Money management is not a skill everyone has, and when you are actually broke, it can feel like you're constantly playing “bill roulette". Not a good feeling.
The other side however is people who are broke all the time not because they are underpaid, but because they can't seem to get a handle on budgeting. That friend who is constantly upgrading and getting the brand new gadget but needs to borrow money to put gas in the car—this is for you.
A Redditor by the screen name of Disrupter52 wanted to hear what the common signs were that someone couldn't handle their finances. They asked:
“What's a red flag that someone is very bad with their money?"
Well here's your sign because we've got a bundle flags about to go up.
…
“They are involved in multi-level marketing schemes, and when asked by friends why you need to pay into such schemes, they say ‘well, you need to spend money to make money.’” Giediprimal
Awkward Season 2 GIF by The OfficeGiphyChronic borrowers…
“Constantly borrows money from friends/family but never pays it back. Bonus points if they never give a reason or vague reason for the money - uses manipulation or having their friends' pressure/guilt you into giving them money."
“Also constantly buying expensive stuff or always eating out but is always behind their bills (plus doing the borrowing money thing). Pretty much prioritizing their WANTS over their or others' NEEDS when managing money or paying for things." TheoryAddict
Do you really need a BMW?
“Leasing an expensive car. Bruv, you're just about making enough to cover rent and bills, so why are you driving around in a BMW?” manawasteman
They could have saved themselves so much…
“I had a friend who I used to play Xbox with online. He would frequently not be on for weeks at a time because he'd sold his xbox to pay bills. As soon as he had money again, he'd pay $400 for a new console, then he'd run out of money and pawn it for $50-100. This happened probably 5 or 6 times a year.” irreverant_usernam3
Good food for thought.
“Asking what to buy. If you don't have anything you'd want to buy already in mind, just save the money for later instead of buying things you didn't think you needed, because you most likely don't need them” SnakeR515
“Any time you find yourself asking somebody this question, you already have your answer -- pay down some of your debt. The best way to increase your means is to live below them. Good luck!”FaceDownInTheCake
Did it all for the likes…
“They flex their sh*t on instagram/ tiktok. Why be fiscally responsible when you can spend 10k on Yeezys?" Elitus-Meatus
“I had a friend who was always complaining he was broke. His car was broken said he couldn't afford to fix the 600 dollar repair bill and was going to lose his job because he couldn't get to work. 3 days later posted on Facebook how he just got the brand new xbox (it had just come out that week). I asked if he got his car fixed and he blocked me." streetmitch
Season 2 Tom GIF by Parks and RecreationGiphyA loan for PizzaHut?
“The combination of needing to borrow money but choosing to buy expensive things is a dead giveaway. I had a housemate at uni who once asked me if she could borrow £20 because she had no money for food until she got paid in a week.”
“At that time/area £20 would easily feed onr person for a week, and you wouldn't even have to be stingy... an hour later the delivery guy knocks on the door. She's ordered a £20 Pizza Hut meal deal. Eventually she paid me back but I never lent her money again.” MerylSquirrel
Strangest Things Seen In A Contract's Terms And Conditions | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
Couldn’t keep the lights on…
“I used to work for a utility company. We would shut people's electric off and then they'd come into the office to pay with cash to get turned back on.”
“Half of them I could tell weren't good with money because they'd have their nails done, hair dyed, coach purse and wallet, crying because ‘I only have $30 to my name. I can't pay $300 to get my electricity back on. What can you do for me?’” Mermaids_tatertots
A laundry list…
“I'll give you a subtle one: when someone has no retirement plan, and they are older. Like, past 50, and their plan is just 'I can always work more to get more money.' When people don't acknowledge the reality of sickness, emergencies outside their control (COVID-19, for instance), and infirm due to old age."
“Also, hidden addictions are usually lurking if someone seems to be making buckets of money, and has little to no savings, rents long term, etc."
“Alsoooooo there are .... Parasitic..... Types who have a pattern of seeking out more financially secure people. If they have a dating history of that, it's a big red flag."
"When people embellish their past to seem like they are ultra-successful ultra-ambitious renaissance people. Like, at age ____ started this business where I was a pilot, within ___ years it was so successful me and my partner sold it and now it's the biggest business in <city>."
"Then, after that, I got into upscale finish carpentry and made all this money working for this wealthy person and this wealthy person and I made so much... Then, I pivoted to real estate, and made all this money......."
"That's a big red flag. They'll usually have a few sob stories sprinkled in, like a spouse that took them to the cleaners.... Then a death or weather catastrophe or embezzling business partner... To explain why they're still just working-class despite all this success and ambition. Big. Red. Flags." WoodyAllenDershodick
“That friend of mine is me. Don't be me."
