That’s an expression that comes to mind many times when I chat with friends about financial things in their lives, but I usually dare not say the expression for fear of alienating or upsetting them. The first time I heard the expression someone said, A woman needs a man, like a fish needs a bicycle, which made me scratch my head, but I eventually understood the point being made (which was that Fish really don’t need bicycles, I think). Gloria Steinem made the expression a little more popular, but she didn’t coin the phrase, it was coined by Irina Dunn.

With this in mind I give you some of my own home grown financial expressions that I hope are a little clearer than the fish needs a bicycle comment:

• Sam needs a pay day loan like a penguin needs a George Foreman grill.
• Arlene needs another credit card like a moose needs an ice cream scoop.
• Sammi the new grad needs a new car like Foghorn Leghorn needs a new car.
• Ottawa needs another Cheque Cashing Storefront like Ottawa needs needs more sinkholes

Big Old Sink Hole in Ottawa

For those who wonder what this analogy might look like, our friends at Guiness helped us out with this useful ad: