The Great Hunt: Tips to tell your 18-year-old self

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Former_MSE_Rebecca
Former_MSE_Rebecca Posts: 173 Forumite
in Student MoneySaving
A-level results are out and students across the UK are now making big decisions about their future - be it carrying on studying, travelling around the world or even jumping on the career ladder. We're looking for your words of wisdom on what you would do if you could turn back the clock to 18, or maybe you're not long finished at school and have some tips about what's changed since you left. If you haven’t already, join the forum to reply!

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  • SerialRenter
    SerialRenter Posts: 611 Forumite
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    If you're heading to uni after collage and plan on going into rented accommodation, make sure to read up on the rules about what Landlords can and can't do, paying specific attention to Deposit protection and DPS arbitration.

    Make sure you write down house rules and how you're organising the bills before you move in together. Trust me, it'll save you from a lot of arguments in the future.

    Asking for offcuts at the meat counter at supermarkets can get you some perfectly good bits of meat for cheap. My bolognese always has bacon bits in them that i paid pennies for :j

    Get a bicycle from freecycle, the MSE eBay tool or other such site for cheap. It's an essential bit of kit for getting around your uni Town/City. Don't bother with a car, get a student railcard instead (do student bank accounts still offer them?).
    *Assuming you're in England or Wales.
  • Hippipal
    Hippipal Posts: 51 Forumite
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    Decisions you make at 18 do not have to define the rest of your life, if you make a mistake it is possible to change.
    You don't have to get a degree to have a good future. Have more confidence in your abilities.
    Be brave and try some things that scare you.
  • Anja
    Anja Posts: 66 Forumite
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    Hippipal wrote: »
    Decisions you make at 18 do not have to define the rest of your life, if you make a mistake it is possible to change.
    You don't have to get a degree to have a good future. Have more confidence in your abilities.
    Be brave and try some things that scare you.

    But do turn up for that course that starts in September! Get someone to remind you to go!
  • pennypinchUK
    pennypinchUK Posts: 383 Forumite
    edited 20 August 2014 at 8:13AM
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    They're cliches but still painfully true:

    1. You only live once.
    2. Time speeds up the older you get.

    Enjoy life while you have the health, energy and time to do so. There's plenty of time later to earn money, get a mortgage, take on commitments and do all the grown up stuff.
  • pennypinchUK
    pennypinchUK Posts: 383 Forumite
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    And travel, travel, travel.

    Only in your young adult years will you have the time to take extended trips abroad to far flung places. These journeys will build your character. And you can't do them when you've got a career job, with the odd 2 weeks vacation time here and there.
  • smifffy1989
    smifffy1989 Posts: 232 Forumite
    Car Insurance Carver!
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    Never take a debit/credit card on a night out
    Start Feb 2013 £148,900
    Initial MFD Feb 2043 --- Target Feb 2035
    Current balance [STRIKE]Jan 2014 £146,652[/STRIKE], Nov 2014 £143,509

    :beer:Current MFD Oct 2042 (5 Months Early) :beer:
    2013 OP: £255 / 2014 OP: £815
  • RocketGirl_2
    RocketGirl_2 Posts: 1 Newbie
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    Hi All my 18yr old just got dreadful AS results and has sort-of given up on study, he is directionless and just plays on his computer all day/night.
    What can I do to encourage him to live his life and get out of his bedroom!!!
  • Doc_N
    Doc_N Posts: 8,270 Forumite
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    Very simple - save up for whatever you need, pay cash for it and avoid debt (with the exception of a mortgage) completely.
  • Robin_Davies
    Robin_Davies Posts: 28 Forumite
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    Do not travel now. You are just wasting time and giving yourself additional problems. After a long break, it is much harder to get back into the routine of learning - studying - revising - being examined. Go straight on to get the best qualifications you can, right now. When you have, you can reward yourself by wasting a portion of your life wandering around foreign parts. But that's really for the losers. The smart ones will complete education and then get straight onto a career ladder which can take you right to the top while you are still young enough to have the stamina for today's top jobs. Aim to make your pile by 50 and then travel in style. Procrastination is the thief of time. Follow the herd and you will almost certainly end up nowhere. If that's what you really want, you have already decided that you will not amount to anything. This is a pity, because you might be wrong.
  • Laughingbear
    Laughingbear Posts: 49 Forumite
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    Always take a business card of the hotel you are staying at with you on a night out. You might not remember the name of the hotel or the way back but the card will be a useful reminder if you've had too much to drink.
    The Laughingbear
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