“A friend of mine did this with credit cards. Didn't understand the meaning of "Don't spend more than you have." and thought that meant "Don't spend more than the limit." He figured it out after he under a $20,000 mountain of credit card debt. That friend of mine is me. Don't be me.” Bangersandmash13
If you're finding some of these red flags apply to you there are free apps and budgeting info online. It's hard to save if you're struggling however, sometimes-like the instances above-some education really is all that's needed.
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Redditor H5N1BirdFlu wanted to discuss the moments in life that left us haunted and shook, so they asked:
"What is the creepiest or most unexplained event that you have ever experienced?"
I've seen so much creepiness I wouldn't know where to begin.
Deal
Walter White Wink GIF by Breaking BadGiphy"One car from one direction, and another car from the other direction stopped in front of my house. Both drivers got out and one gave the other a briefcase. Now that I am older I am guessing it was some kind of drug deal or something but at the time I found it very weird."
yapastaocho
'The Entertainer'
"We had a little copper music box that would start playing on its own. It was a man sitting at a player-piano and it would play 'The Entertainer' song. Now, I know that music boxes and such can spring (for lack of a better word) forward and play a few notes, but this thing would act like someone had wound it up and would play for a minute or two completely at random."
MercuryCrest
He?
"Me and and someone I used to know in high school way back when met to catch up. We were talking about our views on religion at some park. When we were walking back to our cars some guy said he had overheard us. We interacted a little and then went to our cars. I told her how awkward I felt knowing he overheard everything. She looked at me and said, 'He?'”
"After some comparing notes we realized we’d seen and heard entirely different people. She’d seen an elderly woman. I’d seen a middle aged man. Only problem is we only talked to the one person."
AccomplishedAuthor53
Overnight
"I usually go hiking and stay in the forest overnight, sleeping in a bivy and sometimes under a tarp. Now it's important to say I'm based in Europe. So no wild animals to be afraid of because usually they just boot it as soon as they notice you."
"So one winter night I'm sleeping under my tarp which connects to the ground on one side. It's in an area where there were fierce battles in the forrest on the border between Germany and Belgium in WWII."
"I hear something walking in the leaves, which is normal. There are always deer and ferral pigs on and about. But this time it comes closer and closer until I hear it right on the other side of my tarp and it starts growling. Its a noise I gad never heard and for a moment I was frozen trying to figure out what it might be and what to do."
"But I just decided to yell back and that did the trick. The animal walked a few steps and then turned back to growl once more before finally retreating."
"Let's put it this way, I didn't sleep for a while after that. I looked up the noise and think it was a badger."
Forest_Walkin
Devoured
Episode 4 Abc GIF by The BachelorGiphy"My family used to raise cattle. One morning I came out to check on them and I found one of the heifers had been more or less completely devoured."
"This same cow was perfectly fine the day before. There was nothing left but some hide, bones, and intestines. Thing is none of the predators that are in my area would be able to kill and eat an entire cow within the course of one night. Much less leave so little behind."
Aussieshepman
Poor cows. They live a rough life.
The Night Before
Get Out Omg GIF by Get Out MovieGiphy"When I was a kid, we lived in a kinda rural area. One night we came home late from an Uncle's house and there was a car parked up the road from our house with the headlights on."
"My mom suggested to my dad that we go see if they need help, he said no, so we went inside. Next morning police knocked on the door, a cyclist had spotted a body in the ditch exactly where the car was parked the night before."
Tpeest
Documents
"I have had a strange thing happen recently. I was waiting for my tax documents to come in so I could do my taxes. I had three documents that I put on my bedside table until I had the time."
"I decided to do it the other day and I couldn't find one of them. I tore the house apart, quizzed my husband (who swore he never touched it), checked the garbage, etc. I had resigned myself to the fact I would have to request another one, when it arrived in the mail."
"It was the same one, exact same information. I was really confused but grateful. I checked into it, it was not sent twice as far as the office could tell me."
"I don't know what to think. I KNOW I had that document because I had done some calculations with it. It's been itching at me like crazy."
monitormonkey
About 30 Feet
"A few months ago I was sitting in my living room on the couch, watching tv with a family member late at night. We have a high ceiling with a couple of rectangular windows at the very top of the wall just under where it meets the ceiling. The windows are so high (about 30 feet) we really only have them for natural lighting."
"So on the night in question, a green laser beam suddenly shown down through one of the windows, seemingly scanned the entire living room before stopping and pointing the beam right next to my family member for about 10 seconds and then disappearing entirely. It had to be either a drone or from some sort of flying aircraft. I live in a relatively secluded place which made the situation all the more unsettling."
