<prompt> Human: Ive been reading around here lately and I see a lot of worrying post about people making three times what I do, but also sounding like theyre so very close to losing a lot of what they own. Im currently 24, making about 24K a year... but I feel financially sound? I have a good car in a good condition, the only bills Im not paying on my own are Insurance and Phone because family plans from parents, my savings account has been slowly growing since I became independent, and even without working overtime at work Im still seeing it increase a couple hundred a month not great, but given where I am...Now, obviously, Im fairly young; but I just cannot understand the post I read and how dire some peoples situations seem to be even though theyre making so much more money then me. Im not calling these people stupid so much as I am worried about the fact that I cannot see how this is happening to them and it makes me worry Ill fall into similar situations as them and be ruined.I apologize if this is against any of the rules here as it is not exactly a full on hey what should I do about my current situation post, but I read the rules and looked around your FAQ on the side bar in hopes of getting an answer and did not find one. I really like how informative this place is in general and how helpful the users who frequent here are, Im hoping for the best here for my request too.EDIT: HOLY CRAP! You guys are awesome here! I knew you guys replied a lot, but I didnt expect to wake up to so many replies! Thanks a ton for all the advice!  <response>: at 24 years old, feeling financially sound is an amazing feeling. By contrast, being 45 yrs old, making 100K and barely making the payments on the Home equity line of credit, car payments, mortgage and braces for the twins... thats a daily stress bomb that no one wants to be in. Making too much money to be that broke. But its easy to slowly slide into a stressful life like that... its paved with bricks of good intentions and listening to people just as broke as themselves. A lot of people across the country US have been making the good decisions their peers have been telling them to do, and then finding themselves treading water because of debt. Its basically death by a thousand cuts. You dont want to be like those people. So dont believe that using credit cards is good. The first broke persons logic step is, everyone is going to have a mortgage payment and everyone has a car payment or two. Its just something they build into their budget. Wrong, defeatist thinking. There is a good article in the Atlantic Magazine called The Secret Shame of the Middle Class. And how buying houses they cant afford, with someone elses money, and paying for a car they cant afford, and putting their kids in a good school all slowly cause people to stay middle class or even like they are in-chains to their debtors. More Money, more problems. A lot of people believe they can out-earn their stupidity. It takes many years to learn, theres no END to ones stupidity, while there is a finite amount of money one can earn in a year. Always remember this... The Borrower is Slave to the Lender.Stay out of debt. Save and Invest what you are paid. Learn to pay yourself first each pay period. And IMHO always pay cash for items. Be someone that saves 10-15 of their income and be ready to retire very early if you so choose in your 40s or 50s. People normally buy cars and houses with money they didnt have to impress people they dont even know. Sounds weird, but many people do it. These are words from a dumb redneck thats tried to do NORMAL people stuff for far too long and paid a lot of Dumb Tax along the way. In a few years, maybe I can describe how it feels to not owe anybody a darn thing in the entire world, and have a decent sized bank account along with a growing Retirement plan. Knowing what I know now, Id tell my 24 year old self, dont be like Normal People. Its okay being that person with security, that drives a decent later model car, lives in a decent but smaller house. Doesnt have designer jeans and doesnt need the newest gadget. Dont be a quote Consumer. Be someone that is deliberate in your spending habits. Rant is over now... back to my cubicle job, to pay for the mistakes I made over the last decade 