There are plenty of things I'd tell my younger self. My younger self wouldn't listen though.
Don't despair, things can improve too. And I hope the days ahead are brighter.
Yeah my younger self knew at the time that I was wasting money and I should be saving / investing but I just literally blew every penny on nothing as I have always had a gambling habit
In later life when I was earning more I still knew that I was wasting money on gambling however I did have the ability probably around 50% of the time when I got a good win to stick that money in a stocks ISA and once it was invested in that I wouldn't touch it
I've never earnt mega bucks but it was a fairly decent wage just under the 40% tax threshold and I managed to keep my normal living expenses low apart from a couple of flash cars along the way which were a "luxury nice to have" but I didn't spend on holidays and the latest gadgets or changing the bathroom / kitchen / lounge etc just because I fancied a change after a few years.
Crucially I made my own lunch to take to work and had breakfast / coffee before I left the house whereas I knew people who would get breakfast / coffee at Costa / Starbucks every morning and then spend more money on a tasteless sandwich for lunch
I sat and worked out with someone how much she was spending on that shit as she constantly complained about being skint and when you total it up for the year and multiply it out over say 20 years it's fucking eye watering
I was then promptly accused of being tight but pointed out I was on track to retire 10 or 12 years ahead of her and on that basis I was happy with my life choices then asked if she was happy with hers, I got silence and a look that would curdle milk
I know how much money i've wasted and I do sit and think how much more would I now have if i'd been sensible, realistically i'd have spent some of that money on gadgets and making my like better quality along the way so it's not the be all and end all however I do also wonder what other people I know actually spend their money on as they also complain about not having enough money to retire etc
I can only assume they aren't prepared to take the ultimate gamble and put their money into stocks to obtain overall better returns in the long term but instead stick it in a standard bank or building society account earning less than inflation so actually losing money in real terms
I recently did an online investing profile test to see what type of investor I was or rather what my attitude was to money, I came out heavily as being a hoarder (i'm also a Whoreder
) which surely runs counter to being a gambler and knowing that you're wasting money
I can only conclude that the gambling is an addiction and you always find the money to fund your addictions whereas outside of the addiction my other side prevails
Fortunately i've been able to control the gambling over the last few years, others would still look at the amount I place in bets and draw a deep breath however in relation to what I used to do it's nothing by comparison