Credit/debt can be a really powerful tool, if used wisely, and it can actually save someone money by enabling her/him to buy in bulk (for example, a 5KG bag of sugar instead of a 1KG) or take advantage of a promotion and buy a lot of a nonperishable and regularly used item (like toilet paper) when it is on sale, for a really good price; the challenge/risk is that so many people give in to the temptation to abuse credit, end up using it for luxuries and get trapped in a cycle of minimum payments.