How I Stopped Being Broke Every Month — Without Earning More Money

 

There was a time I hated looking at my phone after the 20th of every month. Not because I didn’t have bundles — but because I didn’t want to see my bank balance. I was tired of being broke.

Every month felt the same. Payday would come, and for a few days, I'd feel like life was looking up — till that silent anxiety crept in again. Transport, a few mpesa fulizas, eating out, that “small” loan to a friend I couldn’t ask back… and just like that, I’d be back to zero. Sometimes negative.

But here’s the kicker: my income didn’t change. What changed was my thinking.

One random evening, I sat in traffic in Nairobi West, just staring out the window, calculating how much money I had wasted that week. Ksh 180 on a daily snack. Ksh 400 on random rides when I could walk. Subscriptions I didn’t even use. The numbers were adding up — just in the wrong direction.

So I tried an experiment. No budgeting apps, no motivational finance quotes. I just told myself: Spend like someone who earns half of what you do. That single mindset shift changed everything.

I started carrying packed lunch. I started walking to the stage instead of using bodabodas. I stopped buying airtime in “emergencies” and started loading it once — per week — and making it last. I even created a Telegram group called “Don’t Spend It”, where I’d post temptations I’d resisted daily — just to hold myself accountable.

And guess what? At the end of the first month, I still had money in my account. Not millions. Not even thousands. But something. And that something gave me peace. A strange, quiet confidence that I was finally in control.

Fast-forward a few months later, and I’d saved enough to buy a second-hand camera that I now use for weekend gigs. I didn’t need a raise. I just needed a reason.

So if you're reading this and wondering how to stop feeling like you're just surviving — start small. Not every solution needs a salary increase. Sometimes, the real wealth starts with how you handle what you already have.