Learn to live within your means

POLICE officers, nurses and teachers in the public sector should stop being statusseekers. In other words, they must refrain from improving their social standing beyond what is reasonable by acquiring desirable possessions to impress others.

I am not surprised by the report from the National Treasury that nurses and teachers are drowning in debt. They are superficial status-seekers. No wonder the bulk of their monthly income goes to repaying debt relating to vehicles, bonds and personal loans.

If you can’t afford it, you can’t afford. One needs to accept and work on that gradually. Police officers, nurses and teachers are easily tempted by SMSes, calls and emails that banks send to them about uncredited personal loans.

Most of us qualify for those loans, but we are not tempted to apply because we know the consequences of paying many debts at the same time. The above-mentioned people should learn to do one thing at a time. With the salaries they earn, they can manage to live reasonable lifestyles not dominated by debt.

People should stop making decisions without thinking. Think about the problem and try to answer it and consider the answer carefully.

That way, most of us are going to be winners and financially smart. Mukhomi Village, Malamulele, Limpopo