The Power Of Living Within Your Means

Creating a budget is crucial at any age, but it’s especially important—and daunting—for us millennials.

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When rent, health care, cell phone bills and other costs previously borne by Mom and Dad gobble up our paychecks, figuring out how to handle the rest of our cash is hard. And for me, at least, travel, socializing with friends and spending on everyday needs can be tough to balance against saving for a far-off future.

But now is the best time to learn how to budget. “We’re at this critical point where if we don’t understand where our money goes, we will feel less and less in control of our finances as the years go on,” says Pam Capalad, a certified financial planner (and millennial) who owns Brunch & Budget, in New York City. Learning to live within your means will help you prepare for the inevitable stressors later on, such as buying a home, starting a family or taking time off between jobs.