The majority of us live beyond our means, which is one of the primary causes of our ever-increasing habit of borrowing money. Simply put, incomings are outpacing outgoings. It's also getting worse.
This is the main problem that greatly affects the financial condition. income exceeds expenditure is a virus that must be overcome in managing finances. When your financial condition is down, you must be wise in borrowing money because there are several risks that will arise if your finances jam or fail to pay at maturity, one of the risks that cannot be avoided is that the installments will get bigger because the interest and fines continue to increase.
Policies in spending are needed to maintain financial health, you must control your money properly by cutting expenses and spending money wisely. Borrowing money to fulfill desires is not recommended because it will become a burden when paying due to not having a side income source.
The trend of 'living for the now' has indeed led to an unsettling 'outgoings > incomings' equation in many households. That's why we see the millennial generation dubbed as the "debt generation".
The wisdom to borrow is important but often overlooked. Lending platforms will always be happy to dish out loans but forget to add the disclaimer about the snowballing effect of interest and fines. It's like buying a smartphone on a plan and realizing later you could have bought two for the price you end up paying!
However, the solution isn't as straightforward as cutting expenses. It's about understanding needs versus wants and planning expenditures accordingly. A common saying among personal finance geeks is "Don't save what is left after spending; spend what is left after saving". Implementing such simple financial principles could be a starting point to financial prudence.