What was your BEST financial decision ever??

[pearlieq]

Marrying the right person.

Hands down the best financial decision I ever made. Your choice of spouse will affect nearly everything in your live. If I had married the wrong sort of man just because I was infatuated with him, my life could be MUCH different.

[MonkeyMama]

Moving to an areas with a lower cost of living.

Over the course of our life we will save anywhere from six to seven figures. I still do not understand why most people we know back home consider it such a drastic move (we moved merely 2 hours away. Wouldn't trade it for nothing. Life is twice as luxurious and half as difficult, all at the same time).

[creditcardfree]

Learning about personal finance. ( I did this through college courses, reading books and working in the financial industry)
Starting our marriage with an emergency fund.
Paying off debt early as well as avoiding it in many cases.
Investing in our retirement funds consistently.

[disneysteve]

If I had to pick just one thing, I guess it would have to be getting a good education, and I mean that on various levels. Of course, my formal education led to my career, comfortable income and the ability to afford a nice lifestyle. I would also include my informal education, particularly in financial matters. Reading personal finance books and magazines, watching financial stories on TV, hanging out here, etc.

[feh]

1. Start saving early for retirement, in large amounts.
2. Living well within our means.

[kork13]

I would also like to add that this site has also helped me tremendously. Nothing compares to wealth of knowledge (pun intended) I've learned just over a year since I've joined. I wouldn't be where I'm at financially if it wasn't for this site

Yea, I'll definitely agree with you there, and I think alot of people here would too. By getting everyone's ideas, perspectives, and opinions here, I've learned and done alot of things that probably would have taken me years, maybe decades for me to figure out on my own--if ever at all.

There are alot of success stories around here of people who brought themselves out of a big hole. Many others who never really were in trouble, but have still make significant progress for themselves.

and my Mother, of course

Mom's always deserves credit.

[GREENBACK]

The day I started tracking my expenses was by far the best move I've made.

[Maismom]

If I had to pick one, it would be understanding my saving style. I found that "Pay myself first" is the best way to save for me. So, I have been taking advantage of payroll deduction. At the end, what I see in my paycheck is what I can spend. This method has been working well for me.

If I can pick multiple items, they would be:
1. Learned how to use coupons/rebates/price list
2. Found an employer that pays for my tuition
3. Bought a house not a castle

[scfr]

Thanks for the excellent question.

I tried to pick which of the 3 was the best / most important, but couldn't choose. All 3 were critical:

1. Never getting in to debt (other than mortgage). From month 1 of the first credit card I ever had, I always paid the entire balance at the end of the month. Even my choice of college was based on the one I could graduate from with zero student loan debt.

2. Deciding to educate myself about personal finance (through reading books and periodicals, TV, and later through the internet).

3. Commitment to work with my spouse and to make sure we stayed on the same page, working toward common goals.

[skydivingchic]

Like many others here, I'd have a hard time picking a single thing that constitutes my best decision. Here are the few that come to mind.
- Mvelopes. This program has done wonders for my personal finances and has helped me find ways to save more. Even if the amounts I save here and there are small, they have added up over time. The program matches perfectly with the way I instictively wanted to think about my money (i.e. seperate "pots" of money for different purposes) without having to have a whole bunch of accounts.
- Paying attention to my parents. Though I have not been perfect in following their example and advice, they gave me a great foundation of personal finance principles that has proven invaluable. Thanks Mom and Dad!
- Finding this site. You guys have a huge amount of knowledge regarding personal finance issues. I've learned a lot from this site and even when I'm not learning something new, it has served to keep me on track and focusing on my goals. Thanks!
- Getting a good education. I chose a career field which both interested me and would serve to give me a comfortable lifestyle. Since working in the field, I have also taken advantage of my company offering to pay for classes and certifications which have led to substantial raises. Those certifications will also prove extremely useful if I ever choose to or need to go job hunting.

[DebbieL]

I think my best financial decision to date has been returning to school to get my degree (I'm still in school). Once I'm done and have earned my professional designation that I'm going for, my earnings will more than double (immediately), and should go much higher than that after a few years. I am doing my schooling while continuing to work full time so I have no student loan debt (or any other debt for that matter).

[EEinNJ]

Best single decision was to learn about and start investing. This was after realizing that a salary was not the best or only way to make money

[jIM_Ohio]

Not sure yet what my best decision was- ask me the day before I die.

Might have been Roth
Might have been 401k
Might have been spending every penny while alive
Might have been leaving every penny for my wife and kids

It all depends when I go, how long it takes to get there, and how much the government took away along the way.

[nmboone]

Probably learning about finance. I remember so badly wanting to learn how money worked. I figured that I would never understand it, because it seemed very confusing. Then I saw Suze Orman's show where she seems kinda crazy but explains things so simply.

[srblanco7]

Two things - started saving as soon as I got my first job (establish the habit) and never carrying a credit card balance.