<prompt> Human: Good advice for new grads. Wish someone told me this stuff earlier. Probably wouldnt have financed that brand new car right after school.Tips to avoid Lifestyle Inflation:Pay Yourself First:Set an automatic amount to come off your paycheck directly into a savings account. Use this money for an emergency fund, down payment on a house, buying a car with cash, or early financial independence. Start with a simple budget and learn how to control your expenses. Youd be surprised how a few s here and there add up to over 10 of your net income. Aim for a 20-25 savings rate at first and increase that over time with future raises.Bank those Salary Increases:Put a large portion of any salary increase automatically into your savings account. Putting away 75 of your net increase is a good guide. Leave yourself with 25 as a reward for your hard work but put the rest into savings each month. This will help you increase your savings rate from 25 to 50-60 over time.Choose Friends Wisely:Its not hard to spend 150 on a fun night out at the bars, but its also not hard to spend 20 and have the same amount of fun. The difference is who youre with and where you go. Friends whose social pressure causes you to spend more will cost you dearly, both in the short term and in the long term. Focus on friends who value relationships over material possessions and flashy spending.Pick the right Status Symbols:Status symbols are easy ways to waste money. Typical status symbols include a fancy car, designer clothes, expensive mealsbar tabs, high tech toys etc. Purchasing these items typically result two negative effects. Number one, they suck up a lot of your disposable income. Number two they result in a form of self-segmentation, youll find yourself in a new high spending social group who values this type of consumer lifestyle. Less expensive status symbols include personal healthfitness, life experiences, travel and your personal attitude, optimism and confidence. These things also affect your social status but are far less expensive. These social groups also put less value on money and consumption.Buy things Slightly Used:One of the great things about lifestyle inflation is that everyone else is doing it! Take advantage and get great items for a fraction of the cost by buying slightly used from Craigslist. Decide on what you need and start browsing Craigslist periodically. Guaranteed, youll find exactly what you need and it will cost you pennies on the dollar.Invest in Quality:No one said you cant spend your hard earned money, just make sure you invest in quality items, not impulse buys. As a general rule of thumb you should spend 1hr on research for every 100 spent. Need a new bed? Invest in one that is high quality and will last for 10yrs and provide a restful sleep. Spending 2000 on a high quality bed means at least 20hrs of research. This rule will help you avoid impulse purchases and instead make high quality consumer investments that will definitely outlast cheaper items.  <response>: A good bit of advice for new grads - can you really afford to live the lifestyle you lived at college? I went to uni, didnt have to pay fees or anything as live in one of those socialist-European-utopias and lived an average lifestyle of fast food, lots of nights out and no bills. Graduated got a pretty decent job, moved into flat and before you know it your trying to live the same lifestyle and pay bills and pay rent and pay tax and pay back loan. Took me longer than should have to realize there was a problem. 