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Hrekires

Sometimes I wish I'd taken my parents advice to stay at home and save money for a down payment on a house rather than moving out into an apartment as soon as I could.


OwnAmbition-

What made you come to that realization?


Hrekires

Finally becoming a homeowner in my mid 30s, and just thinking about how much more money I'd have made (and saved from not moving from apartment to apartment to apartment every couple years) if I'd been in a position to buy something when I was in my mid/late 20s.


woolypeanut2

Home owner at 27 here, bought my place at 26. Only just got into the property market here, while it’s great to have a stable place to call home, houses cost a lot more money than you could ever anticipate, mine needs several important repairs and even just basic maintenance costs a fair bit and takes time. It’s a lot of responsibility & stress, and it means I have a lot less time & money for social events, nice cars and other cool stuff other guys in their 20s have. I also get judged by a lot of women because despite owning a house, it’s a very average property. So it’s just different, & much easier to wish for it in retrospect :)


GringoMenudo

I also bought my first house at 26. I remember for months after I bought it I would have nightmares (not speaking figuratively here, I had actual bad dreams about this) about roof leaks. Houses can be such a pain. > I also get judged by a lot of women because despite owning a house, it’s a very average property. Huh, being a homeowner in my 20s was actually a surprisingly good pick-up line for me.


BendyFriendy

This. Homeownership ages you and can trap you in one place. Not two things you want when you are young.


jono12132

I don't know, as someone that still lives at home but now in my thirties I sometimes I wish I'd moved out in my twenties. It's comfortable at home and great financially. But it's socially stunting. I think maybe I'd have been more outgoing and more willing to put myself out there if I was living alone. The longer you stay at home the harder it gets to leave, it's easy and I've sort of developed a slight fear of the idea of living alone and having to do everything by myself.


itchyblood

Yes but moving out and enjoying freedom as a young guy is an important life experience too.


GringoMenudo

I can't imagine how much of an autist I would have become if I'd lived with my parents in my 20s.


Sasquatch_000

I feel this my friend. I moved out as soon as I could. Not because I don't like my parents I just just wanted freedom. But i really wish I saved up for a house instead of paying rent on something I'll never own.


GringoMenudo

Yes, but that would have meant living with your parents for years in your 20s. Actually being a functional adult out on your own adds value to your life far beyond some money.


Mot6180

Stay in college and not drop out. Spent my 20's and 30's trying to find a career that paid well and wasn't brainless factory gruntwork


Maggotboi555

Where are you now? At a job that's brainless factory gruntwork? I'm 19 now and been at a high end warehouse for over a year. It blows.


Mot6180

I'm back in school going after a nursing degree. I'd eventually like to get into radiology and run the big imaging machines but that's another year or two off.


chocolatepizzaheart

Are you unable to go to college or you do not want to?


[deleted]

I’m kinda the opposite, I went back to school and graduated after getting kicked out and kinda wish I’d rather just worked instead


BackItUpWithLinks

I got offered a 3 year contract to work on the canary islands. It would have been double pay, plus a housing stipend, plus a food stipend, plus a small allowance to help pay for the place I left in the US, plus round trip 2 tickets a year to fly home, plus (at the time) no taxes for ex-pats so I would have kept ALL of the money. I wish I had gone.


Iwishididntexist69

Why didn’t you?


BackItUpWithLinks

They said 3 years and I panicked. “That’s so long!!!” I went away for school and lived and worked there and didn’t really come home. So the reality is I would have seen friends and family MORE with those 2 tickets than I did for the 3 years I was in college. Tl;dr, I was dumb


Ok-Staff-62

Relax, college was the best choice.


BackItUpWithLinks

I got the offer after graduation and should have taken it.


Prestigious_Laugh300

I went 2 years ago and those islands are awesome. I only made it to 3 of them. If you had the freedom to fly home or to europe too for the occasional break, that'd be ideal.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Super_Gogeito13

It’s not too late, I see fairly old people in the gym every single morning. Just show up


[deleted]

[удалено]


certainkindoffool

A journal would have been a good start on a life directory. But really, I should have kept up a spreadsheet.


