You’d probably be a millionaire too :)

Uh, could you please not throw casual misogyny into these posts? Women read this blog too, and those comments were ignorant and rude. Especially for a teenage boy from a dysfunctional family – he’s getting enough corrupted messages fed into his brain, no need to add anti woman messaging to it. More anti woman messaging than society already gives.

I agree that being a high skilled, hard working tradesperson is often better than college. It’s just that he said the pay is terrible. I’m not sure if he meant just as an apprentice, but he threw in enough details otherwise that I would think that if the pay got awesome in a few years or a decade, he would have mentioned it.

What a rough beautiful life story. Thanks for sharing it. You are a forged in the fire kind of gems.

Love this all!! Esp that frugality doesn’t have to = not fun. Cool to hear your backstory :)

I’d repeat this point. Being the first is totally doable, and it makes a role model for others.

My dad’s family was solid blue collar, and he was the first to go to university, but all 6 of us kids have degrees, and his baby brother got a degree too.

He (and then my mom, people married way young then) hustled hard to get through. They worked, live-in, in a home for unwed girls (back when that was hugely shameful), and at a summer camp, and my dad washed dishes to live in campus housing. They moved for jobs, cooked at home, and punched pennies till they screamed. But I remember family dinners together, lots of reading aloud together as a family (washing dishes, on long car rides), and camping. Frugality and fun are not opposites! In fact, I have come to think the opposite.

So ok, advice to a 17 year old far wiser than I was at that age!
1) Find the best damn tattoo artist in your country, maybe the world, and craft the most heartrendingly beautiful and personal tattoo. Then save like hell for that tattoo. Don’t throw away precious body real estate on stupid tattoos that anyone could have.

2) Make savings automatic. If you get paid electronically, most will let you put in two or more bank accounts. Tell them to send 25%, or 15%, or 10%, to savings. Then live on the rest and only dip into savings in an emergency. A real emergency.

If you get paid in cash or check, it’s a couple of extra steps, but make savings X% automatic. I used to do it as a kid in a rusty decorative can, but consider how trustworthy your roommates, friends, family are. Bank if possible.

3) Learn how to cook. I recommend starting with Leann Brown’s free online cookbook, Good and Cheap, that explains good healthy cooking on £3/day (US$4). You save SO much money – and eat better – by knowing how to cook. It seems intimidating, but it’s mostly straightforward. Based on your email, you’re definitely smart enough to figure it out. http://www.leannebrown.com

4) Check out Dave Ramsey. He’s got a great community to keep you motivated. His advice is solid and understands emotions and motivation. http://www.daveramsey.com/home/

Yes!! Choose friends carefully.

Libraries, YES!!! Audiobooks if you don’t learn well by reading, or want to learn while doing something manual. The internet and YouTube also has crazy skills and knowledge training.

Take your career seriously. At 17, decide what you want and don’t do something just because that’s all you can do. Think out of the box. Discover the possibilities.
I regret not saving early. I had the resources but did not think of saving my earnings.
Don’t save from what you have left, put aside your savings first before spending.
Do not get tattoos. Believe me, the right time will come and you will know it when it does.
You have to always stay confident and believe in yourself.
Don’t do shortcuts. Work hard, even if it hurts, even if you bleed. It will pay off eventually, trust me. Robbing someone will only also rob you of the life you deserve.