| Looking for good advice and guidance.... |
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Cash Only
First Time Poster
Cash: $ 0.25
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Joined: 15 Jun 2010
Location: Atlanta
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| Looking for good advice and guidance.... |
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This is my first post here, so first of all I'd like to mention that I'm a 22yr old college student (senior), and this summer I'm doing an internship. I'm a fortunate kid in the sense that my parents pretty much pay for everything (school, rent, etc), I just pay for food, clothes and whenever I go party, which is like every weekend. I spend way too much money and I haven't saved anything at all to this point. And I feel really bad about this. I think I have a spending problem or I just party way too much... like I just spent $200 in a strip club this weekend, and that was just friday night of my partying weekend.
Anyway I'm trying hard to be more disciplined now, and I'm trying to keep track of how much I'm spending. I even just created an excel sheet, drawing out each day of the week and recording all my spendings. I'm trying to limit myself into spending a MAX of $230 each week... this may sound like a lot but trust me it's hard for me when this includes eating out everyday, clothes, alcohol, and misc. expenses
From my internship I get about $1300 every 2 weeks. I'm thinking of just transferring $400 to my savings account right away for every pay check I get, and not touching that at all.
Anyway, I guess the advice I'm seeking is what I should do with my money at my age right now. What would you guys, who are so smart in finance, do? I want to start investing in things, or saving in the right places. I'm still young and capable of taking risks, and I want to do that but I want to head in the right direction. I'm not financially savvy like a lot of people, so I have no idea what to do with my money, where to start, or even assess if what I have is too little for me to do anything. If you guys can also recommend any websites, or readings that would help me learn a lot about money, finance, and the economy that would be great.
I'm probably not gonna go far in the job market w/ my 2.60 GPA... so I really need to do other things and I want to start now.
Sorry, I didn't mean to talk for so long. Any advice would be amazing!
The last thing I want to do is hurt you... but it's still on the list.
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Tue Jun 15, 2010 7:00 pm |
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coaster
Senior Advisor
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Joined: 11 Oct 2005
Location: Wisconsin
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I think you got off to a good first start -- recording all spending --- down to the last penny -- is how I recommend getting a handle on spending patterns. You can't create a budget until you know where the money is going, and of that, what's necessary, what's not, and what's in between. Usually I suggest doing that for three months, but that's for someone who's got regular recurring expenses like insurance payments and so forth that don't get billed monthly. I think just 30 days should be good in your case. The next thing you've already done right is setting up the automatic transfer. It's amazing how money builds when you just set it up and forget about it.
OK, that's the pat-on-the-back part. The next part is that I think you're jumping the gun by asking about what to do with your money right now. Because there is only one thing to do right now, and you're already doing it: spend less than what comes in and save the rest. I'd suggest working on that, along with the budget and the fiscal discipline for a while. You establish those habit patterns now and they'll stand you in very good stead the rest of your life.
Best wishes & good luck!!
~Tim~
Eye Candy : Why Whimsy
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Wed Jun 16, 2010 3:53 am |
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robmejia
Contributing Member
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When I was in college, I used to spend a lot of money in unnecessary things..partying being one of them. Probably because the money I'm spending really isn't mine. But when I started working, I got really conscious of my buying behaviour. Automatically saving 15% of my paycheck did help me, plus lessening spending on wants and focused on my needs. 
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Thu Jan 05, 2012 6:01 am |
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Zasypkina
New Member
Cash: $ 0.80
Posts: 4
Joined: 13 Apr 2012
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Hi!
I'm a student, and I want to earn money very much, too!) Yesterday I heard about the excellent site! finance-forecast.com
Only one dollar - and you can get 200$ by 1 rate!
I think, I'll try! Do you?)
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Fri Apr 13, 2012 8:17 pm |
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Doro Ajani
Full Member
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Location: New York City
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| Re: Looking for good advice and guidance.... |
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The first thing I'd suggest in staying out of strip clubs! You'd save quite a bit right there.
Have you considered a prepaid debit card? You can set a budget, and you won't be able to spend more than the funds available on the card.
Take a look at http://mangomoney.com/ or http://greendot.com/
What skills are you cultivating to earn a living when you graduate? Have you considered starting a business?
Doro Ajani
http://gytradewinds.com/
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Sun Apr 15, 2012 5:16 am |
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asapcc
Contributing Member
Cash: $ 5.25
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Joined: 23 Feb 2012
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| Re: Looking for good advice and guidance.... |
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quote:
Originally posted by Doro Ajani
Have you considered a prepaid debit card? You can set a budget, and you won't be able to spend more than the funds available on the card.
A prepaid debit card could definitely help you limit your spending. But you still need to be disciplined, because even if you limit the funds available on the card, you still need to avoid tapping into funds you have elsewhere...
Jeremy P
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Tue Apr 17, 2012 6:58 pm |
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