0friday
Find Her
"Pretty sure I witnessed a kidnapping once and it still lives rent free in my head (the woman lost her slipper when she was trying to get away and i took a picture of it that i still have for some reason). I did indeed report it to police right after I saw it occur but they were pretty blasé about it and I never ended up being able to determine what they did to investigate."
ergaster8213
From Behind
the exorcist shadow GIFGiphy"I was in Jr High and had really long hair. I got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, and almost tripped on a shoe on the floor. I bent down to move it and it felt like someone grabbed my entire pony tail and yanked it. I also could not sleep facing the wall for the longest time because it always felt like someone or something was right there behind me."
cheeseburgerphone182
Never face the wall. Life lesson.
These were some harrowing experiences, and we're glad these Redditors made it out to tell the story.
Do you have any similar experiences? Let us know in the comments below.
Redditor NeedSomeSparkInLife wanted to know who would be willing to share, so they asked:
"What makes you not want to be intimate with your SO?"
I'm an easily turned off person.
So it doesn't take much.
Desire
Bored Season 5 GIF by The OfficeGiphy"Taking a moment to realize I'm the only one that makes sexual advances in the relationship. Makes me not want it. People think men only want sex for face value but a lot of men actually want the feeling of being desired more so."
Relative-Hour-9359
Anger Issues
"I've always heard of fighting then having sex after. Fighting has always made me not want it. The last thing I want to do when someone pisses me off is have sex with them. What made it worse is she always wanted to when we were arguing which made the argument worse when I refused."
DaMoonRulez_1
"I think you're supposed to resolve your fight, realize that you care for each other a lot, move past it, then have the passion because of that. Not fight right into sex."
Ksp-or-GTFO
Take a Shower
"My ex and I were together for nearly 7 years, but his hygiene never improved, so we stopped being intimate like, 3 years before I finally broke up with him. He showered only once a week, but he worked in kitchens, so he was sweaty and greasy all the time."
"He had an infected tooth, so he constantly had bad breath, but he refused to visit a dentist, even when he had the money to afford dental work. He stopped working out within the first year of us being together, which sucked because he would get jealous if I went to the gym by myself or with my girlfriends, but he refused to come with me."
GreenChorizo
Sober Time
"Personally, the only issue I have is my SO's drinking. He just becomes an unattractive person when he's drunk. It's one thing if we're both out socializing and drinking together occasionally, but he drinks almost every day, sitting on the couch in front of the TV and to the point of sloppy drunkenness way too often. His face changes, his posture changes, his personality changes... I just get so turned off."
WeptSiren3113
Hang Up
Art Hello GIF by LINDSEY L33Giphy"When they are glued to their phones non stop! Put that s**t down and look at me before we go to bed!"
Palmwine
"I really dislike this too. Makes me feel alone in the relationship."
RealBrownPerson
No phones in bed. Hard rule for many of us to follow.
Step Back
Be Quiet Go Away GIF by Ryn DeanGiphy"When I make a move, and then get the feeling she's not really in the mood/would only do it to please me. I want us both to have a good time, not only me. So when she seems not into it, I take a step back."
Level-Plate8372
Calm Down
"To be brutally honest, her anxiety and insecurity makes sex such a hassle. She doesn’t believe anything I say about wanting her, she can almost never relax during sex, she doesn’t take time to enjoy it, and if God forbid I have any trouble finishing, she takes it more personally than anything, which of course puts more pressure on me to finish, which then makes it almost impossible."
Ben_Franklinstein
When at Wal-Mart
"When they’ve done something really nasty/unkind that day. Cruelty is the most ugly thing a person can show, in my eyes. I had a boyfriend that I went to Wal-Mart with and he ended up flipping off and storming right past the sweet little old man that checks the receipts at the door."
"It was partially about how I used to check receipts and I remembered how I felt when people treated me like that- but I also remember the look on the little old man’s face and just how disgusted I was with my partner being so nasty about it."
"I couldn’t touch him after that and I got grossed out when he touched me. And then I started to notice how he was nasty to other people as well. It eventually led to our break up."
spxdergirl
33 Years In
"My husband used to dislike his job - he’d come home and do nothing but bi**h. After awhile, I just gave up trying to cheer him up with sex - you can only try so long. So, we had a long dry spell - like, whatever you think a dry spell would be, it’s longer. When someone is constantly annoyed, well, it’s hard to feel amorous."
"Anyway, he early retired (54) like a month before Covid kicked in and by autumn that year, well, let’s just say we’re back to what we were like when we first met. He’s not pissed off all the time. (I’m retired as well, and let’s just say, afternoon nookie is such a perk, as is morning nookie and 3am nookie because you can sleep in!) I’m glad we stayed together. Going on 33 years and we’re just so happy."
NicInNS
Rage
Angry Inside Out GIF by Disney PixarGiphy"Feeling angry. I hate feeling angry. I don't like being around other people when angry. So I'll go for a walk, a drive etc, and just clear my head."
jackfaire
It seems like "dead bed," as some folks call it, can stem from many things, from mood, attraction, hygiene, and more.
Do you have anything to add to this list? Let us know in the comments.