In Money Trees, Kendrick Lamar raps, “It go Halle Berry or hallelujah, pick your poison, tell me what you doin’.” The song, like many of his, sits at the intersection of hustle and desire, a quiet meditation on what money means when you have it and what it makes of you when you don’t. Decades before him, 50 Cent declared, “Get rich or die tryin’,” while the ancient philosopher Epicurus once mused, “Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.”
But who among us can truly boast of having few wants? Especially in our world which advertises pleasure on every screen, tells us we deserve a little treat even when our accounts are screaming for mercy. As the wise King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 5:10, “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.”
Money is always a huge topic. There is always, always a conversation around it that is neither all-inclusive nor nuanced. Either Nigerian singles on Twitter are fighting over who is gold digging and who is broke, or, in the words of famous philosopher Timaya, “This life I can’t kill myself o, allow me to flex o.”
Money, in all its paradox, brings out something deeply human in us. We crave security, yet we chase pleasure. We budget tightly, yet break our own rules for something that feels right in the moment. Sometimes, the impulse wins. Sometimes, it’s regret that follows.
This week, we asked: Have you ever been seriously strapped for cash and still decided to splurge on an unnecessary purchase? Tell us the story of how that went down.
Here’s what people told us.
Starr, Nigeria
It hasn’t been any major event. It’s maybe getting an overpriced drink on a night out that I know will cost me tomorrow’s dinner, lunch, and maybe breakfast, but my motto is money is a spirit that always finds its way back so spend, I will!
Assa the Pretty, Ibadan, Nigeria
I’m a recording artist based in Ibadan, Nigeria. My music reflects the soul of old African music and exposes a bright futuristic Africa, a perfect blend of ancient and modern spirits. Studio time isn’t cheap, but art must survive, so sometimes I’ll skip meals before I skip a session.
Terry, Westerhaven
I was poor and bought cigarettes. Told myself it was for the stress. It wasn’t. I was just broke and dramatic.
Anu, Illinois, USA
Omo all the damn time😭🫠 Just this week I used my Uber money meant for my trips to work to order food because I had nothing in my fridge except yogurt 😪 and I was suffering from a depressive episode. I usually tell myself if I perish, I perish 🤭 and I have not yet🤣 thank God. It was actually what I needed because it lifted my spirits immensely 🥰
Sophia, Lagos, Nigeria
Lol I got melonypine with my last 14k at the end of the week, five days to salary day. I had to walk home from work once. 10/10 would do it again.
FH, Groningen, Netherlands
A couple of months ago, I was way over budget but decided to go out drinking with pals anyway. We went to some Irish pub in town and got to drinking. I was already like six shots in when I heard my dumbass friend arguing with some middle-aged drunk guy about politics and it was starting to get heated. I honestly don’t remember what happened next but somehow we decided that I’d go against the guy in a drink-off. Whoever wins the drink-off wins the argument. I lost. Horribly. I spent over 70 euros, threw up buckets in the canal near Schuitendiep, and had to be biked home that night. My ego was hurt, my bank account was hurt, and God, my head was hurting the morning after too.
Emma, Jos, Nigeria
I once had minimal funds in my final year of uni. After buying my necessities to get me through the weekend, the only money I had left was 1k. Tell me why I decided to buy croissants for 800 knowing the state of my finances. I told myself, “If I perish, I perish,” and after I finished eating, I starved that weekend.
P.S: I didn’t starve but I had to rely on my cousins when my bag of water finished.
Tochi, Abuja, Nigeria
There was this thrift sale on Instagram. Designer bags going for 7k. Seven thousand! I had no money, but how could I resist? I sent the money, and then spent the rest of the week eating biscuits and praying for a miracle. The bag arrived looking like something from a Y2K Nollywood movie, but I still carry it proudly. Fashion is pain.
Kwame, Accra, Ghana
Once, I had just 50 cedis to my name. My friends said they were going to the beach, and I told myself, “You only live once.” I bought grilled fish and a cold beer, then joined them. By evening, I had no money left for transport. I had to walk home barefoot, holding my slippers in my hand, humming Burna Boy’s “Last Last.”
Reni, London, UK
After paying rent and bills, I had £8 left for the week. I spent £6.50 on a cinnamon latte and a slice of cheesecake at Pret because “self-care.” I don’t regret it though. Sometimes, joy costs £6.50.
Ope, Lagos, Nigeria
There was a day I was down to 5k. I had just enough to buy data and rice. I chose data. I can’t explain it, but I felt peace after. I will actually rather go hungry and use the money to laugh my sorrows away on Instagram. I guess in this economy, data feels like comfort.
Dani, Nairobi, Kenya
I once bought perfume worth half my salary because I wanted to smell like my life was together. I was broke but smelled like old money. Priorities.
Taken together, these responses say a lot about our complicated relationship with money. How we can be broke but still crave joy, still want to reward ourselves with small pleasures even when logic says no. Maybe it’s foolishness. Maybe it’s resilience. Maybe it’s our own little rebellion against a world that feels too expensive to breathe in.
As Oscar Wilde once wrote, “When I was young, I thought money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old, I know it is.” And yet, perhaps the truest wisdom comes not from Wilde or Kendrick but from King Solomon himself, who understood both riches and ruin: “The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich will not let them sleep.” (Ecclesiastes 5:12)
Maybe that’s the paradox of it all. That peace isn’t always in the plenty. Sometimes, it’s in that one impulsive treat that made a hard day softer.
We’ve come to the end of this installment of our Vox Pop series. Join us here next week for another serving of sizzling stories. If you’d like to contribute, head to our Instagram Stories on Thursdays and Saturdays, where you’ll find a form and our question of the week.
