George Kamel - 11 Things Broke People Say

Episode Date: October 17, 2025

Today, I’m reacting to an article titled “11 Things People Say When They're Living Beyond Their Means but Don't Want You to Know”—because sometimes it’s painfully obvious. Next Steps: ·       📰 Read the original article. ·       🎥 Watch my video 5 Signs Someone Is Secretly Broke. ·       📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan. ·       💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app! ·       📙 Get Breaking Free From Broke on audiobook. Connect With Our Sponsors: ·       Get 20% off when you join DeleteMe. ·       Get up to 40% off Cozy Earth with code GEORGE. ·       Go to FAIRWINDS Credit Union for an exclusive account bundle!   Explore More From Ramsey Network: 🎙️ The Ramsey Show 🍸 Smart Money Happy Hour 💸 The Ramsey Show Highlights 🧠 The Dr. John Delony Show 💡 The Rachel Cruze Show 🪑 Front Row Seat with Ken Coleman 📈 EntreLeadership   Ramsey Solutions Privacy Policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's not always obvious who's truly wealthy and who's propping up their lifestyle with debt. But according to the Federal Reserve, around half of Americans are currently living beyond their means. And there's a handful of phrases that are a dead giveaway someone is bad at handling money. At least, according to this article. So today we'll go through this list of 11 things people say when they're living beyond their means but don't want you to know, so you'll know exactly who you should give a copy of my book to. J.K., but seriously, link to breaking free from broke in the description. Okay, first of all, this list does not come to us from BuzzFeed, as you

might assume from that headline. It comes to us from Your Tango, which covers Zodiac, horoscope, quotes, and heartbreak. Which one am I into today? Hey, let's check the old horoscope. You know, when in Rome? Okay, I'm a Taurus, apparently. Taurus, there's a moment on the horizon when silence won't cut it anymore. The quiet compromises and the sidesteps around injustice are all losing their power. Like Aaron Brockovich stepping into the courtroom with fire in her eyes, You're called to stand firm no matter the cost. The stakes are real. So speak up rather than staying in the shadows.

Well, you know what? I am going to speak up. I think horoscopes are allowed a garbage. It's trash. Woo, all right, we're going back. Let's get back to reality. Oops, there goes gravity. Your mom's spaghetti.

Get back to work. All right, let's get to the matter at hand. Eleven things people say when they're living beyond their means, but don't want you to know. Written by Zeta. Cool name. I like that. The first thing,

say that lets you know they're living beyond their means? I deserve it. I like it already. One of the most dangerous phrases in the English language. She says, well probably all use a phrase like this to justify spending money on a little treat or an experience out with our friends. However, like many financial experts agree, our deservingness should never dictate our spending. Just because a person deserves a $50 entree, a beautiful home, a luxury car, doesn't mean they should justify overspending on them. I love this one. Yeah, I agree. This is the number one phrase that scares me. Because what happens is you say,

I deserve a nice car because my car had a repair and I just deserve a brand new car with a $700 payment and all of a sudden you're broke wondering why you can't get ahead. So what you really deserve is freedom and options and margin and breathing room and that only comes with delayed gratification, saving up, paying for things in cash, and not owing other people money. I rest my case.

Ew, this is so cringe. Number two on the list, money comes back. Okay, is this some sort of manifesting karma situation? According to a study from Charles Schwab, nearly 60% of Americans are one paycheck away from experiencing homelessness. That got dark real fast. So even though many people rely on phrases like money always comes back to justify their overspending, it's clearly not always the case.

Here's the crux of the matter. No matter how many irresponsible financial decisions or purchases someone makes, it all evens out in the end. That's the mentality here. It does not, in fact, all even out in the end. because I've taken many a call in the Ramsey show where someone's in their 50s, 60s, even 70s going, hey, I'm broke. It's not eveninging out in the end.

You've got to start habits now that will help your future self. Again, delayed gratification is what's going to get you there. And if you're a paycheck away from homelessness, I hope you're not using a phrase like, well, money comes back. We'll be all right. Where's it going? It's not coming back, bro. You got to go, like, make more of it for it to come back.

