We should all rethink our spending habits

Editor,This is a well-written, well-thought out piece of advice and reminder to all of us. If you can afford a wedding a la Michael Jordan or Prince William, then make it rain. But if you are a muturage with a salary of Rwf500,000 a month, then why spend Rwf10,000,000 on a two- hour wedding session, Rwf300,000 monthly rent and then own a Rwf10,000,000 SUV to take care of?Such habits actually create a tendency for corruption because people find themselves forced to commit crimes to sustain the kind of lifestyle that is beyond their means. A student will sell her body to afford the latest Samsung smartphone she doesn’t even know how to use except for calling and text-messaging. Is that happiness?What Mzee Rwigamba is doing is to encourage people to spend wisely and avoid any consequences of financial dependence – which will eventually make the mantra of self-dignity and self-reliance soon realised. It’s all about financial literacy.It is even dangerous for banks to lend to people who borrow to impress and later default on repayments.If people could review their spending habits and save, banks would be left with more funds to grant to job creators (factories, schools, hospitals, etc.) If people could act their wage, we’d have more money in circulation and less drama/corruption. Thank you.Kunta Kinte, Kigali, RwandaReaction to Fidel Rwigamba’s commentary, “Rethinking our spending habits”, (The New Times, June 20)

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We should all rethink our spending habits