no matter what our paycheck or our earnings, we are capable of being happy. In fact, Finland said to be the happiest country in the world has average pay of $3,420 per month (or 3,000 Euros).
While money cannot buy you the mental mindset for happiness, it can definitely provide us a lot of things that bring joy. Things like less work and more time with those we love, more vacations, paying for our bills so we don’t go into more debt or helping charitable causes that we believe in.
Instead of “Money can’t buy happiness…” why not try for, “Money provides opportunity…”
“They have money because…”
Sometimes our negative money mindsets revolve around us and our money, but sometimes we carry over our crappy thoughts and put them on other people’s money. “They have money because they were born into it.” “They have money because they don’t have kids.” or “They have money because they cheated their way to the top.”
Whatever the words, whatever it might be…and even if it’s true…putting a negative focus on anyone else’s wealth will never help you build yours. Why not try looking for positive wealth roll models like Warren Buffet, Oprah or Ellen.
“He has money because he spends wisely.”
“She has money and gives so generously to others.“
“She has money even though she had to face major controversy.”
“My family never had money…”
When you carry around a belief that you are doomed to fail because of the family you were born into, you are sadly mistaken my friend. Don’t believe me? Check out this list of 21 billionaires who were born poor.
An easy change of mindset here would be, “Money provides a better life for my family.”
“I can’t make money because…”
Any single excuse for why you can’t make money is total crap. Yeah, even if you’ve gone through major financial or medical setbacks. You might be limited in some ways, but that doesn’t doom you to failure.
In fact, there are so many ways to make money these days it is absolutely mind-boggling. 30 of the Latest Side Hustles.
Shift this “I can’t” belief into a, “I can find creative ways to make a living that I’m proud of.”
“I’ll always have debt…”
Yes, you will always have debt if you believe you will always have debt. Maybe you haven’t sat in on one of the Dave Ramsey Gazelle Intense talks, but I have.
PS, Dave Ramsey, another wealthy man who went through a period of being totally broke and had to dig his way out. There are no shortage of stories of people who have had to overcome remarkable odds. The only difference between those that succeed and those that fail is often that pesky mindset.
You can ditch the debt mindset with something like, “I deserve to be free of debt.” Something that reminds you of the amazing freedom debt freedom can provide and that you deserve it.
“Investing is for smarter people than me…”
Investing is confusing AF. Not gonna lie. Unless you were born with a mind for money, stats and tracking stocks, the world of investing can seem crazy overwhelming. My biggest recommendation? Start small. Literally with chump change.
Acorns is an app that rounds up your purchases and invests your spare change for you. See my plan to turn $50 into $150,000 using Acorns round-ups and click here to get $5 to start investing.
Now, I can’t pretend that you can trick yourself into understanding investing, but if you start to use the phrase, “I’m determined to learn to invest.” Your brain will begin to pick up more signals and teachings to help you along the way.
“I can’t afford to give right now…”
Sometimes I think we feel like we can’t give unless it’s a significant amount. But, if you have that urge to give, man, go for it!
What about…
- Buying coffee for the person behind you at Starbucks
- Increasing your tip when you go out to eat by 5%
- $5 McDonald’s gift card for a homeless person
- Pick up an inexpensive pizza for the single mom on your block
There are so many ways to start giving without taking 0’s off of your take-home pay. Giving can light your soul on fire so instead of saying you can’t afford it, why not try, “We give a little bit here and here.” or “We love doing random acts of kindness.”
“It’s too late to start now…”
Heavens to Betsy, if you haven’t started making smart financial moves, it is never too late to start!! What happens if another decade goes by and you still haven’t started? You could be where you’re at or have some money saved, debt paid off and be investing!
Do not let your age set you back! “Better late than never.” and “I have plenty of time to meet my goals.” — Those are the kinds of mindset shifts that are going to get you somewhere further than you are right now.
“I have plenty of time to save…”
On the flip side of “being too old” a lot of younger people think they still have plenty of time to get in the game….which usually leads to hitting the point where you feel too old to start.
If you’re young, if you’re just starting, then start now! Open a retirement account, build an emergency fund and work to live a debt-free life! Change this mindset with words of truth like, “The sooner I start the quicker I’ll be financially free.” or “I’m gonna be soooo ahead of the game!”
“It takes money to make money…”
I built this blog with like $150 start-up costs and I make money every single month — mostly passive income. So, no, I don’t buy into this belief.
If your dream, if your startup takes money…then figure out a why by gosh by golly! Sometimes it does take a little seed money to make more money, so try talking like this, “I’m putting a portion of my paycheck toward _____.”
“People who want money are selfish…”
Chances are, if you think about money, if you talk about money, if you stress about money then you, my friend, want money. It doesn’t make you selfish. It’s natural to want a better quality of life that money can often bring. It’s human.
Instead of believing you (or anyone else) are selfish, try getting specific about why you want money. Get specific about your very not-selfish reason you want more money.
“I want to afford to fly my whole family to Hawaii.”
“Helping my children pay for college is important to me.”
“My parents shouldn’t have to stress about their health care costs. I want to help them.”
“Our money is too screwed up…”
Remember that time that there was a lot of traffic on the highway, so you just closed your eyes instead? Of course you don’t, because that’s insane! Even if your finances feel like a total train wreck, it is so important that you open your eyes and figure things out.
Even if that means you have to pay (or charge for help). Chances are you are already charging things that you don’t need…maybe it’s time to consider paying for something you desperately need.
We weren’t all given the tools to manage our finances. That’s not your fault. Continuing to not get help when it’s available all over the place…that’s your fault. So rather than believing you are too far gone I want you to start saying, “We are determined to improve our finances and build wealth.” or “We are willing to pay to improve tour financial futures.
“I am broke AF…”
Imagine a genie saying, “Your wish is my command!” the next time you say this. And tell me…did you say you were broke and then grab some fast food with friends? Head to the movies? Did you binge-watch $20 a month Netflix (that’s $240 per year)?
Now, I’m not cutting down on doing fun things or treating yourself to the occasional night out but you can’t truly say you’re broke when you have plenty of cash to spend on things you don’t need. Right? So, let’s try a more honest approach, “I’m choosing not to spend my money on _____.” or even, “I went over-board on stuff I didn’t need.”
“It’s only $___…”
This is one that goes so many ways. Would you pass a nickel laying in a parking lot and say, “Eh, it’s just a nickel.” the same way you let an unused subscription charge go through your account saying, “Well, it’s just $20….”
The thing is the more of those little dollar amounts you pass up … could really be adding up to something big if you respected and appreciated them for what they are. Something more like, “Heck yes! A free nickel! Thanks world!” and “Twenty bucks if I ditch this subscription!? Yea man! I’m in!”
“We can’t afford that…”
What about “We’re putting our money toward something else right now.” or “Oh yeah, let’s plan to save up for that!”
Sayings like this that feed our negative money mindset are tough to work around sometimes because we really might not be able to afford something at the moment. So what are you just supposed to PRETEND like you can? Sweep it all under the rug? No. It’s just a shift of words that prevents you from making yourself feel broke.
A change in mindset, especially around money can totally transform your entire life. So, take these ideas and find a way to flip ’em on their butt and see what happens!
Pin this!
