Financial Lessons to Master by Age 30

It takes a lot of time and discipline to become money smart. It doesn’t happen overnight. Some people go through life never saving and livingpaycheckto paycheck. Learning how to be able to handle your money at an early age may not seem sexy, but it will certainly put you down the right path. But if you think you have enough time to become serious about your finances, think again. You may still feel young and invincible even when you hit your 30s, but the scary truth is that you are halfway toretirement. It is time to put the financial foolhardiness of your 20s behind you and become more frugal with your cash by mastering these top financial habits.

1. Actually Stick to a Budget

Most 20-somethings have played around with the idea of abudget, have used a budgeting app, and have even read an article or two about the importance of creating a budget. However, very few individuals actually stick to that budget, or any budget at all. Once you turn 30, it’s time to ditch the wishy-washy process of budgeting and start allocating where every dollar you earn goes. This means if you only want to spend $15 a week on coffee runs, you’ll have to cut yourself off after your third latte for the week.

The overall point of budgeting is to know where your money goes in order to make sound decisions. Keep in mind that one dollar here and one dollar there adds up over time. It’s fine to spend money on shopping or fun trips, as long as these purchases fit into your budget and don’t detract from your saving goals. Knowing your spending habits will help you discover where you can cut expenses and how you can save more money in a retirement fund ormoney market account.

Here’s a complimentary tip to setting up and sticking to a budget: Document all your spending. Make sure you write down where and how much you spend, and what that does to your budget. This may require you to keep yourreceiptsand cross-check everything to your checking account. Over time, you’ll end up doing away with all the frivolous, spur-of-the-moment purchases and really be able to keep yourself in line.

2. Stop Spending Your Whole Paycheck

Thewealthiest individualsin the world didn’t get where they are today by spending their entire paycheck every month. In fact, many self-made millionaires spend their income modestly, according to Thomas J. Stanley’s book “The Millionaire Next Door.” Stanley’s book found that the majority of self-made millionaires drove used cars and lived in average-priced housing. He also found that those who drove expensive cars and wore expensive clothing were actually drowning in debt. The reality was that their pricey lifestyles could not keep up with their paychecks.

Start by living off of 90% of your income and save the other 10%. Having that money automatically deducted from your paycheck and put into a retirement savings account ensures you will not miss it. Gradually increase the amount you save while decreasing the amount from which you live. Ideally, learn to live off of 60% to 80% of your paycheck, while saving and investing the remaining 20% to 40%.

3. Get Real About Your Financial Goals

What are yourfinancial goals? Really sit down and think about them. Envision by which age and how you’d like to achieve them. Write them out and figure out how to make them a reality. You are less likely to achieve any goal if you don’t write it down and create a concrete plan.

For example, if you want to vacation in Italy, then stop daydreaming about it and make a game plan. Do your research to discover how much the vacation will cost, then calculate how much money you will have to save per month. Your dream vacation can be a reality within a year or two if you take the right planning and saving steps.

The same is true for other lofty financial goals like paying off yourdebtor something more long-term like buying a home. You really need to be serious and have a plan if you’re going to get into real estate. After all, it’s one of the biggest investments you can ever make in your life and it comes at a huge cost with a lot of extra considerations. There are a lot of things you have to think about when it comes to your finances—down payment, financing and yourmortgage, how much you can afford, interest payments, other expenses.

4. Educate Yourself About Your Student Loans

An undeniable reality for millennials is that many of them are confused about navigatingstudent loanrepayments. A 2016 study conducted by Citizens Bank found that more than half of borrowers don’t fully grasp the process of how student loans work, making the path to serenity from debt seem far-fetched.

Six out of ten millennialsreportedunderestimating monthly payments, while 45% were unsure of how much of their annual salary they’ve put toward their loans. Since therecession, rates have been historically low, alleviating some pressure from crushing student loan debt. Nonetheless, vigilance in keeping a watchful eye on how much interest willcompoundon your loans should be a top priority.

5. Figure Out Your Debt Situation

Many individuals become complacent about their debt once they hit their 30s. For those with student loans, mortgages,credit carddebt, and auto loans, repaying debt has become another way of life. You may even view debt as normal. The truth is that you don’t need to live your whole life paying off debt. Assess how much debt you have outside of your mortgage and create a budget that helps you avoid gaining any more debt.

There are manymethods to eliminate debt, but the snowball effect is popular for keeping individuals motivated. Write down all of your debts from smallest to greatest, regardless of the interest rate. Pay the minimum payment for all of your debts, except for the smallest one. For the smallest debt, throw as much money as you can at it each month. The goal is to get that small debt paid off within a few months and then move on to the next debt.

Paying off your debts will have a significant impact on your finances. You will have more breathing room in your budget, and you will have more money freed up for savings and financial goals.

One important point to note. Pay down your debt, but don’t get yourself back in over your head. It can be very tempting to see low balances on your credit cards and think it’s okay to go ahead and start spending again. That will only put you back in a rut. Control yourself and keep your credit card usage to a minimum. You may want to consider lowering yourcredit limitsor canceling cards you may not necessarily need over time. Anything to help you keep yourself above water.

6. Establish a Strong Emergency Fund

Anemergency fundis important to the health of your finances. If you don’t have an emergency fund, then you are going to be more likely to dip into savings or rely on credit cards to help you pay for unplanned car repairs and health expenses.

The first step is to build your emergency fund to $1,000. This is the minimum amount your account should have. By putting $50 from each paycheck in your emergency fund, you will hit the $1,000emergency fund goalwithin 10 months. After that, set incremental goals for yourself depending on your monthly expenses. Some financial advisors recommend having the equivalent of three months living expenses in the fund, while others recommend six months. Of course, how much you are able to save will depend on your financial situation.

7. Don’t Forget Retirement

Many people either enter their 30s without having a single dime contributed to theirretirement, or they are making the minimum contributions. If you want that million-dollar nest egg, you have to put in the savings now. Stop waiting for a promotion or more wiggle room in your budget. In your 30s, you still have time on your side, so don’t waste it. Make sure that you take advantage of your company’smatching contribution. Many companies will match your contributions up to a certain percentage. As long as you stay with your company long enough to become vested, this is basically free money for your retirement. The earlier you start, the more you’ll earn in interest!