<prompt> Human: My husband and I have struggled for quite awhile. We both have been in school and he worked a crappy factory job to cover bills and such. Somehow, we made it several years like that.He has graduated and is starting a job in 2 weeks with a 60k salary. I graduated in a few weeks and have accepted a position paying 52k. We do excited to have a different type of life. Im 26F and he is 32M. We have two kids, ages 6 and 3.Ourselves, and no one in our family or friends makes this kind of money, so we have no one to give us advice. We already save as much as we can, including our tax checks, so we do have money in the bank, about 7k. We are planning to stay in our apartment which is 550. Per month. We currently have no car payments as our cars are paid off, but we would like to get a newer car in a few months because my husbands car is always breaking down, but would keep the payment at 200 or less. Other than that we just have regular bills electric, warer, etc., daycare, and my husband has student loans. My husbands job is relocating us at the end of the year, and mine is 100 ok with transferring. At the point, our rent will go up to about 850-900. Any tips for us?Thanks!!!  <response>: Congrats! its a big step! I was in the same position you were 15 years ago, heres some tips Ive picked up along the way.1 First and foremost, dont let lifestyle creep set in. Make a budget, and stick with it. Save money as much as possible, invest when prudent and dont let neophilia take hold. Theres always something new to buy, something better. But always ask yourself how will this make my life better, once the shiny happy excitement wears off? More than likely if you think on it, youll realize its just something to fill the space. Ive made some stupid, downright irresponsible purchases, and deeply regret them. You probably will make the same mistakes, just try to minimize the fallout. Dont buy a house you cant afford. Dont buy a car you cant afford.2 Dont use credit cards for consumer debt! If you have cards, and want to build credit, spend within your means, and pay them off every month. Look at them as a cash, and youll never get in trouble. I have about 30K in available credit, and 0 balance - my FICO is 815. You dont need to use credit cards3 Youve effectively addressed the bottom two levels of maslows heirarchy of needs and assuming you dont make any bad money mistakes - youll soon realize that money definitely doesnt buy happiness. Find a hobby that will fill your free time, ideally something that doesnt require a lot of money, but takes a lifetime to master. Self actualization and belonging are things that get mixed up, and this is where people do stupid things with money to try to be happy. On second thought, find two hobbies - one you can do as a family, and one just for yourself. Youll come to cherish both of those things like nothing else. My wife and I play games and do martial arts together. I also write music and work on programming side projects for fun. 4 Youll get a lot of debate on this one, but I wholly recommend saving for and buying a house or apartmnet depending on where you are, as long as you plan on staying put for a while 10years. In the long run, Ive saved thousands of dollars when considering inflation and rent increases, to where I consider it the second best financial move Ive ever made only behind leaving California to start a family, its too expensive there.5 Youll find as utturedditor also mentioned the more successful you are, the less you talk about it. I also came form very humble beginnings was even homeless for a while as a child and now doing well for myself. I just dont bring it up - friends, family, acquaintances, no one. It always changes the narrative. Example: I always drove a 4-5 year old truck, even as were now making 200K, up until a year ago. My wife totaled her car, so we sold my paid off truck, and got her a new car. I decided to treat myself and bought a Lexus. People who money never came up in the past, now start asking me about where I came into money and some of them get rather irate when I downplay the situation. 6 Always have something to look forward to. It makes the weeks go by slow, and the days go by fast. Ive got the next 3-4 vacations pegged on the board.7 Lastly, remember - everything in moderation, including moderation. Want to take a nice vacation? Want to buy a new car? Weigh the pros and cons of it, and if you decide its worth it, be happy about it. Dont regret your success, but be mindful that the more money you have, the more people want to take it from you usually in the form or marketing. We budget money every month for entertainment, and a once a year trip for fun. Everything else goes into savings. Find what works for you and stick with it.Again, congrats on the big step and good luck in life! 