Don't Screw Up Your Life! - 11 Ways to Avoid Messing Your Life Up

As you move through your daily life, you'll find that almost everyone around you has screwed up big-time at least once. Perhaps they've had a child while they were single. Perhaps they've lost a perfect job because they were irresponsible. Perhaps they dug themselves into debt because they didn't pay as much attention as they should have to finances.

Or maybe, like me, they've done all of those things and more. You learn from these mistakes. But wouldn't it be easier to not make the mistakes to begin with?

1. Learn everything you can about finance. Don't get credit cards you can't pay off just because the sign-up offers are so attractive. If you're young and you have a credit card, trust me, you WILL use it. Never believe yourself when you say you won't!

Instead of signing up for credit cards because you need one for identification or booking hotel rooms, bank with an institution that offers Visa or Mastercard debit cards. These can be used just like credit cards, but do not cost you high fees or interest. Build your credit by buying a car and paying your regular rent and utility bills on time, not by taking out credit cards.

2. Put back savings, a minimum of 10% of everything you earn, from the first day you start making money. If you make enough to cover your living expenses and some entertainment expenses as well, save more than that, as much as you can.

If you allow your spending to match your income, trust me, you will find yourself in debt quickly; spending more money becomes a habit. But if you save your money and don't look at the account more than a couple times a year, your savings will grow more rapidly than you could ever have expected.

Once you have at least a thousand dollars in savings, talk to your bank about ways you can make more interest than a straight savings account.