Why You’re Always Broke, Even If You Earn Well

You make decent money. But somehow, your account is always empty by the end of the month.

Where does it all go? And why does it feel like no matter how much you earn, you're always broke?

This was me. Earning okay money, yet constantly anxious about bills and never managing to save. It took me years, a lot of trial and error, and a ton of mindset shifts to figure out what was going on. And once I did, everything changed.

In this post, I’m breaking down the real reasons why you’re always broke, even if you earn well and exactly how to fix them, starting today.

Reason #1: You’re Living at Your Income Level, Not Below It

Lifestyle creep is real. As your income goes up, so do your expenses.

New tech, better restaurants, spontaneous weekends away — all justified because "you can afford it now."

How to Fix it: Track every euro you spend for the next 7 days. It will hurt. But it’s the fastest way to see where your money leaks are.

Alternative: Use Wise for automatic spend tracking with categories.

Reason #2: No Emergency Fund = High Anxiety Spending

When you don’t have a safety net, everything feels urgent. You spend emotionally because there’s no buffer. And guess what? Emotional spending is never smart spending.

How to Fix it: Start your emergency fund today. Even if it’s just €5. Your goal: €500 in a separate account you never touch unless it’s a true emergency.

Alternative: Once again, it's through Wise. Open a high-yield savings account with Wise to separate your emergency fund.

Reason #3: You Have No System — Just Hope

You’re not actually budgeting. You’re just reacting. You hope this month goes better. You check your balance instead of having a plan.

How to Fix it: Start using a zero-based budget. Every euro has a job before the month begins. Not sure where to start?

Grab the Money & Miles Starter Kit (€10). This includes an easy-to-use budget planner, a side hustle tracker, and tools to fix this fast.

Reason #4: You Don’t Know Your Fixed vs. Variable Costs

Without this clarity, you keep guessing. Which means you keep overspending. One-off expenses pile up because you never saw them coming.

How to Fix it: Write out ALL your fixed expenses (rent, subscriptions, bills) and your variable ones (groceries, fuel, eating out). Do this once and you’ll already feel more in control.

The budget tracker spreadsheet in the starter kit mentioned above helps out exactly with this by categorising all your expenses.

Reason #5: You’re Not Earning Strategically

You may earn well from your job, but you’re still trading time for money. That means your income stops if you do. And there's no buffer for bigger goals.

How to Fix it: Start exploring side income that builds over time: digital products, affiliate marketing, print-on-demand. You don’t need to go all in. Just start.

Want help? Sign up for the waitlist for Side Hustle Launchpad (Course launching soon).

Final thoughts on why you’re always broke, even if you earn well and how to fix it:

Being broke isn't always about earning too little. Sometimes it's about spending without awareness, living without a system, or ignoring the emotional side of money.

Once you start being honest with yourself and you put systems in place, things change fast.

I’m proof of that.

Ready to break the cycle? Grab the Money & Miles Starter Kit for €10 and take your first real step.

Let me know in the comments: What’s the #1 reason you feel stuck financially right now?