Personal Finance Advice to My Past Self
July 11, 2009 by Miranda Marquit
Filed under Finance
This week seems to be one of personal revelations (earlier this week, I did one on jobs inspired by Free Money Finance). I don’t really think of these types of revealing things myself — which is why I think they’re so incredibly cool when another personal finance blogger comes up with something awesome. Jim at Bargaineering asked this question:
If you had a time machine, what would you tell yourself 10 years ago?
First of all, 10 years ago I was 19 (almost 20) and just getting ready to start my sophomore year in college. I stayed in my college town with a girlfriend as I tried to get residency (my full-tuition scholarship only covered in-state tuition). We worked together at the cafeteria, serving summer camps, to make money. Which we promptly spent as soon as the rent was paid. So, here is the personal finance advice I would give to my past self:
- For the love of heaven, stop going to Vegas so often. (No, I wasn’t a gambler. But I did like to go to the big hotels and enjoy the rides, the food, the things to see and do, and just generally wander around, spending money.)
- Stop getting someone to work your shift when you want to go play. Just do the work and earn the money. You have hours to play later. It’s only a part-time job.
- No, no, nooooo! Don’t get that second credit card. Besides, if you worked a little more, you wouldn’t “need” that credit card.
- Start saving. Seriously. Start saving. An IRA now wouldn’t kill you.
And, on a personal note, I probably would have told myself not to bother with “that boy” I got involved with later in the year…
What would you tell yourself 10 years ago? And, more importantly, do you think you would listen?
Image source: Larry D. Moore via Wikimedia Commons
hah.. funny. Don’t get involved with “that boy”.. I may have had one of those conversations with myself as well – about “that girl”.
Interesting exercise though- i’d probably tell myself not to get that credit card, and to start saving more in my retirement accounts than I was back then.
I love Vegas. :)
But you’re right – even if you don’t gamble, you end up spending too much money there.
I would tell my younger self to stop the habit of recreational online shopping. But I don’t think the younger me would have listened. Some lessons must be learned the hard way.
We must subscribe any of the pension plan for a better living in our aged stage.
I think we all have that relationship that we look back and wonder: “What was I thinking?” At any rate, the advice you would give to your past self looks pretty solid.
I doubt my past self would have listened, either. 10 years ago, this point seemed so far away.
There aren’t many pension plans available here, but the principle of investing in a retirement plan is a good one.