The system is rigged for us not to save

Struggling to save? It's not your fault − the system and environment you live in are designed to keep you in a weaker financial position. And when weaker financially, our chances of being weak mentally rise too. Critical thinking becomes a luxury when overwhelmed with debt and month-to-month, ever-increasing bills.

The best way to capture any human being − man or woman, across cultures − is to limit access to an abundance mindset. Not in a woo-woo, mystical sense, but in a practical, subtle way. Hidden in plain sight.

Here are five ways the system has worked against us mastering the culture of saving − and continues to, accelerating even, while we are being gaslit into believing otherwise:

Constant distraction

Distraction is a weapon formed against all forms of progress. When we are distracted by the phone, the news, social media and the fast-paced life, it becomes scientifically impossible to hear ourselves. We become distanced from our authentic thoughts, feelings, intuition and inspiration, because distraction = noise.

Studies have shown that our smartphones are designed to keep us addicted to them. More concerning: while the phone gets smarter, it is making us dumber and number. Yes, we are talking about the addiction to random scrolling.

According to Data Reportal's Digital 2026: South Africa Report, South Africans spend an average of three hours 32 minutes on social media daily − well above the global average of two hours 21 minutes. Those hours could be redirected to something meaningful such as quality time with our children, learning a new skill or building a side hustle.

Constant distraction, the phone especially, isn't only squandering our potential income, it is squandering our time and energy. Doom-scrolling is a thief that leaves us feeling guilty, because intuitively, we know it’s an act of self-betrayal.

Instant gratification culture

Twenty years ago, instant gratification was cooking two-minute noodles in a microwave. In 2026, everything is instant. From a loan that could be 10x our salary, to watching a wedding we were not invited to unfold on Instagram − live.

Of course, instantism (this should be a word) has its benefits − groceries delivered in 30 minutes, a gas cylinder for the heater to conquer Joburg's coldest cold fronts, also within 30 minutes, after hours and on weekends. Everything is happening. Now!  It's amazing, yes! But the downside is that all of this makes a culture of delayed gratification feel foreign − difficult to exercise even when necessary.

It becomes harder, and at times feels impossible, to master patience for goals that require the long game: saving, investing, running a marathon, writing a book, producing authentic content, building a business or pursuing a qualification while working full-time.

Consumerism positioned as success

The promotion of consumerism works together with the instant gratification culture. It is interesting to note that the country that produces the most, China, also has one of the highest savings rates − 43.1 percent, more than twice the global average of 20 percent.

South Africa, with dwindling economic growth and one of the highest unemployment rates, carries high rates of debt and low rates of savings per household. This is counterintuitive: it means that when we do eventually get a job and an income, we still feel overwhelmed by crippling debt, financial pressure from family, and the bigger pressure to keep up with societal consumerism.

This is not to judge us for wanting to spoil ourselves with material desires, or giving ourselves the softness and world travel our parents couldn't. It's a matter of creating awareness that consumerism is an active enemy that benefits the “system” more than us.

Debt as a way of life

Credit is sold to us as “help” and “access” − store accounts, buy-now-pay-later, easy loans − but the real profit engine is keeping us paying interest for as long as possible, not helping us acquire meaningful assets or financial freedom.

Debt as a way of life is here to facilitate our addiction to consumerism.

When our salary is pre-spent on debt instalments, we are working for the bank before ourselves; saving feels impossible because the system has already claimed our future income. Carrying a heavy debt load isn't just a money struggle; it is a struggle for mental freedom, because every decision gets filtered through “how will I pay?”  The system needs us in that state; our savings and investments, on the other hand, threaten that model.

Unhealthy debt is a leash that is keeping us trapped in a perpetual toxic cycle.

Weaponised comparison and shame

On the surface, it seems like we are just being sold products − but it goes deeper than that. The entire system sells identities. Social media, advertising, even some financial “influencers”, constantly show us curated lives, making our “normal” feel like failure and “enough” feel like not enough.

When we live in constant comparison, we spend to close the gap between who we are and who we think we should be seen as. Saving starts to feel uncool, even questionable − so we lean into spending, since it gives us an artificial sense of belonging and connection. 

Weaponised comparison and shame also sustain a scarcity mindset. It’s impossible to feel abundant while feeling “not enough” or “inadequate” at our core.

So, what are we doing about it?

Now we know the game. Distraction, instant gratification, consumerism dressed up as success, debt as a leash, comparison as a weapon − none of it is an accident. It is made to seem like we lack discipline. But what it truly is, is a system that profits every time we stay distracted, indebted, and feeling “not enough”.

But here's the part the system doesn’t want us to clock: awareness about the workings of these pieces of the puzzle is where our power begins.

Since we cannot control the system, what we need to control is our participation within the system. 

• Interrupt that scroll, better yet consider having two or three hours away from screened or digital devices.
• Question the need for “buy now, pay later” or press that ignore button.
• Choose inspiration over comparison when scrolling on social media.

It might seem small, but it goes a long way in our quest to take our power back.  Every rand we save, every hour we reclaim from the feed and every “no” we say to keeping up – accumulates to significant input over time. 

This is about asking, “whose definition of success am I chasing?” before we swipe. It’s protecting our time, money and attention as precious resources − because when all is said and done, we are responsible for the protection and preservation thereof. 

Saving, in a system built to keep us spending, isn't just a financial habit. It’s an act of self-leadership, and self-love. It’s us drawing a boundary around our future and refusing to let noise, debt, or comparison win at the expense of our goals and peace.