And you've got to do something with that money and take it. control of it so it doesn't flitter away again. Next on the list, I'd rather enjoy life now. Okay, this is pure yolo, I can already tell. While being present and mindful in your life is important for your mental health and well-being, a study from mindfulness argues, planning financially for the future can offer the kind of stability and security necessary to enjoy the habits and routines that allow you to actually live in the present moment. So phrases like, I'd rather enjoy my life now are excuses for overspending, putting your long-term financial health at risk for instant gratification and

comfort. So again, delayed gratification, another theme here. And the I'd rather enjoy life now, the heart behind it is saying, I can't enjoy life unless it all happens right now, regardless of my financial situation. So here's another take on this. Figure out how to enjoy your life now without living beyond your means. And if you can't do that, dig deeper and go, why do I need to spend money to enjoy my life? Because this is clearly beyond basic bills. This is beyond just paying your rent, paying your mortgage, covering utilities, enjoying life now. What does that mean? Is it eating out every single day, going out every single weekend, buying gadgets and gizmos you really can't afford,

having experiences that require you to go into credit card debt? Well, enjoying life now means regretting it for six months after that because you realized you got 27% APR on that card that's now maxed out. You're not going to enjoy life very much with that sort of behavior. Now, let me play devil's advocate here, because I just saw a stat that said half of Gen Z thinks saving for the future is pointless. And behind the fatalist sad cynical mentality around it, here's what they're really saying, it's a tough time to survive financially right now.

And I don't think it's going to get any better. And the boomers had it easier and therefore I'll never accomplish my financial goal. So why try? Might as well live now because who knows what tomorrow holds. And that cynicism while having truth to it is not going to get you very far in this life. So what you have to do is put down the cynicism and just go, okay, what is the right next thing to do with my money today? so that I can have a life with less stress in the future, where I actually have some hope that I can accomplish a goal,

become a homeowner, pay off the debt. And that mentality makes all the difference. It starts up here and then ends up happening in reality. Best of luck, Genzi. You're a winner up here and in here, and that's all that matters. Next on their list of things people say when they're living beyond their means, I'll pay it off later. Yikes.

Well, here's what this says. Many people are stuck in a cycle of debt, whether it's sparked by student loans, payday borrowing overspending causes financial worry and turmoil in the long run. They may use phrases like, I'll pay it off later, to justify living beyond their means without question, but it only further deepens their financial struggle and the anxiety of debt. The key to truly paying off debt starts with your mindset, yada, yada, okay, I like this one because again, it points to present you, assuming that future you is going to be way smarter

and way more responsible. The problem is you go with you into said future. And so the next day you wake up, well, you're going, well, the mountain is just getting bigger, so I'll just pay it off even later. Maybe me six months from now will be in a much better financial place. The thing is, when you assume that the future is automatically going to be better, you're not going to do anything to get there. So instead, just say, you know what? I'm not going to go into debt now because I don't know that I'll be able to pay it off later. I have bigger goals than just paying for the past. Instead, I'm trying to build for the future. So you have to remove this phrase from your vocabulary if you want have a life that you're in control of instead of one that controls you.

All right. Next up on the list, I work hard so I deserve nice things. Okay, this one feels oddly similar to the first one on the list, which is, I deserve it. So I don't know if Zeta's trying to get the word count in. Listen, you do you, you girl. You do what you got to do, because I'm looking at your history here. 1,500 articles written in three years. You're a machine.

That's very impressive. Skill, baby, skill. Clocking in at number five, the work hard part, I guess, is the differential. You can say I deserve it because of whatever, but the working hard is like, I had a hard day at work, therefore I can go emotionally spent. It's retail therapy. I'm sad. I'm going to spend. I'm happy. I'm going to spend. My job's tough. I'm going to spend. My job's going great. Let's spend. That's a huge problem. When a person uses a phrase like this, she says, what it really means is I've put in enough effort to be worthy of spending outside my means. They don't base their financial habits and spending off of their current financial state of security, rather on the effort. work they've put in. Here's the sad reality. You can work really hard and still not be able to afford

