Interesting point on the "avoid debt," because that's what naive young adults here are told not to worry about. Get a student loan, no problem - bank overdraft,

Interesting point on the "avoid debt," because that's what naive young adults here are told not to worry about. Get a student loan, no problem - bank overdraft, fine. They are roped into the system when they're young and naive, and they spend half of their adult working life trying to climb their way out of it before they can really start saving whilst still paying off their mortgages. I agree with your sentiments about being conservative with your finances, and there's no doubt a huge portion of poor people are terrible with money. You see people struggling to pay rent, but queuing up for the new iPhone - such way of living is ludicrous, and they are bound to stay poor that way. The reality is they don't need it - you don't need gadgets, fashion accessories, takeaways, beer, drugs and other money drains - but at the same time, if you're not buying the latest and greatest, someone else isn't making enough money - which is considered bad for the economy. They encourage you to spend.