The Harsh Truth About Why You're Still Broke- And It’s Not Your Salary(2025)

Introduction

Let’s be honest, the harsh truth about why you’re still broke has nothing to do with your salary.
Whether you earn ₹20,000 or ₹1,00,000 a month, it can all vanish if your financial habits are trash.
It’s not the job, the market, or even the economy, it’s you.

Your mindset.
Your decisions.
Your refusal to take responsibility.

Broke isn’t about how much you earn, it’s about how much you mismanage.
Let’s get brutally real and talk about what’s actually keeping you broke.

1. You Don’t Track Where Your Money Goes

Think about it, you remember the ₹500 cab, the ₹400 Swiggy meal, or the ₹200 iced coffee?

Probably not.

But when you spend ₹300 like that five times a day, your wallet starts weeping.

Not tracking expenses is like driving blindfolded, you’ll crash eventually.

📌 Action Tip:
Use apps like Walnut, Money Manager, or just Google Sheets.
Tracking = awareness = control.

2. You Think Budgeting is for People With No Money

Most people associate budgeting with scarcity.
But the truth is, budgeting is a millionaire habit.
Rich people budget because they respect their money.

Use simple methods:

50/30/20 Rule (Needs / Wants / Savings)
Or Zero-Based Budgeting where every rupee has a job

👉 Want help?
Here’s how to manage a ₹25,000 salary like a pro

3. You Live to Impress, Not to Progress

That EMI on your iPhone 15? The overpriced rented apartment in a “cool” area?
You’re not investing in lifestyle, you’re renting an image.

Looking rich won’t make you rich.

📌 Brutal truth:
If you earn ₹50K and your lifestyle costs ₹49K, you’re broke with WiFi.

The car, phone, clothes, parties, they’re all traps if your wallet can’t breathe.

4. You Save What’s Left, Not Save First

Wrong formula:
Income – Expenses = Savings
Right formula:
Income – Savings = Expenses

Put your savings and investments on auto-mode the day salary hits.
At least 20–30% minimum.

✅ Apps like Groww, ETMoney, or INDMoney help you auto-invest in SIPs or FDs.

Check out:
The Ultimate Guide to SIPs for Beginners

5. You Treat Credit Like Free Money

Using credit cards without discipline is like giving a teenager a gun.

It looks powerful, but it can kill your financial future.

Missing even one EMI or minimum payment?
Welcome to interest rates of 30–40% p.a.

📌 Golden rule:
If you can’t pay it off in full, you shouldn’t swipe it at all.

6. You Avoid Learning About Money

You scroll Instagram for 6 hours a day, but can’t spend 20 minutes understanding how mutual funds or income tax work?

That’s not ignorance, that’s financial self-sabotage.

Finance is no longer optional.
It’s survival.

Start simple:

Watch YouTube channels like CA Rachana Phadke, Asset Yogi, or Pranjal Kamra
Take free courses from Groww Academy or NSE Learning.

7. You Rely Only On One Income

This is risky, especially in 2025.

A job can disappear. Clients ghost. Salaries delay.
If your only income is a job, you’re one bad month away from chaos.

Start with:

Freelancing (writing, coding, editing)
Part-time remote gigs
Internships
Monetizing a skill (teaching, designing, etc.)

Even ₹5,000/month from a side hustle = freedom buffer.

8. You Confuse Needs and Wants

That “needed” pair of sneakers?
That “essential” cafe trip?

Learn to say no to 80% of your wants.
Because every ₹1,000 you waste = ₹1,000 not invested.
And when compounded over 10 years, that’s the down payment of your dream car.

9. You Blame Your Job, Not Your Mindset

“It’s not enough money.”
“I need a better job.”
“I’ll start saving when I earn more.”

No, you won’t.
If you can’t manage ₹20K, you won’t manage ₹2 Lakhs either.

We all know someone earning 6 figures and still drowning in EMIs.
It’s not the money, it’s the mindset.

Conclusion: Accept the Truth or Stay Broke

Here’s the harsh truth about why you’re still broke:
You don’t take your money seriously enough.
You waste, avoid, overspend, overconsume, and never track.

But if you’ve read till here, you’re already doing better than most.

Now take action.
Not tomorrow. Not next month. Today.

📍 Track your money
📍 Automate your savings
📍 Learn, unlearn, and relearn
📍 Say no to spending that doesn’t align with your goals

Because you aren’t broke because of your salary, you’re broke because you’ve made peace with staying that way.

Change that. NOW.