RIPDimebag1013

A spreadsheet of what? Goals? Finances? Something else?


certainkindoffool

Evidence of what a fucking idiot I was in my twenties.


Prestigious_Laugh300

"So as you can see on this row, in senior year of college I was hammered and told Sarah, who was into me that night, that I liked Katie better. Neither went home with me"


snafubarista

Direction + trajectory = directory?


omgyikes371

Bro I’m high cut me some slack 😭😭


OmgOgan

Stop chasing pussy


Allnutsz

I never chased pussy and i wish i did.


thesuperficialstate

Word.


thesuperficialstate

Mine is the exact opposite. I should have been a bigger poon-hound. Missed out on a lot of sex for sure, just should gave behaved less.


Prestigious_Laugh300

There was nothing like the feeling of Friday and you just got off work. You are single. You open your first beer and take that first sip. You have a few prospects but getting laid that weekend was entirely up to your actions. More often than not I'd fail but the successes were all worth it. Absolutely no regrets.


cosmoboy

Go to school. Invest. Stay away from a couple of the ladies.


FarComplaint2974

Drink less and invest more


VisionInPlaid

Have the courage to end unhappy relationships sooner and allow myself to have more fun experiences.


dumeclaymore

It's never to late to have fun experiences even now. Age is a mindset after all...


woodbarber

I’ll flip that and tell you what I did do. At 27 I went to rehab and sobered up. 32 years later still sober and leaps and bounds ahead of where I expected to achieve in life.


nooneimportantinde

Work on my confidence and more man up


Rheinix

So hard. I'm 21 and hopeless about this. I see so much advice telling me to do this and that but I just can't.


mdvis

Yes you can brother. Trust me (I'm 38 btw), the sooner you try to make changes to yourself, the better off you'll be down the road. As you get older, you become more set in your ways. Start with little changes and small goals, and slowly start working your way towards bigger ones.


push-play

This is word for word the same exact advice he's been given already. When you're in someone else's shoes it's not as easy as just taking it step by step and taking deep breaths. There are a lot of neurological and environmental factors that are different for everyone that make the actual implementation and application of advice much more complicated than it seems


mdvis

If something is important enough to you, you find a way.


push-play

Yes, this seems logical and paramount. But when you're faced with a mind that has difficulty prioritizing anything beyond basic survival instincts, the mere urgency of prioritizing that importance is lost on many people. I appreciate your positivity but in reality it's not that simple.


Rheinix

No one is willing to actually help you. I swear to God. I mean it. If I get out of this I will do anything for the people around who face the same. Not just say 'be patient things will turn out how they should' or 'just go to meetups and talk to people' or any other bs.


ordinarymagician_

It's usually all masturbatory "take more risks and take more hits to your already burgeoning self-esteem and eventually you'll get lucky, just ride that high for a while bro" anyway


RobinGood94

28 here. I’d say a couple things. I need to finish my degree. Just a few classes. I just hate school. More long term financial outlook on those times when I was making 20-30k a year living at home with my parents in the early 20s. The fact that I didn’t turn that into mid-5 figure accounts in my bank is an embarrassment. Also, a more in depth look at investing. Things took off a few years ago and while it was a fun ride, I could’ve done even better if I had more firepower from years of saving. A more serious commitment to the job I liked. The security industry is grueling. Tiresome. Stressful. At 25 I was managing a security contract worth over 1 million dollars. (Contract security company team serving an amazon warehouse). Leading a team of 30. Payroll. Scheduling. Etc. Nowhere but up if I wanted. I did briefly go up. Second time managing a contract I was over an account worth 1.6 million. My friend who started out as a grunt with me is now making 100,000+ leading half the account managers in the state. Beautiful family. Beautiful home. Only a year older than me. He knew what he wanted from day one. He didn’t quit until he got there. Next in line to be GM over the branch. He’d probably take in almost 200k at that point. When you consider we’re both goofy millennials who climbed the ladder, it stings when I think of how I always had the mentality of “this is just a job. If I get too stressed or too pissed I’ll leave.” Not a good mentality and one I still work on. Don’t let a bad day ruin a good future. One day at a time. Have a long term vision.


pop_tab

Not gone to college. Only one year and it put me in debt for five.


danram207

I wish I just asked her out


Brockbbd

Wear a condom.


