The Best Advice I Ever Got Wasn't About Love... It Was About Money

Ironically, the best advice I’ve ever received wasn’t about love, career paths, or what college to choose—it was about finances.

Growing up, I didn’t get much guidance from my parents when it came to money. Like many college students, I was suckered into credit card offers and lived the cliché broke student life. I never loved ramen, but I definitely remember my best friend and I scraping together change to hit up the dollar menu.

After graduation, things didn’t get much easier. I worked at a publishing company where I was sexually harassed by the owner. When I confided in a coworker that I planned to file a complaint, I was conveniently fired. Then came a stint at a company owned by Lou Pearlman (yes, that Lou Pearlman), and when he went bankrupt, I was once again out of a job.

Eventually, I landed at the company I work for now—a breath of fresh air after so many letdowns. But in the chaos of those early years, someone gave me a piece of advice that changed everything:

"My father was a wise man. He told me: never depend on money you don’t have."

A light bulb went off. That one sentence sparked a whole new way of thinking about my finances. I stopped living paycheck to paycheck and started paying my bills first—then saving for a rainy day. It may sound simple, but in my early 20s, it was revolutionary.

That one shift gave me freedom. I didn’t have to panic over the next bill or depend on a credit card to get through the month. And while I’m still not exactly where I want to be, I’ve come a long way. Just writing this blog, I’m declaring it: a year from now, I’ll be in an even better place financially. (Positive thinking = positive results, right?)

Big thanks to The WordPress Chick for inspiring this post—you’re awesome!