I am not that prudent really!
Despite earning OK, "normal life" (mortgage, kids, running a car, bills, repairs around the home, etc) costs a bloody fortune and I can't really afford to do a great deal more. We have slowly built up some modest savings, but it wouldn't save us for long if things took a turn for the worse. I would agree that there are people that spend beyond their means, though I can't castigate them for it because in the UK we do not educate people on how to manage their finances. A few iffy decisions can lead to a burden lasting years and I am no doubt that naivety plays a part, as opposed to people willingly racking up crippling levels of debt.
I don't think the situation we are now is anything other than completely unique, impossible to plan for, and is going to cause serious damage up and down the country.
Instead of blaming the individuals, who are - if my own experience is anything to go by - largely blameless, we (the people of the UK) need help by way of windfall taxes, lowering of duty (fuel / vat), more accessible and cheaper public transport, pay rises and proper caps on energy bills (like France). This is all within the power of the Government. Instead of doing all of this they're having a vanity contest and eroding our human rights, whilst siphoning off vast sums of money to their friends and donors.
Imagine if they had the will to fix this with vast sums of money, like they did with Test and Trace.....