[deleted]

@ \regretfulparents


SpaceXBeanz

Bought Bitcoin


sgettios737

Then remembered to sell bitcoin at 60k


itchyblood

It’s not too late


Designer_Way9029

Join the military for at least a 4 year enlistment. The benefits follow you for the rest of your life it seems


[deleted]

[удалено]


Rude-Ad7901

A really, really tall woman.


thesuperficialstate

Nice. Im the opposite, I've only had big women. Always wondered about "spinners".


huuaaang

Not gotten married.


Insightseekertoo

Despite the divorce, I got an AMAZING daughter out of it, who is winning at life right now. With my support, she will continue to do so.


RealLADude

Yep.


thecountnotthesaint

Stayed with the right woman.


Halflifefan123

Wish I had made more mistakes faster so I could learn and grow faster.


[deleted]

[удалено]


FarComplaint2974

Where do you live now?


[deleted]

[удалено]


Original-Childhood

Stay in school, stay in the Army, stay in Japan maybe


benicityofgod20

Leave my hometown. I'm doing well but, I should have left. I will leave soon with my remote job, but I wish I never came back after college.


thesuperficialstate

I flay put ignored this same advice from an adult freind when I was young. Definitely kept me on a lower trajectory.


Evanecent_Lightt

Stopped dating. If I knew how cruelly women treated men back then, I would have skipped a lot of soul crushing abuse.


shaunmman

For sure. I would have stayed alone and focused on myself. Now I have two kids with different mom's. One has completely ruined my life and my mental state. The last 9 years have been hell for me and I can't make it out. I think all the time about how much my life would be different if I didn't make those choices.


Sergio1899

Why do you say back then?


Evanecent_Lightt

Perhaps my sentence syntax is bad - \*If I knew back then how cruelly women would treat me, I could have skipped a lot of soul crushing abuse.


Knightmare560

Not giving up trying to stay in shape. I mean I'm not obese but I miss having a body where the ONLY flaws were my face and height....now I got no muscle either. Thanks depression


HillbillyMonk

Taken advantage of how fucking handsome and fit I was.


[deleted]

not got married to my first wife. Not that i wasnt happy during that time, but it was all for nothing, i could have met someone else who wanted to be with me, started a family instead of being lied to and strung along


Fuckmyslutyass

I wish I had just invested in my future. Just a few small stock purchases maybe. Putting like 50 or a hundred in a savings account every paycheck. It would have let me be on a faster track to retirement.


Pattymelt07

Buying bitcoin in 2009


Insightseekertoo

I should have understood personal finances better. I should have taken advantage of the employee retirement matching at the corp I worked at for many years. I just did not understand "free money" and just looked at the next paycheck.


Bablyon

Stayed in a roommate community situation.


Fast_Ad5506

Not caring so much about trying to find “the one”. I put so much time and effort into bettering myself in an attempt to make myself attractive to the opposite sex so I could find love. Well it worked. It also destroyed my life.


Prestigious_Laugh300

I bought a house at age 23. I was pissed off at my landlord and the apartment above us kept calling the police on us, we had a few narrow misses (noise, weed, underage drinking, etc). I said enough is enough, I'll never not own my residence again, I can't keep having this nonsense happen. I bought a fixer upper and it took my like $50k and a decade to fix, some projects taking 2 or 3 attempts to learn (tile, hardwood flooring, etc). When I bought it I was thinking like $20k and 2-3 years. I def missed out on some social events working on that stupid house. I still own it, it's a rental. I should have just kept renting in a different spot or an entire house instead of apartment. I make a good salary but if I had spent that time instead working on my education, I'd be in a better spot salary wise.


A_for_Anonymous

Buy a grand worth of Bitcoin.


Wayfaring_Scout

I joined the military part time in my 20, full time through my mid 30s and back to part time now. Wish I had gone full time at the start, I'd be a lot further in my rank chain, probably considering retirement for real, and hopefully actually have a plan for the rest of my life


thumbtaxx

Not marry....


