Wise advice. Seems like common sense to pay your debts, but in a capitalist economy and forcing "demand" ("I want this now!"), the public is bombarded with incentives to buy even though it incurs debt. I believe there should be more advocates for consumers like "Choice" in Australia, and far more community financial counsellors, with oft-repeated community service announcements about staying out of debt as much as you can & getting help the instant you find things overwhelming or even a little hard. Banks and credit companies don't want to hear this, but as a society we won't survive on debt alone. Student loans, cost-of-living and rising interest rates don't help either.

Bottom line: if you start to get behind, talk to someone professional before it becomes a disaster.