Jobs

Admit it, some of you thought of the guy above first and going to work second. Understandable. The man put my iPod and phone into one device - he's a technological god. But seriously. Go get a job. If you want to pay down debt you'll need money. Where does that money come from? There's no money fairy (but imagine if there was!) so you're going to have to work for your dough. I started working when I was 15 and ever since, not only do I pay for everything I want on my own and I feel that I'm in control which is a great feeling. I realized how hard it is to make money so I've become more responsible financially; I try not to blow it all away and I make better choices in terms of what to purchase and when to purchase it.

To all my university brethren: I know school is important and that should be the main focus, but there's always stretches of a couple hours where you have absolutely nothing to do. Heck, sometimes there's complete days off. Plus you have weekends! To be honest I have a lot of free time, plus that's with a one and a half hour commute each way! That's what happens when your parents are too cheap to put you on campus I suppose.

Get a part time job with flexible hours. Just one or two shifts a week is better than nothing. I have 2 regular shifts and a once-or-twice-a-month kind of thing going on. I personally feel that my education and my social life are not suffering and I have some cash flow which is essential once The Bank of M&D (mom and dad) decides it doesn't want to do business with you anymore and cuts you off. Trust me - it will happen eventually. Start building up your cash pile as early as you can. You even get a bonus! By spending time at work, you have less time to go out and spend money! By making money you save money as well! If that doesn't sell you then I don't know what will.

What were your first jobs and how old were you when you started to work?

-the Paperboy