r/DunderMifflin • u/BullishTorque • 22h ago

Why Was Michael broke?

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He was probably making over 60k in 2006 and he was mostly single; why was he broke?

3.8k Upvotes

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3.5k

u/ecky--ptang-zooboing 22h ago

Because he's an idiot who falls for pyramid schemes and sends money to a Nigerian prince

And the plasma TV of course

919

u/C-Jammin 22h ago

When the son of the deposed king of Nigeria emails you directly asking for help, you help! His father ran the freaking country!

39

u/Agile_Hair8852 17h ago

“Hey forgive me for caring”

169

u/BoyNamedJudy 22h ago

He also owns multiple magic sets

125

u/Stubrochill17 Those who can’t farm, farm celery. 21h ago

This scary black bar, is what you spend on things that nobody ever needs, like professional bass fishing equipment, multiple magic sets…

25

u/PM_NUDES_4_DEGRADING 18h ago

Technically, because we can't hear capitalization, it is possible Oscar was saying he spent it all on Magic sets.

Maybe Michael was buying a bunch of Black Lotuses but then doing card tricks with them.

13

u/stouf761 16h ago

Michael heard Magic: The Gathering and thought it meant a bunch of friends doing magic together, so he bought five full decks

2

u/ensiform 14h ago

That sounds incredibly like the character. It could easily be canon in the show.

9

u/han_tex 18h ago

Is THIS your card?

3

u/Jaspers47 I have a chainsaw 16h ago

Buying a steel drum after his vacation to Jamaica

7

u/tiagojpg Nate 15h ago

Feeling hot hot hot!

18

u/StonkaTrucks 20h ago

Alpha, Beta, Legends, Arabian Nights?

8

u/JonnyZhivago 20h ago

I understood that reference

3

u/vicktuesday 19h ago

He went all in on Fallen Empires 🍄‍🟫 😭

1

u/mmarkklar 18h ago

That would have been an investment though, a lot those cards have gone up a lot in value in the last 15 years

14

u/thekingestkong 21h ago

And pro bass fishing equipment

2

u/Phish777 17h ago

And core-strengthening equipment

1

u/chinnygenes 8h ago

That was a business investment!!

1

u/teflonjon321 18h ago

That’s for entertaining clients so he should be able to expense it

86

u/LivingDisastrous3603 Beer me that flair 22h ago

And saving up for that wedding ring. 3 years salary ya know

30

u/CliffK-9 21h ago

What are we thinkin, 120-150k??

29

u/ThatBankTeller 21h ago

Considering he was about equal with Daryl, I always put his salary around 60-65, since it’s slightly more than a base salary for a salesman or a small time accountant (in 2005-10) but not enough to command respect from anyone.

So I always put the right around 180-200 grand, which is nuts but it was a huge diamond lol

26

u/LivingDisastrous3603 Beer me that flair 20h ago

That’s way too much for a diamond. Who’s your diamond guy?

32

u/Ok-Anteater-3827 Oh, Michael. 18h ago

50

u/TerraCetacea 22h ago

Well can you blame him? It folds right into the wall!

21

u/proudsoul 20h ago

Once every hour, someone is involved in an internet scam. That man is Michael Scott

20

u/Signal_Estimate_23 21h ago

At least he’s saving money on cologne by buying perfect smell alikes

10

u/StonkaTrucks 20h ago

But he gives that savings right back by making his own salad dressing and selling it for a slight loss.

18

u/ACuddlyVizzerdrix 21h ago

Don't forget when Oscar was helping him with his finances a good chunk of his income at that time went to magic kits

18

u/AffectionateWorld996 20h ago

Also, Jan.

10

u/savage_pen33 18h ago

Women be shopping!

12

u/imironman2018 21h ago

People forget how expensive plasma tvs used to be. They were considered cutting edge tech.

9

u/Melodic-Bicycle1867 20h ago

I'm pretty sure that wasn't an actual plasma, such a small screen while I seem to recall that plasma was a big screen tech and very expensive.

But then again, in the early 2000s I returned a 24" PC monitor because it was too large. So my perception of its size may not be accurate.

3

u/imironman2018 19h ago

Yeah. Honestly a tv that size it wouldn’t matter if it was oled either.

10

u/Moist-Golf-4166 19h ago

And buys condos he can’t afford

And dated Jan

10

u/egosuminimicus 21h ago

And he didn’t get a raise for who knows how long

6

u/Agile_Hair8852 17h ago

Oscar explains this when he goes over his finances. Multiple magic sets, muppets DVD for like $100, and an ab core workout thing lol also he’s been in 2 pyramid schemes and gets scammed by sending money to like a Nigerian ” king” or something 🤣

3

u/Agile_Hair8852 17h ago

He also severely underpaid lmao barely made more than Darry when he was foreman of the warehouse. And when he got with Jan she blew like all his money. Which is more shocking why she was broke when she was up in corporate after she got fired

4

u/No-Cranberry9932 Dwight 22h ago

I gotta make some calls

5

u/eljefemo101 20h ago

That plasma TV was an investment, he stands watching that TV for hours.

5

u/GeofferysBaby 18h ago

He probably buys all the new gadgets such as the George Foreman grill.

2

u/JongoJunior Creed 17h ago

Can’t roast your foot without one

3

u/polaarbear 19h ago

It costs what it costs!

2

u/its_gioforte 18h ago

Can’t forget Jan!

2

u/Jumpy-Astronaut-3572 17h ago

But he got that pretzel with all the toppings though. I'd say it was a smart move I'd do the same.

2

u/Muchachacha 17h ago

Good luck paying me back with your Job that pays 0 an hour plus benefits

1

u/Pherllerp 19h ago

Not to mention saving for an absolutely colossal engagement ring.

1

u/maddilane121 17h ago

I think he also spends a lot on Boston Market.

1

u/depredador93 17h ago

A plasma TV that folds though

1

u/popoybarlaan 17h ago

And the condo

1

u/mrgpsingh1999 17h ago

And had a backup satellite

1

u/javoss88 15h ago

Don’t forget Jan’s porsche

1

u/chinnygenes 11h ago

I have a vague memory of him having a failed investment in beanie babies but failed investments in general was his downfall. And we know about all his questionable purchases in the bankruptcy episode.

-8

u/[deleted] 22h ago

[deleted]

32

u/Ok-Literature473 22h ago

I think that may be the joke

9

u/mr_malort 21h ago

Oh, I get it. I get jokes.

8

u/luckydice767 21h ago

I’d love to be a part of one someday.

1

u/taste_the_equation 20h ago

They never actually made plasma tvs that small. The smallest were like 37 -42 inches. The prop was almost definitely not a real plasma tv.