10 Things I Would Tell Myself at 17

Looking back 10 years ago...

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2014 was a pivotal year. It was the year of the ice bucket challenge, the famous Ellen Oscars selfie, and The Fault in Our Stars (The Hunger Games was also the rage, but I was still into Twilight).

The famous Ellen Oscars selfie. Tweeted back when Twitter was still Twitter.

It was also the year I graduated from high school, decided where to attend college, and got through my first semester. So, in honor of the 10-year high school reunion that instead of attending, I will be hanging out with my 3 friends from high school in Central Park, here are 10 things I would tell myself at 17. The first 5 are financial, and the next 5 are just about life.

1. Don’t spend money on stupid stuff. Stop overconsuming fast fashion, food, and other cheap things. Buy what you need. That other stuff will just collect dust. Also, you are broke.

2. Be generous with friends. Treat them to a coffee, get them a birthday present, and leave them a nice note. Yes, you won’t have all of these friends in 10 years, but you need them now.

3. Don’t buy things because it’s what you’re “supposed to” have. Trends come and go. Buy the clothes you like, not the brands that are popular.

4. Don’t buy sugary drinks when you’re studying late. Have black coffee or just water. FYI, our doctor recently told us we’re not “compatible” with caffeine...so it took 10 years to learn that’s why it makes us jittery.

5. Invest as much money as early as possible. Don’t just let it sit in your bank account. Open that Roth IRA sooner.

6. Never ever sit around waiting for a text from someone. Live your life. Go out, go for a run, go to the library. Stop checking your phone.

7. Don’t let attention from a partner skew what you think of yourself. Write a list of 100 things you love about us that have nothing to do with men and pin it to the wall. Then play “No Scrubs” on repeat.

8. Spend as much time with your family as possible. Cherish the time you have.

9. Don’t stress out about the post-college future. Just enjoy the time now. “Timelines” (for career, grad school, marriage) are not a thing you should worry about!! You are on your own track—don’t compare yourself to others (easier said than done, I know).

10. Take out the trash when it’s full. I don’t care if it’s your roommate’s turn. Just do it. There are bigger things in life to worry about than that.

Also, I know 27 is still really young, and in 10, 20, 30 years I will have more advice for myself (maybe even correcting some of this advice). I still don’t really know anything, but it’s graduation season, and I was feeling a little sentimental.

Obligatory picture of myself at 17, taken on a Nikon Coolpix Camera as my friends and I wandered around New York City pretending we didn’t live in the suburbs. Who’s going to tell her that she’ll actually be living there in a few years?!

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If you liked this post, you might like this post from last month:

My Worst Financial Decisions—Ever

Thanks for reading! I post weekly about living in NYC, personal finance, and growing my small business. I also post a monthly reset on the 1st of each month sharing everything I spent money on the previous month and goals for the next month. My small business is called Sidetracks—it’s a collection of party card games I designed. Grab a game to make your next happy hour unforgettable. And if this post resonated with you, share it or forward it to a friend!