TheBrewkery

Almost out of my 20s. Wish I would stretch more. I exercise a decent bit but there are some muscles that I dont use often that really need to be loosened up sometimes. Just gotta start doing some yoga/stretching


Omega_Xero

Not let my ex have access to my bank account or credit cards, squirrel money away in savings so I could move out earlier.


Morrison79

Quit drinking. Wasted a lot of money


Slightly-Evil-Man

I wish I had done two things actually: 1. Never went to college(total waste of time) 2. Never helped my cousin. Both of these choices would greatly have changed the last decade of my life for the better.


[deleted]

Went to work for Mircrosoft.


bootsonlvblvd

19 /20 Not dated the girl I thought was going to be my one and only. My life would have turned out drastically different


hydrochloric_bukkake

Not gotten back together with my ex. I would have been forced to live solo much earlier than I eventually did, and wouldn't have the same amount of relationship paranoia that I do now.


125acres

Moved to Vegas to be the king of the light bulb business.


UnsolicitedDogPics

Not gotten back together with my ex and move her across the country only for the relationship to blow up in a spectacular fashion.


GopnikSmegmaBBQSauce

Spent less and invested more


NaCLedPeanuts

Honestly? Getting a job a lot sooner would have helped. Problem was that I had zero motivation due to attempting to become employed and failing. I could have been way better off than I am now and have less regrets.


GarlicBreadwCoffee

I'm 22, right now I'm kinda working on my confidence. But I'm putting only little effort because it's really hard. I hope I don't regret it in the future.


DMND_Hands

Stopped smoking weed


KonstantinePhoenix

Do a trade apprenticeship. Exercise more. Get into a relationship and understand women.


DragonSurferEGO

I should have enlisted


Andreas4793

Keep playing volleyball instead of letting heartbreak ruin me


coachhunter

Pursuing a life I wanted rather than one others were telling me I should want.


Jelopuddinpop

Not what I wish I did, but what I'm glad I did. I lived SUPER frugally and paid down debts. I worked really hard, picked up all the OT I could get, ran side hustles, and spent as little as possible. When I say I spent as little as possible, it was extreme. Literally everyone in my life, family included, thought I was crazy. I didn't even pay for internet, and went to the public library if I needed to go online for something. I kept the house at 55 in the winter and didn't run the AC in the summer. I owned 3 different cars that people I knew were going to scrap because they were nearly worthless, but I went to the junkyard, got spare parts, and made them run again. I bought bone-in chicken thighs in bulk and froze them, I bought a 20lb bag of dry rice and a 20 lb bag of dried kidney beans that lasted me over a year each. I bought vegetable seeds for $1 a packet and grew more vegetables than I could possibly eat for like $10 total. I went for what was probably a year and spent a grand total of like $300 on food. All of this while making $80-90k / year. Now I'm 38, have zero debt of any kind, own a $300k house with no mortgage, save 15% of every paycheck, and am on target to retire by my mid 50's. When you count my 401K, Roth IRA, and independent portfolio, I'm well on my way to have $1m in retirement by the time I'm 45, and I was literally raised in a trailer park. Don't let ANYONE tell you that hard work doesn't pay off.


vamigeorge--

Take a masters program earlier and emigrated out of where I am now


GringoMenudo

Bought more shares of NVDA.


nathynwithay

I wish I got rid of being religious (Evangelical) way way way sooner than I did.


jiles95

Focused & kept committed to finishing college after high school. Dropped out, went to the service, got out after a term & been working ever since. Late 20’s, married with young kids now & just don’t have the time in this particular season of life to pick up where I left off.


magicmeatwagon

Tie between not marrying that one girl and reenlisting


saltierthancats

I should not have gone to college at 18. I should’ve worked for a time or gone into military service or something. I needed mileage and direction. I went to a state university on inertia. I was in the top ten of my graduating class in HS. I was good at academics — and that’s simply “what you did”. The problem was there wasn’t any affirmative plan of action I was following so I skated through a pointless major, graduated, and skated through into pointless work life. Luckily for me I have a wonderful wife and children and I’m thankful for that … but I have no career or career path just a decent job I can barely stand — I have no ambitions and haven’t developed the skill set to find them. I never took any Big Ls. … it’s like I never failed (in the worst possible sense). I am thankful and extremely lucky (much more so than some) that my biggest issue is existential malaise but it’s hard for me to think about all the blocks of 10,000 hours I wasted and can’t get back. TLDR: in my 20s … I wish I would’ve tried something; anything … get a goal, achieve it, fail at it — either way is better than not having one at all


rik1122

I made a good amount of money in my 20's, and wasted it all on bar tabs and drugs. Could have easily paid off a house instead of having a bunch of fun that I barely remember.


