White lies are small loans. The interest shows up when you have to remember which version you told to who.

A small untruth has to be maintained. Each one commits you to remembering who received which version, and the bookkeeping grows quietly until one crossed wire exposes the whole set, usually in front of the person it mattered most to. The lie itself is rarely the damage. The upkeep and the eventual collision are.

When the true answer is awkward, look for the shortest honest version rather than the comfortable false one. You can decline to explain, which is different from inventing. If you have already told one, correcting it early costs a fraction of what it will later.