a thing. That's the truth. You can work a job making $12 an hour and say, well, I deserve a brand new car, but you don't have $20,000 to show for it. And you can't afford the $700 monthly payment. So your effort doesn't always mean you're going to get the thing. Now, there's a correlation. The harder you work, the more you get your income up, the better you'll be able to save for those things, but a direct tie to, I work hard, going to go do a dumb thing. I can't condone that. Sorry. Number six on the list, it's an investment. Oh, if I had a nickel. This one is exhausting. People can justify their spending by saying it's an investment all the time. Let's see what she has to

say about this. People value experiences over long-term investments and financial stability, yet they're still using phrases like this to justify living beyond their means. Whether it's an act of expensive self-care, a vacation, a technology purchase, they cope with their own anxiety about overspending by making their actions seem like a financially responsible decision. She says, of course, it's possible to invest in your health and wellness indulging self-care rituals without spending a lot of money, but a lot of people have deeply associated comfort, well-being, mental health with having material things and experiences that cost a lot of money. This one's true. And it is also true that investing in your health and wellness can have a high

price tag. So I do think it's an investment, whether it's with a car that you're going to drive for a long time, so you're going to get it new with a giant payment, or it's a self-care thing. Now, unless it truly is a medical need, and sometimes, you know, you need therapy. It's worth it to pay 160 bucks per session, even when you're in debt because your mental health does matter. It's important to invest in things that actually keep you going, that keep you going to work, keep your income up. But this idea that you're just going to invest in everything because it makes you feel good,

don't agree. Next on the list of things people say that prove the living beyond their means, we're doing better than most people. Hmm, the old comparison game. Comparing yourself to others is hardly ever a practice that yields positive outcomes, whether it's emotionally, mentally, socially, even financially. That's why these things people say

when they're living beyond their means, but don't wait or know, like we're doing better than most people are so harmful, they divert attention away from personal financial irresponsibility and instead justify poor habits and behaviors. I'm seeing a theme here. It's instant gratification,

plus making yourself feel better emotionally about the purchase and this is a big one. We're doing better than most people. You go, well, I have a car payment that's $500, but my friend is a $600 car payment. So I'm doing okay. And it gives you a false sense of relief and comfort. And so comparisons I have found are never healthy because it does one of two things. Either you think you're better than someone, not great, or it makes you feel like you're beneath someone. Also not great. Rarely does it give you a healthy perspective to just say you're doing better than someone or worse than someone. So run your own race, set your own goals, and then try to do better than yourself from the day before

versus your friend down the street who has a completely different life. Next up on the list, I spend a lot less than other people. Okay, goes on to say these phrases are intended to normalize financial irresponsibility. They're living beyond their means and making poor financial decisions, but they'd prefer to pretend like they're doing better than most people to avoid judgment and criticism. Listen, I don't know who you're trying to. to impress or justify this too. But if you're playing this justification game of, well, other people spend more. So me living beyond my means isn't as bad as others. You're wasting your time. You're wasting your energy, comparing yourself to other people. Here's the thing. If you're having to say that

out loud, you're probably just feeling guilt and shame. So release the guilt, release the shame, and instead, just spend less if you feel like you're spending too much. That is the key to undoing this, It's not going well, there's other people that spend more. So technically I'm doing great. It's an exhausting way to live. And the goalpost will always move. Number nine on the list, I'm going to get a raise soon. Don't worry.

That's frightening. Those are some famous last words right there. Even after they get a raise or bonus, if that's not a guise in itself, love the use of guys there. That's fun. G-U-I-S-E. They'll be stuck back where they are now, trying to pay off debt and get back on their feet from overspending.

This one really leans into a lifestyle creep. Well, the money will come. I'll get a raise soon. Don't worry. that's when all my financial problems will go away. Here's what really happens. You just end up spending more. So you got a $5,000 raise after taxes, we'll call it $3,500 a year.

And then you go, well, I should have had $3,500 extra in that savings account. What happened? Well, you didn't actually create a new habit. You just ended up spending that extra piece of pie that was added. So the key is to stick to a budget for this one. That way when you get a raise, your budget will quickly tell you, hey, you have money left over. Let's do something smart with it, like put it toward debt, put it towards savings.

