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

[treselinton]

@jeplet Try not to think about what you lost, but what you will now gain by not spending that money. I’ve wasted soo much money and missed out on so much money by not being more diligent in my job search. Sometimes gets me down, but at the end of the day, I can’t recoup what I didn’t save/make, can only try to do better for the future

 

[2cosmic2charlie]

@jeplet yeah, what the other guy said. Your still just a pup, just don't spend all your new savings on a new car!

 

[godb4s]

@jeplet Same boat, spent almost 10 years of just buying electronics and games not saved shit and now just started saving. Good thing i have kiwisaver otherwise id have nothing except for my job. Now saving up for a house im 35 by the way.

 

[chopperjr]

@jeplet Good on you on doing this. You're right cannabis is addictive and can be dangerous.

Smoking a bit of cannabis is fine in moderation. Similar to alcohol, just some people go too hard on it.

Yes I expereinced this, but it was a lot different situation for me.

In my case, I finally got shit together at Age 25. This was the same year I met my partner. I then worked my ass off for 5-10 years and upskilled and advanced my career. By age 34 I had a house. I had saved enough for a 10% deposit (but also made some on crypto).

Age 26 is a good age to get started knuckling down man. I know people age 32 still fucking around and never even partied hard.

Take some advice here and rock on.

 

[caroline2588]

@jeplet Congratulations!

 

[gregoryzim]

@jeplet The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The 2nd best time is now.

You have begun planting your trees and one day you will be happy that you made the change.

 

[rubesrubio]

@jeplet Mate you're still young, I came to NZ 5 months ago (mowed with my wife and 3 kids) and we are starting from 0 basically (brought around 20knzd for initial costs.

And compared to before we are having great time so just relax and be happy that you've quit now and not in couple years

 

[blessednotstressed]

@jeplet I quit smoking 10years ago. Smoked 2 packs a day. I also wanted to save the extra money I now have for not buying smokes. I never did redirect my smokes money to a seperate account, so that means I wasted it on something else. I dont know what.

Don't be like me.

Channel that money you are saving away to a seperate account automatically TODAY. And forget it exists.

 

[smf06]

@jeplet Great job bud, stick with it. After a year or so, the urge to go back will fade away and you'll wonder why you ever got hooked on the damn things.

The biggest bonus of quitting I experienced was that I no longer had to partition my day into periods between smoke breaks. Talk about freedom.

 

[resjudicata]

@jeplet Better late than never! You should be super proud though. Going cold turkey is not easy. You’re a proper trooper, my friend

 

[codymcg]

@jeplet You're young AF bro. Don't worry about it, save for a couple or years and go travelling. Good thing you came to this realisation when you did. In 10 years when you have a family you really have missed the boat a bit.

 

[resjudicata]

@jeplet Well done getting smarter at 26! The math you did on the life you’ve lived is terrifying, not gunna lie. But also, you were young and dumb and having fun. Nothing wrong with that considering you did it with disposable cash and didn’t get into debt for a fix.

I’d say use it as ammunition to move ahead with a goal. You certainly know where ya don’t want to be. Look to any positives that have come out of that time, like idk, friendships or even just lessons learned.

You doing so good. Stay strong

 

[killjoykelly]

@jeplet If it makes you feel any better, I'm 34 and only now just finishing my 4 year degree which has taken me six. I have just gotten a job with great potential but also feel like I've wasted roughly 20 years where I could have been making something of myself. It's easy to be down or hard on ourselves about the past but as long as you can keep looking forward with hope and better prospects then you're doing well, regardless.

 

[darensmith124]

@jeplet There is something really perverse about taxing vices so hard, given that it's often the ones with most weaknesses/challenges that are most likely to take them up to cope with whatever is going on. Ones with mental issues of any kind, ones in poverty etc.

Especially with avenues out of poverty closing and mental health quite inaccessible, I find it kind of odd how people left and right applaud hitting the most vulnerable with vice taxes for habits that don't hurt anyone but themselves.

 

[kelving]

@jeplet When I was 26:
1. 60K student loan. I was on 25k a year (that was low even in 2001).
2. There was no kiwisaver
3. No tools like Google and reddit to inform me of better financial management.

You are ahead of the pack. Keep slamming that kiwisaver and also ensure its a growth fund and has low fees (I'm not associated with simplicity, but check them out). The best time to buy managed funds is now.

Govt doesn't own your kiwisaver, you do.

Definitely get an emergency fund.

Open a bonus saver (e.g. westpac 4.5%) for your short term savings. Never have money sitting there not making money. Learn about compounding interest.

That's possibly a good start. Well done on a new beginning!!

 

[blessed1ofhis]

@jeplet You aren’t alone man. Seems to be endemic for GenX onwards.

 

[smithers]

@jeplet Good on you! Try not to focus on the past, - there's nothing you can do to change that - look to the bright future you're now on the path to.

 

[ksc123]

@jeplet Congratulations on realizing that smoking is an expensive (and dangerous) hobby in NZ.

Be at peace knowing that most non-smokers here don't have 120K savings either. Don't worry too much about the things that happened in the past and you can't change. Look forward to the future.