I have been spending 60% of my wage on nothing for 8 years

[bhforlife]

@jeplet You legend , you just changed your world and are looking at your life from a new perspective. Don't beat yourself up to much, just enough to not go back there.

 

[cfcfcf]

@jeplet Dude u had more trips in the past 8years than anyone! Be proud of it and share those memories lol
On a serious note, way to go man, never too late to start! Congras

 

[marcaunon]

@jeplet No help but just wanted to say congrats on achieving that.

 

[younglady2]

@jeplet Awesome!!! 26 your still young. Plenty of time especially now you got your shit on track. Good stuff

 

[lupo]

@jeplet Yes, don't beat yourself up, lots of people get to 36 without any significant savings. You've figured it out, now keep saving and working on increasing your income too. Celebrate the future, not the past

 

[ablues13]

@jeplet You're still young, just be happy you are doing this now. I know people in their late 40s who still live week to week and spend like crazy on vices.

Once you've conquered smoking/weed, then you should set your targets on caffeine and alcohol (if you consume those). They are also utterly useless vices that people shovel money into. I went completely caffeine free three years ago, and its like having a super power, how much it improves your life.

 

[carlwg]

@jeplet I’m not even going to estimate how much I’ve spent on booze over the years.

 

[thomas1985]

@jeplet DM me and I will help you on the pathway fwd

 

[sherylb]

@jeplet Well done. Its good you have realised this. Just be careful not to transfer those savings into something else wasteful.

 

[barrystein]

@jeplet To be too hard on yourself chef. You have to have some fun when you're young.

There is some good advice on here about what to read, invest etc but as a chef myself I want to add that you should also concentrate on your craft. Get as good as your abilities allow, learn learn learn then you can start to demand a good salary.

It's a tough industry but it did well for me. I opened my first place at 28, then bought the shop I was leasing and away I went.

Good luck

 

[joeysoley]

@jeplet The discipline you’ve learned or put into practise there with quitting is powerful.

And when you find a regret like this, early on, consider yourself lucky! Use it to strengthen your resolve, and become more focused on what you want to achieve.

Your mindset is key. If you put these qualities to work, you can move mountains.

Don’t beat yourself up for developing character. Bank the learning, and keep moving forward with your better self.

p.s. it’s me, your dad (j/k)

 

[mim4you]

@jeplet That’s a major win for you and you’re only 26. Don’t beat yourself up about it, your early 20’s shouldn’t just be about the grind. You’ve done some hard yards, time to figure what you want with your new found windfall

 

[calvinsays]

@jeplet You've done so well! You're under 30 with plenty of work experience, sounds like you're relatively/completely debt free and you're getting paid a reasonable wage. You also have the experience of successfully kicking two addictions at an age where it's very difficult to avoid peer pressure.

I didn't start full time work until I was 27 where I got a job paying 50k. I'm 31 now, my partner and I have managed to buy land and build a house which we are about to move into. You've got so much of your life ahead of you and you're on the right track. Keep at it!

 

[mekon]

@jeplet Great job OP and I love the positivity in the comment

 

[amerigo]

@jeplet You'll be fine - all I had at 26 was a PhD, a $55k student loan, and an alcohol problem.

 

[coffeecor]

@jeplet I think all us ex-smokers do the maths when we have quit and are horrified at how much money we wasted. But all you can do is move on and start saving.

 

[redrabbit]

@jeplet well done OP. no you do have memories, and they'll come back or come out. given where you are, perhaps one good thing is journaling here - letting your subconscious come out and just get out of that head.

meanwhile, sounds like you are racking up some nice savings. you still have youth, and the miracles of compound interest + various features make kiwisaver axiomatic. perhaps some ETFs are also a good idea. are you building a long-term financial plan? would you perhaps take some savings and invest in yourself - you mention hospo and it's terrible / difficult work, but owner-operator-chefs have the in-house skills to save on lots of expensive staffing costs upfront and there are plenty of niches

 

[annewayne26]

@jeplet Money aside - you’ll be thank yourself that you won’t be ending up with many health issues down the line if you have chose not to give us. Worst, you might be on sickness benefits and having to just scrap by.

 

[callofthelonewolf]

@jeplet Well done! Now you can invest that money to make your future life substantially better

 

[jmbauer74]

@jeplet Good job! We all have regrets about things done in the past but don't dwell on it and as someone else said, no you can move on!