Invest it, put it toward that down payment fund. That's what's going to set you up for success as you make more money. Otherwise, lifestyle creep will eat it up. So the key takeaway, don't spend money you don't have. And for the money you do have, make sure you're protecting it by keeping your personal info away from scammers and spammers. And the way I do that is with Delete Me, a sponsor of today's video. It seems like every other day there's a new scam to watch out for,

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$9 bucks a month. So to get that deal, go to join deleteme.com slash George or click the link in the description. All right, back to the article. Next up on the list of things people say when they're living beyond their means, but don't want you to know, it's not a big deal. No biggie, right? The author goes on to say, by minimizing other people's concerns about their financial state and normalizing overspending in their daily life, people who use phrases like this one protect themselves from feeling shame or embarrassment. I am seeing a theme here now. A lot of justification to protect yourself from the guilt and shame and also instant gratification. They'd prefer to misguidedly cope with their internal discomfort and grasp at a sense of control over their lives by spending without reservation.

Beautifully said. It's not a big deal. Is one of the things people. Living beyond their means say, even if they know it actually is because they'd prefer to deal with the anxiety and stress of money on their own terms and be perceived as better off by others in public. So this one is all a facade. Your friends have a little bit of judgment. Maybe they're trying to keep you accountable. Maybe they're telling you the truth. And you go, it's not a big deal.

It's some credit card. I'll pay it off. Why are you so worried about it? Well, maybe your friend has some merit in bringing this up. Because if not them, then who? Who's going to speak truth into your life and tell you this is a bad plan? You're not going in the right direction and I care about you as a friend. And you just brush it off and say, listen, it's not a big, it's none of your business.

It's not a big deal. Get out of my life. Well, you're not going to have friends for long with that attitude and you're going to be broke a long time. So, how about this? Imagine it is a big deal. Imagine that debt is robbing you from your income, from your peace, from your joy. It's stealing from the very thing that's going to help you build a life with margin options, meaning, freedom, helping you build wealth. So it is a big deal.

Start saying that, hey, it's a big deal that you're using that credit card to pay for that vacation. That's the kind of friend I am, and that's why I don't have a lot of friends. Awkward. It is awkward. And clocking in at number 11 with this George Clooney-looking fella, sharp-looking guy, a little khaki jacket. We're investing in a lifestyle. Now, I've never heard anyone say this. That sounds like an insane thing to say.

But let's read on. A phrase like we're investing in a lifestyle isn't just an attempt at normalizing over spending and financial irresponsibility, it's a clear sign that someone is yearning for a community or to be admired in ways that can't provoke themselves. At the end of the day, like many other poor financial decisions and habits, it's a misguided coping mechanism for discomfort and complex emotions. What's my take on investing in a lifestyle? You care way too much about what other people think if you've ever said this in your life. I don't even know what this lifestyle is, but if it's a lifestyle of big payments to make other people like you, you're just around the wrong people.

I don't know who hurt you or who didn't hug you, but you need therapy, not a nicer car or nicer clothing or a nicer house. You need to deal with the guy in the mirror, the gal in the mirror, the little person inside going, give me attention, please. No one did when I was a kid. It's a bad one-man show that no one wants to see. So overall, creepy AI images aside, not a bad list from the crystal rubbing vegans at your tango. Either way, most of these phrases have one thing in common. They are our excuses we tell ourselves for not doing what we know we need to do. It's to cover up the shame and the guilt to justify, to have things now.

And the antidote to all of this is what I mentioned, delayed gratification. This idea that you need to give up a little bit today to have a lot more down the road. Delayed gratification is basically saying no for now, so you can say heck yes later. It's like a superpower that lets you skip the impulse buys, dodge the debt traps, and actually build a life with options. And it's the key to living below your means. And if you want more telltale signs, someone is living beyond their means, check out this video up next on five signs someone is secretly broke. You can click here or use the link in the description to watch it next.

That's it for today. If you enjoy this video, hit the like and subscribe buttons, and share this video with your yoga instructor Sierra, who I assume already knows and loves your tango. Thanks for watching. We'll see you next time.