Every broke person on Earth has the same lie looping in their head:
“I’ll start managing my money when I make more.”
Wrong. That’s like saying you’ll start brushing your teeth once you stop eating sugar. That mindset is how people make $100k a year and still live like raccoons in debt dumpsters.
Money is not the goal. Control is the goal.
And control comes from systems — not vibes.
Rule #1: Your Bank Account Is a Report Card
If you’re always “mysteriously broke,” your money is leaking through:
- $8 coffees
- Subscriptions you forgot existed
- Eating out because cooking is “too hard” (it’s not, you’re just lazy)
Track your spending for one week. Not a month. One week.
You will feel physical pain. That’s growth.
Rule #2: Pay Yourself First, You Absolute Maniac
Before rent. Before gas. Before DoorDash decides you deserve happiness.
The moment your paycheck hits:
- 10% → savings
- 5% → investing (even if it’s $5, start somewhere)
If money never sits in your checking account, you can’t vaporize it on garbage.
Rule #3: Debt Is a Pet Tiger
A tiny bit of debt? Kinda cute. A lot of debt? It’s eating your future alive while you pretend it’s “fine.”
Kill debt in this order:
- Credit cards
- Buy-now-pay-later trash
- Car loans
- Student loans (the slow burn boss battle)
Interest is literally money cannibalism.
Rule #4: Rich Isn’t Flashy — It’s Boring
Every real-wealth person you admire:
- Has money invested quietly
- Doesn’t show off
- Lets compounding do the dirty work
Wealth doesn’t scream. It whispers, grows, and then buys freedom.
Final Reality Check
You don’t need a raise. You don’t need a side hustle. You don’t need another guru.
You need discipline, a system, and the emotional maturity to stop spending like a drunk ferret.
Control your money… or it will continue beating you in the alley behind the ATM.