Comments on: Five Things That a Generation X Financial Planner Did, That You Can Too

By: Dave

Dave — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 07:20:39 +0000

I have some of my own tips

1. SHOP ONLINE. You avoid paying taxes on purchases when you buy from out of state merchants and you can often get a better base price than anything sold in brick and mortars.
2. Learn to cook, this one is so obvious no explanation is necessary.
3. For those of us living in New York, take the Subway. I have so many friends who for some reason think taking the subway is beneath them and will hail a cab at every opportunity. The monthly pass on the subway is economical and can save big dollars over time.
4. Join a gym. At first glance this may not seem like a money saving activity but going to the gym for me takes up a lot of spare time that I would otherwise be using to spend money. Not only that but you get in shape and generally feel good about yourself as you lose the extra weight you have accumulated around the mid section.
5. Live with your girlfriend, great way to see if you are compatible before taking the leap and you can split expenses like rent, food etc. Plus what better and cheaper form of entertainment is there than sex?

By: john

john — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 02:12:19 +0000

all these frugal/cheap a** blog talked about ira and 401k and all these crap.. how are they doing now? how much did you lose?and forget about sticking around for the long run. This generation is lost

By: Bernz

Bernz — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 20:53:38 +0000

Well, I waited over 3 years before I actually purchased my 50 inch LCD and was able to buy it for such a bargain. Really well worth the wait. Invest, invest, invest in your future but don’t forget to live in the present as well.

By: Jeff Rose

Jeff Rose — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 18:37:18 +0000

@ Jim

Hey now. That was my baby for several years. That car has been long sold and now drive something much more presentable. It’s not my dream car per se, but it’s definitely in my top 5.

Plus, if you think that car was bad, you should have seen the one I drove before it

By: jim

jim — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 04:32:41 +0000

Probably could’ve picked a better picture for “new ride.”

By: studenomics

studenomics — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 06:18:17 +0000

Being a current student let me tell you that we would have definitely got along if we were in school at the same time. Finance is not my major but I take a finance course here and there. I just assumed that people that dealt with money would be good with money, this is actually pretty false. Some of the things that my fellow students tell me leads to me just shaking my head. I just can’t figure out why people that are in school full time need a new car, new jeans, or a new tv. Don’t get me wrong I’m a very social guy and the type you could definitely run into at a party, but this can all be done without spending a ton of money.

By: Jeff Rose

Jeff Rose — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 20:00:08 +0000

@ Travis It’s amazing what a little bit of sacrifice at the time can put you far ahead later on in life. Even though you weren’t “as frugal” then, it still made a huge impact.

@ Tom. Only two months to be debt free is great. Think of the vast majority that have years ahead of them before they can say the same. You’re almost there! Congrats!

@ Ken I’d go a step further and say Personal Finance 101 should be in high school or even junior high. Hope you come by to visit my blog and visit often

By: Ken

Ken — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 13:17:09 +0000

If only students in college were required to take Personal Finance 101. Kudos to you for being patient and saving for the future. I’ll definitely come visit your site.

By: tom

tom — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 23:42:53 +0000

thank you for this post because it touches on so many important points.

College debt is a huge issue nowadays. i was fortunate enough to have my parents setup an education fund that paid for most of my education so I had almost no debt.

I did however accumulate debt from buying a car and other dumb little things. And I am about 2 months away from being debt free.

Save all you can.
If you can’t save a lot, save as much as possible and in the meantime find ways to make extra income, such as start a business, online business usually.

By: Travis @ CMM

Travis @ CMM — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 19:11:34 +0000

I lived with my parents for 4 years after graduating college. All the way up till I got married. I managed to save enough money to pay for the wedding and our Caribbean cruise honeymoon. In hindsight I probably should’ve been able to save more, but I wasn’t as frugal back then.