as someone else mentioned, a lot of it is generational. it depends when you grew up, 60s, 70s, even 80s to a large extent you saved until you had the money to buy something.
nowadays, i think a lot of it is down to twatter, instagrime and mawbook with folk showing off the latest cars, bags, fake tans, holidays, boob jobs etc and thats just the guys! all these "inspiring influencers" who probably eat beans on toast in a bedsit but pretend otherwise are a bad example to the idiots who walk amongst us. Come my revolution, they will be first against the wall!
realisation that you were stupid spending £X on whatever, normally comes through age. With this lot? god knows, if or when it will happen. if it does they will probably be onto the ****ing leeches that are claims companies to get stuff written off and compensation.
I used to work in a bank and the amount of 18-25 year olds spending more than half their wage to get the latest audi / bmw was stupid. once they paid the car off each month, they didnt have any money to actually go anywwhere or lived off bank of mum and dad as well as the house of mum and dad. but the selfies with the shiny shiny in the background look cool! and of course, they never owned the car, it was done on fianance, hp or pcp. biggest con of the lot pcp! never own anything, just keep on paying out month and month after year and onto a shiny new one after 2/3 years....... then when it all went tits up, it was the banks fault for lending them money!🙄 interest rates go up to 3-5% range, a lot of folk will suddenly be in real problems.
Now, i know not everyone is like that and there are times when people through no fault of there own hit hard times, illness, unemployment and so on, been there myself. but there a hell of a lot of folk whose brain cell gets concussion bouncing around the skull on its own who just fritter money away and dont think 5 seconds ahead. cut out a starbucks (or similar) a day, everyday. saving is not hard to do
rant over