How to Escape the Broke Circle

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 How to Escape the Broke Circle

By Georgiho De Don 

Pocket Money Wisdom: A Beginner’s Guide to Financial Freedom – Post 6


👀Have you ever noticed how the month feels long, but your money feels short? Salary or pocket money enters on the 1st, and by the 10th, you’re already wondering how to survive till the end of the month.

🩸That cycle has a name: the broke circle. And unless you break it, you’ll keep living in stress, debt, and regret.

👉What Is the Broke Circle?

The broke circle looks like this:

1. Money comes in – salary, allowance, hustle money.

2. Money goes out immediately – bills, transport, food, “small enjoyment.”

3. Unexpected expenses pop up – sickness, school fees, funeral contribution.

4. You borrow or depend on others – friends, momo loan apps, “please dash me.”

5. Next income arrives – and the cycle repeats.

🪖Sound familiar? You’re not alone. Many hardworking Ghanaians are trapped in this loop.


Why People Stay Broke

1. No plan (budget) – Money comes and disappears with no direction.


2. Living above income – Spending more than you earn to “look okay.”


3. Family & peer pressure – Saying yes when you should say no.


4. No emergency fund – So every crisis becomes a financial disaster.


5. Impulse spending – The “I deserve this” mindset after small stress.


A Real-Life Story

A friend of mine (let’s call him Kweku) worked at a delivery company. Every payday, he’d buy drinks for friends, upgrade his wardrobe, and send money home. Within a week, he was broke. By mid-month, he was borrowing from colleagues.

One day, he told me: “Bro, I work hard, but I feel poorer than when I was unemployed.”

His problem wasn’t lack of income — it was being stuck in the broke circle.


How to Break the Broke Circle

1. Budget your money – Even if it’s GHS 200. Write down income and expenses.


2. Save first, not last – Pay yourself before spending.


3. Cut money leaks – Small impulse spends add up (snacks, momo fees, extra data).


4. Build an emergency fund – Start with as little as GHS 50 a month.


5. Learn to say NO – You can’t solve everyone’s problems. If you’re broke, nobody wins.


6. Increase income – Look for side hustles, part-time gigs, or freelancing.


Mindset Shift: Stop Borrowing Your Future

When you borrow every month, you’re eating from your tomorrow. The more you do it, the harder it becomes to ever escape the circle. Break the habit now — even if it means adjusting your lifestyle temporarily.


Your Action Step

Take a piece of paper and draw two columns:

Column A: List where your money went LAST month.

Column B: Write what you wish you had done with it.


Now compare. That gap is your broke circle. Your goal is to close that gap month by month.


Final Thought

Being broke is not always about low income — it’s often about poor money habits. You may not control how much you earn right now, but you control how you manage it.

Escape the broke circle by choosing discipline today. Because the truth is: if nothing changes, nothing changes.

📢 Next in the series:

In Part 7 – Multiple Streams of Income Without Big Capital, we’ll talk a

bout how to stop depending on only one paycheck, and explore hustles you can start in Ghana with as little as 50–500 cedis.

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