People often claim to have no money, yet somehow, they still manage to purchase expensive or unnecessary items. We all know someone who struggles with managing their financial priorities despite choosing frivolous purchases over essential needs. In this article, we’ll reveal 18 things people with no money always seem to buy.
Lottery Tickets
According to Big Think, “People spend more on lottery tickets than movies, video games, and concerts combined. Leading the way are the lowest-income households.” While lottery tickets very rarely provide any financial return, hope is a strong motivator. For those who struggle with money, the potential to win it big is too much to resist.
Takeout
Putting an extra £30 aside for next month’s bills? No, that’s too much. Spending £30 on a quick and convenient meal? Why not! This is unfortunately the thought process of many who are skint—individuals who often have the misconception that eating out or ordering in is cheaper than cooking.
Flatscreen TVs
Despite financial challenges, many prioritize purchasing flatscreen TVs, especially during sales like Black Friday. These TVs are seen as a symbol of entertainment and status, demonstrating how societal pressures influence spending behaviors, often at the expense of more pressing financial needs.
Branded Clothing and Accessories
Despite being skint, certain individuals still spend what cash they can get their hands on on high-end brands like Versace and Moncler, items symbolic of a wealthier lifestyle. They attempt to hide their real financial situation by presenting themselves as wealthy, though these items may even be fake.
Loud Car Exhausts and Parts
Despite perhaps not having the nicest car or much money to spare, some people still want to enhance their car’s appearance and sound. The cultural influence of automotive trends takes over, and people misplace their financial priorities in vehicle modification.
Pets They Can’t Afford
For some individuals, their love for animals overrides financial practicality. Despite struggling with finances, they often choose to keep pets and then struggle with proper care and maintenance. Their emotional attachment means that these people often have to go without other necessities to keep up with their animals.
Tattoos
You’ll quite often meet someone who is struggling financially and yet seems to constantly be getting new tattoos. These permanent body markings can be very expensive, particularly when it comes to large or elaborate designs. We don’t know why, but plenty of people strapped for cash prioritize getting tattooed over their other financial requirements.
Holidays
Typically bought with borrowed funds, some people feel pressure to maintain appearances and continue to go on extravagant trips that they can’t afford, leading to debt. They may use payday loans for their vacations to keep up a social media facade and then eventually face post-trip financial struggles.
Fancy Perfumes
As shared by CNN, “The price of premium perfumes recently soared by levels typically never seen for luxury fragrances.” Nevertheless, those who don’t have much money to spare are still splurging on them, viewing them as a symbol of higher social status. This spending habit reflects the prioritization of perceived status over financial sensibility.
Buying on Wish or AliExpress
The appeal of low-cost shopping on platforms like Wish or AliExpress often leads to people buying unnecessary items. These purchases, often impulsive, result in an accumulation of products that offer little value and contribute to the individual’s financial strain.
The Latest Trainers
The desire to keep up with fashion trends, such as owning the latest trainers, exemplifies the impulsive spending of those without much money. This tendency to prioritize fashion over financial stability showcases the powerful influence of consumer culture, causing people to neglect their financial responsibility for the sake of looking good.
Fireworks and Trampolines
For some reason, people with no money seem to make random purchases like fireworks and trampolines, illustrating their unconventional spending habits. These often impulsive decisions can lead to further financial challenges, highlighting the importance of thoughtful and practical spending.
Formal Clothes
Buying a new set of formal attire for each event or occasion leads to a closet filled with rarely-used clothes. This tendency to prioritize variety over practicality in wardrobe choices reflects broader patterns of unnecessary spending, common for some reason among those who don’t have much to spare.
Trendy Outfits
The influence of social media, advertising, and celebrities in driving the purchase of trendy clothes often results in an accumulation of items that are barely worn—solely bought to impress others. The smarter thing to do for those with no money would be to repeatedly wear clothes until a replacement is necessary.
Beauty Products and Supplies
Once more, the lure of the latest beauty products, which are often overhyped, leads to underused and unnecessary purchases. This habit, often undertaken by those with little money to spare, suggests a disconnect between perceived needs driven by advertising and actual practical use.
Planners, Calendars, and Journals
Surprisingly, people with no money often repeatedly purchase planners, calendars, and journals with the intention of starting new habits and changing their lives for the better. However, these items are often underutilized and end up being an unnecessary expense. The thought behind the purchase is good, but there are digital alternatives, and they likely have existing supplies.
Cigarettes and Alcohol
According to research from the NIH, “Tobacco and alcohol expenditure appear to exacerbate poverty in low-income households.” No matter how badly they’re struggling, people always seem to find a way to fund their alcohol and cigarette habits. They may even prioritize these items over food or rent payments.
Hobby Gear
Without proper financial priorities in place, some people end up spending any cash they have on purchasing equipment for their hobbies, putting this before necessities like paying bills or getting sufficient groceries. The habit of acquiring largely unused gear emphasizes the need for more deliberate and practical spending choices.