Earning Rs 20 LPA but still broke? Ankur Warikoo decodes the math behind why your salary vanishes before month-end

Many young professionals celebrate payday with excitement, only to find themselves broke by the end of the month. Popular entrepreneur and content creator Ankur Warikoo recently broke down why this happens, even for people earning hefty salaries. In his latest video, he explained how lifestyle choices, EMIs, and unnecessary expenses quietly eat away at monthly income, leaving little room for savings or investments. His breakdown has struck a chord with many who find themselves stuck in this cycle.

Warikoo illustrated his point with a simple example. Imagine someone earning a Rs 20 lakh annual package, which translates to about Rs 1.65 lakh a month. After tax, the take-home drops to Rs 1.3 lakh. Now add a house EMI of Rs 55,000, a car EMI of Rs 18,000, household expenses of Rs 12,000, food orders worth around Rs 20,000, and Rs 15,000 sent to parents. By the end of it, only about Rs 10,000 is left. And that’s without accounting for an emergency fund, investments, vacations, or gadgets.



Sharing the video, he captioned that the salary credit on the 1st feels like a jackpot, but by the end of the month, survival mode kicks in. He further broke down the “salary cycle”. According to Warikoo, the first week brings a sense of abundance. Salary arrives, premium cabs are booked, meals are ordered online, and investment apps get their cut. By the 5th, EMIs wipe out a chunk, but the illusion of being financially secure still lingers.

Reality strikes by the 10th, when the credit card bill arrives. Suddenly, the comfort of last month’s spending looks like regret, and the thought “why did I buy this?” hits hard. By mid-month, the crisis is in full swing—weekend plans get cancelled, ordering food is replaced with home-cooked meals, and frugality takes over.


The 20th signals survival mode. Even small payments on apps require second thoughts, and discount coupons become essential. By the 25th, just a few thousand remain. Dinner turns into Maggi, and cabs are swapped for shared autos and metros. On the 29th, the account is nearly dry, only for the cycle to restart on the 1st with the next salary credit. Warikoo’s breakdown resonated widely because it mirrors how countless people juggle their money—living lavishly in the first half of the month and scrambling in the second.

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He ended the video by pointing out that it’s not the salary that makes you poor, but the lifestyle and the EMIs that trap you. “Don’t make a bigger cage with a bigger salary,” he warned, urging viewers to rethink how they spend.

Internet reacts

One user shared that they still can’t save anything by the month-end. Another mentioned that even Rs 10,000 doesn’t remain, and every month ends up in the negative. A third pointed out that all the expenses mentioned—owning a home, a small car, travelling twice a year domestically, monthly dinners, and sending money to parents—are necessities, not luxuries. They added that with rising inflation and increasing costs, even someone earning 20 LPA can struggle to save, which is a sad reality.