Grow Up - You're Not A Victim!

There appears to be an assumption building around the world that the debts that people have built up and indeed companies and countries is nothing to do with poor financial management but is down to the circumstances surrounding them. Yes, banks and other financial institutions were loaning out money here, there and everywhere and in hindsight (not sure I actually believe the in hindsight bit) to people who they knew would have difficulty repaying. Just because it is easy to get money, and it still is when you consider the plethora of payday loan companies and the ludicrously high interest rates they charge, doesn't mean that you should take the loan if you know it'll be difficult to pay it back. That's common sense isn't it? 

It's no good blaming the circumstances and poor financial education in schools (another excuse I have to say) as adults we have to take responsibility for our own financial decisions. If that means not buying things that we don't actually need such as a ridiculously expensive coffees each morning, then so be it. What we save here can be used for something far more useful instead - perhaps paying off a debt. Just make a mental calculation now on how much you might save by not buying all those expensive coffees for a year - you'll survive without them you know.