Finances finances, whether its PCP or anything else financial in life, if you want something before you can really afford it, you risk locking yourself into paying debt...forever. very simplistic but generally true.
we got married young, struggled to pay bills in the late 70s and accordingly budgeted really hard, with manageable loans paid off with all speed.
And always aiming to save, use that money to build a buffer, a safety net, rather than using it for stuff that doubtless gives enjoyment at the time, but can be ephemeral.
Its stayed with us all our married lives and while life can be somewhat constrained, with that ethic...it all comes round. Since our late 40s, Its left us so free to do what we want, excess money each week, savings in the tens of thousands, mortgage paid off, a nice car...all with very little debt compared to others.
Debt is OK, but it MUST be manageable and for worthwhile things, we always took on debt we knew we could pay off if things went south, yes we'd empty the bank but we'd still be free (mortgage excluded at the time of course, but you pay rent, you pay mortgage, there's no escaping that)
We never earned big money but a relatively constrained lifestyle has left us with assets and cash worth....i struggle to understand how its grown to the degree it has. Its incredibly liberating, the lack of debt.
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