What Financial Advice Would You Give Your Younger Self?

• Get a part time job by age 15 and put half of every paycheck in your savings account.
• Even saving $1 extra per week can make a difference in your financial future.
• Never underestimate the power of compounding. Start early and keep making contributions. 
• Always have an emergency fund.
• Start saving/investing early.
• Live on half your income and save the other half (or as close to this as possible).
• Save as much as you can before having kids.
• Set your account up to automatically put money into savings and/or investment accounts every month so you don’t need to remember.

SPENDING:

• If you don’t have the cash, don’t use your credit card.
• You’re going to get rid of most of the things you accumulated. Don’t buy stuff!
• Think twice, even three times, before clicking purchase!
• Buying luxury clothes, accessories, and vehicles is such a waste of money.
• Set up a budget and actually stick to it.

INVESTING:

• Start investing early. Never stop contributing to your investment accounts no matter what.
• Open an IRA at 18 and auto deposit $10 a month until you can manage more.
• Find a good financial advisor.
• Don’t cash out your investment account even if you feel like it’s the only way to pay your bills.
• Start saving for your kids’ college early with a 529 account.
• Invest in properties and rentals — their value continues to increase.

DEBT:

• Go to a state school. Private liberal arts colleges aren’t worth the student loans.
• Don’t finance anything but your house. Credit cards and car payments are just a waste of money. 
• Pay extra on your mortgage every month — it goes right to the principal and you’ll pay it off so much faster.
• Put your credit cards away — maybe even cut them up.
• Don’t get school loans — they aren’t worth it.
• Stay out of debt. Period!

OTHER:

• Live simply! Just because you have the money doesn’t mean you have to spend it.
• Take very good care of your health. Medical care is expensive.
• Don’t let your emotions get the best of you.
• Nobody cares about what vehicle you drive. Get something less expensive that gets you from point A to point B.
• Don’t worrying about “keeping up with the Joneses — they are probably up to their noses in debt!
• Take Dave Ramsey’s classes.
• Don’t go overboard with Christmas (or birthdays or other holidays). Just be together and have fun.
• If you make a bad financial decision, just make sure you also learn something from the experience.
• Make sure you enjoy your money while you have it (within reason). You don’t need to save every penny for “someday” because “someday” might never come and you can’t take your money with you when you go.
• Learn as much as you can about investing, CDs, stocks, mutual funds, etc. Just keep learning.
• Don’t buy a house with a friend or sibling (or anyone you don’t plan to live with for a very, very long time.)
• Tithe faithfully, no matter what.

You might also enjoy:

• What Would You Give Up or Do Differently If You Had to Lower Monthly Expenses?
• 45+ Things You Might Forget to Budget For
• How Do I Stick With a Budget if I Have Inconsistent Income?
• How Do I Budget for Variable Expenses?
• 55+ Simple Tips to Save Money at Home
• What to Do When You’re Tired of Being Frugal
• 35 Things You Don’t Need to Buy

So many great pieces of advice here! Anything else you’d add? I’d love to hear!