Pursue an education in a field that suits me and that is fairly stable.
After dropping out from different colleges between 17yo-21yo and having my kids at 19 and 21 plus a divorce at 23yo, I pushed myself to enroll yet again. Ended up getting my BSc and MA. Financially, I’m more than stable now and can comfortably save up for my kids’ educational and financial future. I’m currently 34 and just now realized how much worse this could have turned out.
Also, I now fully appreciate how accessible and fairly affordable education in my country is, if you’re willing to work for it. You can stumble and mess up here but still work your way up in a reasonable time, that is not a given for every country.
I quit drinking. I’ve already saved $10,000 that I would have spent on alcohol, and my health and self-image is so much more positive.
I accepted a part-time job that I didn’t really want to. It was a 2 hr weekend afternoon gig. I did not want to commit to that fearing I’d miss out on fun activities but I did anyway. I took the $80 weekly paycheck and promised myself I wouldn’t use it. I had something like $3500 in my saving after a year and it put me into the mindset of having savings to fall back on. I also helped me prioritize finances over social life and putting myself out a little bit to get ahead. All things that I still do today 15 years later.
Save money while still allowing yourself to live a little!
I saved in my 20’s as much as possible but I had two accounts. One for long term savings and one for fun/travel/treats. I travelled the world in my late 29’s and bought a house shortly after turning 30.
Learn how to cook good food on a budget, have nights in with your friends rather then going out, find fun free/cheap activities to do. Learning to cook healthy food will also help keep your body healthy for when you age!
Getting a therapist was huge for me, I highly recommend. Not getting too serious with a guy, but if you do, knowing when what is good and bad for you (this is helpful by going to a therapist). Also, living on your own – especially if you get engaged or married in the future, knowing what it feels like to live alone first without anybody else was also BIG for me.