MrSchneebly31

Stayed single until my 30s.


apeliott

Had the chance to work for a government spy agency. Should have taken it.


suddenlyseeingme

I should have started smoking weed years earlier than I did. That probably would have helped.


[deleted]

[удалено]


thesuperficialstate

Ouch man. I'm gonna take that at face value and guess your not joking. Did you disable your self or have a long recovery?


RedSonGamble

Been better at playing the fiddle


RedRedditor84

I wish I had thought of being rich.


[deleted]

Never skip class and join the army.


joern16

Kept working out and not rush into buying my current house


Oldskoolguitar

Stay in school. Just drop everything I was trying to do and buckle down and finish.


Somerset76

Bought a house


Truthseiyer

Learned a trade


CarlJustCarl

Grown taller


chiksahlube

I separated from the air force. Things would be totally different. Id be a lot more financially secure... And I'd be 12years into a 20 year career.... OR more likely I'd have gone nuts and killed myself or been institutionalized. I think I made the right choice. As for what I wish I'd done? Brushed my teeth more.


NumberFudger

Graduate college the first time. Although, if I had, I wouldn't be a vet and gotten the job I have now, so it's all relative. Maybe bought a house instead of renting in 2009.


[deleted]

Choosing compsci instead of electrical engineering


Top_Wop

Gone to college.


RedMistStingray

Invested all I could into Amazon and held it this long.


[deleted]

Joined the military.


lERVOOl

Buying Bitcoin, oh nvm, i think they were already going to shit


[deleted]

Maybe not just hook up with every girl possible, sure high numbers. but instead try to commit to someone I was just getting to know.


ikigai-93

Study, work hard and save.


kairos_kcs

Therapy. I’m 28 now but I wish I had started years ago. Would have been able to prevent years of terrible mental and emotional habits that now are so difficult to adjust, and just would feel so much more comfortable exploring and understanding my feelings. I’ve been in therapy for about two years now and it’s definitely been incredibly helpful, but it feels like I’ll need to continue going for at least a few years more based on where I feel I’m at currently.


shiftersix

Invest in Apple


bloodstone99

I wish i took the risks of the opportunities presented to me back then. My self confidence way too low to make the accurate decisions. So many opportunities missed for self growth and lifestyle.


KAMBUI1973

I really wish I had Saved more Money 😩


Thanks4Liquidity

Saved earlier


relobasterd

Cared more about my physical appearance.


[deleted]

Listened to my little sisters about not dating the cool pretty girl who was totally insane and basically ruined college for me.


[deleted]

Well I'm 26 now, but I spent my early 20s doing literally nothing with my life and not even attempting to help myself. I wish I would have done fucking something, ANYTHING during that time rather than sulk and mope around without even trying. It wasn't until I hit my mid-20s that I started making positive changes for myself and thankfully I did start eventually, but still. I literally wasted my early 20s.


[deleted]

I wish I didn't go to college.


frederikbjk

Stayed with the love of my life.


Ilaidlaw

Bought Bitcoin back in 2012


jkh7088

Join the military.


Pierson230

So I was entering my junior year in college. Got sick of living in the dorms, it wasn’t cool anymore. I got a full time job to pay for an apartment. Intended on going to school full time, too. My parents were paying tuition. My dad lost his job, so I picked up a second job to pay tuition. That didn’t work out. I bit off more than I could chew and dropped out. I wish I would have stayed in the dorms, only worked part time, and gotten loans to supplement the difference. It took me 10 years to get back in school and graduate after that. But on the flip side, the struggle to correct course has given me tremendous resilience. So it’s hard to say.


