<prompt> Human: I dont know anything about taking care of myself financially, but I would like to learn. My school and my family havent taught me anything about the real world and Im rather nervous. Any advice?  <response>: Seen a lot of good functional advice in this thread. My advice will be a little more abstract, but hopefully just as healthy. I grew up in a very rough area in a very rough city, grew up poor, but had the benefit of having two parents most of the other kids in my neighborhoods were from single parent households.My parents stressed saving EVERY penny, cut EVERY corner, made EVERY sacrifice. And I love them for that. However, dont let the poor mentality permeate every fiber of your being. Once you get some money saved up, make sure you INVEST in yourself. Dont be pennywise and pound foolish. Most people I grew up with lived on food stampswelfare and wouldnt spend on a book or two, but would splurge on flashy clothes or lease a fancy car they couldnt afford as soon as they got the cash. Others would skimp and save every penny, stuff it away in their mattress, and never touch it and end up with large swathes of money, but a fear of actually doing anything with it because they grew up with the ghetto mentality. I grew up, and saw this early on and decided that Im fine with being extremely frugal, but not at the expense of bettering myself or experiencing something amazing. After paying for college and traveling to over 35 countries, all out of my own pocket, I still practice a lot of my parents original tendencies, such as walking an extra mile to save a couple dollars at the super market, or rarely eating out. But I then make sure every dollar saved is then put to good use. Remember, there will always be other people who will tell you what theyd do with your money. Make sure you make every dollar into something you benefit from, otherwise, why bother. Hope this helps! 