There wasn’t much money in the household that Toui Lepkhammany grew up in. So once he was earning decent money he splurged thousands of dollars on “toys” such as remote-controlled cars. He even paid for an entire European holiday on a credit card.

Lepkhammany had fallen victim to what financial professionals like mortgage broker Ben Kingsley call lifestyle creep – the phenomenon where spending grows in lockstep with any increases in income.