RadioMill

Broke up with my then gf 5 years sooner


SuperUnintelligent

1. Invest money better 2. Spend on better food and health 3. Take a lot more risk in career. I should have taken some shots that were risky but could have turned very profitable.


ZingBaBow

Not boozed up so much and so often


BlissandFilth

Been diagnosed and then medicated. Bipolar fucked up my life until 9 years ago.


PullingPork2027

Worked harder.


Shynerbock12

Buy land


[deleted]

Take better care of my body


[deleted]

Bought my first house at 22. Wish I waited and saved a little longer and bought something bigger the 1st time! Moving was a pain! Aldo wish I would have pounded money away for retirement earlier. I'm 43, and swing ok, but it could always be better!


Wattevercomes

One thing that would have changed my life completely is to buy a copious amount of Bitcoin when I first heard of it.


fassth

`Wish i didnt play computer games as much as i did and instead take courses for things that actually matter in life.` `edit: why is my text blue`


Groovy66

I didn’t get my bachelors and masters degrees until I was in my 40s and sometimes wish I’d done so in my 20s That said, I travelled the world, took a lot of lsd, met my wife and started a family in my 20s-30s so I was kinda busy I do wonder what life would have been like if I’d continued to PhD in my late 20s, though


darkwingltd

I would have gotten that vasectomy even if I kept getting told I'm too young and I'll change my mind.....I should have found a way.


Sisyphus291

Been more serious about college and the girl I met there.


roger61962

Why should i change my history. It made me what i am today.


monkeyspank427

Save my money. I worked 3 jobs, 12-16 hours a day, with one day off a week. No crazy bills or debt. I just had time and liked money. Now that I'm older, I don't have that kind of energy anymore. I could have used that cash to buy a nice car, and a house in a better neighborhood with lower mortgage payments.


Inside_Gap_9774

Continue studying instead of doing whatever job to earn money and spend them on sneakers and nice clothes.


human_____being

I should have started reading on a daily basis


InternationalMenace2

Learn and get into real estate I guess but I'm omw to dental school


chxnkybxtfxnky

Invested money. Learned a tiny bit about it in HS and just never really thought about doing it


PowerAxolotl

Get to fucking therapy now! Don't wait! Your health is more important than anything!


Different-Ad2757

Travelling across the country for someone when I didn't really have the financial means to do so.


sisyphosway

1. Put your studies on hold and go online poker pro full time for a few years while it's worth the squeeze. 2. Dump a few Ks into bitcoin. 3. Quit weed sooner. 3. Chase pussy more.


GrizzledFart

Started an IRA and squirreled away small bits of money periodically.


Poorkiddonegood8541

***I'd have changed my last name to something that starts with an A so my name would be at the front of the DIRECTORY!?!***


SkyeBadel

Mining and buying bitcoin when it was a simple to mine and cheap to buy.


Zealousideal_Bard68

To see a psychiatrist, to get a treatment for my looming depression ; see more people, learn to drive on an automatic car..


jman12311

Start my IT career instead of waiting. Bought bitcoin when it first came out


Boertie

Save more money, spend less in the bar. Played less sports, invested more. Have kids earlier. Less fucking around. I am still in a very very very good place but that more to do with luck in my thirties than what I've done during my twenties.


limpidlipid

Lived within my means. I'm only just now learning that at thirty-two with a mountain of debt to crawl out of. I really wish I had been willing to be thrifty when I was younger.


Maui1922

Stayed in Los Angles to purse an acting career.


mad_dog_of_gilead

I should have got a full time job and started saving money instead of bumming around trying to avoid responsibility. I basically wasted 7 years of my life being a neurotic mess scared of everything and depressed, when I think about how much time I wasted I wish I could go and shake my younger self. I'm glad all that is behind me and I'm in a better place now.


Pickles-151

I was a breath away from joining the Marine Corps. This was in 2004, so right in the middle of the heavy fighting. My roommate signed up, a few of my friends joined the Army. I would’ve gone, but my Father had died a few years prior and I couldn’t leave my Mom. Thankfully my friends all made it back in one piece. I actually regret not going, i feel like i was made for fighting.