- Set 1-3 SMART financial and personal goals each year and revisit them often to stay on track
- Start tracking your net worth (Assets minus Liabilities)
- Start a monthly budget even if you go over and don’t follow it religiously
- Start tracking your expenses to see where you can cut back or delay purchases (haircuts can be stretched out)
- Start saving for emergencies such as if your car breaks down and you need to shell out $2000 to fix it
- Start saving a little for retirement even if you are in debt. $50/month invested in index funds or no load mutual funds with low fees can go a long way.
- Don’t dip into your retirement savings fund without a really good reason — that’s what you should have emergency funds for
- Start using your credit card like a debit card (especially if you earn points!)
- Pay off your debt: consumer debt or student loans, it’s all the same thing — debt is debt
- Avoid stupid bank fees: overdraft, withdrawing from other bank ATM’s, bounced cheques
- Avoid fast cash lenders that charge you a fee for cashing your paycheque early — they’re pirates!
- Don’t let your employer’s 50% or 100% full match retirement contributions pass you by — that’s free money!
- Try to save at least 10% net of what you earn into your emergency fund or for retirement
- Save at least 50% of any bonus, income tax refund or newfound money, then enjoy the rest if you wish
- Learn what a FICO credit score is and how it can affect your eligibility for car loans & mortgages
- Check your credit report and score each year, on your birthday so you won’t forget
- Don’t make the choice of homeownership lightly and/or wait until you have a 20% down payment
- If you want to buy a car, look for a used one 3-5 years old, or if you want a new one don’t take a lease or a loan for it
- Look for packaged discounts such as ones on your internet, phone and cable
- Consider just keeping your cellphone as your home phone
- Meal plan and learn how to cook simple, tasty and healthy meals
- Bring your tasty lunch made with newfound cooking skills to work: $10/day is around $200 a month saved, or $2400/year — that’s a vacation!
- Make sure what you buy is what you really want and need; if you are unsure, step away and revisit the purchase at a later date
- Ask yourself if you can get what you are buying at the same quality for cheaper
- Update your resume every 3 months
- Learning doesn’t stop after college: get certified and step outside of your job role to learn new skills if they don’t relate directly to your job
- Learn how to act and eat in professional situations: business dinners, interviews, networking events
- Don’t beat yourself up about your financial mistakes that you make. Learn from them.
- Enjoy your money by spending it on experiences not things — memories last longer than the hottest new iPhone
- Don’t be limited by the thoughts and ideas of others — live your own life without regrets
(As for me? No kidding, I’ve done all 30 on that list.)
Just a girl trying to find a balance between being a Shopaholic and a Saver.
I cleared $60,000 in 18 months earning $65,000 gross/year.
Now I am self-employed, and you can read more about 
what about things not related to money or ownership like acheiving top in an athletic sport?having a real relationship or trekking in peru
I’m delighted to let you know that you have been included in the list of
young women smart enough to write 30 goals before 30 posted at http://bit.ly/NcUCDs . Hope you like it.
Great! Here’s mine: http://wp.me/p29zNb-lb
Finish your masters and start a small business.
Not all masters are required to start a business 🙂 I’m assuming this is your personal To Do! I hope you achieve it.
Yes, I am not saying that you need to finish your masters before starting a business. They are just two of my goals before I turned 30.
In regards to FICO scores, do you monitor your score and do you recommend doing so? If you do not monitor do you check it regularly? By what means do you monitor/check your credit score?
I only care about my FICO score if I want to apply for some sort of credit — mortgage, lease, credit card, line of credit.
Therefore, since I don’t plan on going into debt for anything, I don’t bother with my FICO score. I know it’s high, I don’t default, I haven’t missed payments and I don’t have a lot of balances outstanding on my credit (let alone a lot of credit).
If you are planning on getting a mortgage, then yes. Monitor your FICO score and take steps to clean it up before you go to the bank to ask for $$$$.
Otherwise, I just get my FREE credit report (it lists all my lines of credit, etc), to make sure the information is accurate and no one has stolen my identity and opened cards in my name. I do this every year on my birthday so I never forget 🙂
Hope that helps!
Great list! I’d add – have honest conversations with your significant other about financial expectations, goals, and priorities.
Oooo fabulous one! 🙂
I couldn’t agree more, it’s a great list!
Great list! I started doing a lot of these things (probably 20 of them, and I’m 22). I think what I need the most work on is:
Retirement- I started a fund when I was 19 but need to contribute more.
Emergency Fund- it exists, but it needs to be beefed up. Right now one car malfunction could wipe it out.
Paying off debt- I got a small personal loan to purchase my 2000 Civic, and I regret it now because I hate debt. Trying to whittle that down as fast as I can.
Meal Planning- probably my biggest flexible expense each month. I’m learning to balance healthy eating with frugal eating.
I’d definitely concentrate on your emergency fund and debt!
Awesome list!
I’m doing/have done about 16 of these things. In 2012 I am opening up an RRSP and I’m going to put $50/month into it until I have my student loans paid off.
I hope you have an emergency fund saved up before you contribute to an RRSP 🙂
Great list! Good to know I’m on track (I’m 23). I do all of these things, except for meal planning which I seriously need to work on (save some big bucks).
If I don’t meal plan, I find I end up having stuff left over that I have to scramble to use.