Young? Carefree? Whole life still ahead you? Then you'd better get saving.
When I was younger, I had the usual beliefs: that I wouldn't get old too quickly, I wouldn't be married with kids and a full mortgage by the time I'd only just scraped into the twenties, I wouldn't get bogged down in all those adult things.
Bills. Bank accounts. Matching bed covers and curtains.
OK, so I'm nearing the latter end of my twenties and I'm still fending off most of the above. But as much as you tell yourself things when you're younger, the fact is you will be an adult one day and it'll happen so gradually and insidiously that you'll still feel like an overwhelmed child inside. It's all right. We're all the same, but we don't think we are so we all pretend to save face.
If you want your independence, you'll need your own place. If you want your own place, you'll need a job. If you have a job and your own place, you'll have bills and rent to pay. It's all part of one big happy package.
Getting your own money is amazing. Especially when you pay off all the horrible things, remember to buy the essential back ups and food now and then, and still have some left. Is this really mine? To use as I wish? Sure, go ahead, you work for the stuff, it's made to be used. Always take time to treat yourself, otherwise you might as well just be working for bits of paper to save in a box.
But the future. Sure, it doesn't stretch off indefinitely (although at such an age, it feels that way) but there's still a fair amount to get through, all things permitting. And the thing about the future is that is can be horribly unpredictable. Unfortunately people lose their jobs, get ill, relationships end, all these things that can affect your financial standing. You'll be up the creek with no money to pay for a paddle. What I'm getting at is putting some money aside every month is a pretty damn good idea.
I know, it's hard. We're already told we should be putting our money into sixty different places. And your pension! Want to be able to actually stay alive after retirement? Better start saving now, small primary school child.
You don't even know if you have enough money left over at the end of the month to be able to save. Well, there's a simple remedy to that. Sit down, do some calculations and find out. You might actually be surprised that you have more than you think.
And it doesn't have to be a lot -- it'll all amount up eventually.
Now, I'm going to seem quite contrary now and say don't just save money for savings sake -- spend it now and then. Sure, have some aside in case of emergencies, but don't make that your sole purpose for the money. Use some of it sometimes. Take a weekend break, maybe even a holiday. Splash out on something you wouldn't normal persuade yourself to buy because it's just outside your price range. Saving without anything to look forward to can be demoralising in itself.
And the old addage is always true. You can't take it with you (unless you plan to be buried with it in your coffin, in which case that's you prerogative). Use it will you still have the necessary nerves and chemical reactions to create the enjoyment you'll get from it.
