1. Pay off college loan debt (if you have it) with automatic monthly payments.
2. Live small. Buy the smallest, cheapest home you can live with and pay if off before retirement. Do not count on your home's appreciation value for retirement funds. A paid off home is a cheap place to live during retirement.
3. If you want to buy a car, get a reliable beater. Get insurance for $25/month. Forget about buying a house until your debts are paid off.
4. Only one credit card per family. Keep it in a lock box for emergency use only. If you can't buy with cash, you can't afford it.
5. If possible, use public transportation and cut back on car ownership. You will save a bundle.
6. Plant a vegetable garden. Learn to can and freeze food.
7. Do not buy long term health care insurance. The rates are too high to keep the policy going as you retire. It's a sucker play for young adult money.
8. Eat out once a week. Make a shopping list and learn to cook. It's healthy and you'll save a lot of money.
9. Cut off cable TV and watch shows online. You'll save over $100.00 per month.
10. Create your own power (sun, wind, whatever cuts the price of heating, electric and gas.)
11. Work at home several days a week. You'll save on gas and meals.
12. Live in a neighborhood with good public schools so you can skip the cost of private schools.
13. Constantly look for ways to save and cut the budget.
14. Make a weekly "money date." Commit to sitting down with your money once a week for a money date. During this time, update your budget, review your accounts and track your progress against your financial goals. Like any relationship, if you want your financial life to improve, you must spend time with your money.
15. Work more. When you're working a lot, there's not much time left to shop and spend money. So stay busy and pursue a career you love.
16. Wait 48 hours before you click "buy." Since we can have anything we want these days with just the click of a button (there's that instant gratification again), you need to find a system to help buffer your impulse purchases.
17. Example: Wait 48 hours before spending money on things that cost more than a certain amount. When you do, you will find that, most of the time, the item was more of a "want" than a "need." Plus, you'll save money and work toward being more mindful with your spending.
18. Save 20 percent from your salary. Even 1 percent is better than nothing. Track your progress and continue to increase the number year after year. Step by step, day by day, you can get to that 20 percent savings level.