For many first time employees, having a salary entices them to go wild and buy all of the nice things that they couldn’t afford either as students or when they were unemployed.

Yet this is the best time to instill financial discipline into oneself that can last through life just as it I also the best time to establish poor financial skills that often result in a lifetime of financial struggle.

The first salary is your opportunity to plan ahead, if you are reading this. The budgeting you do now will set the tone for your future by breaking down your expenses with your absolute obligations such as food and accommodation.

Find out how much of any debt you have and if yes, find out how you can afford to pay them down each month. Keep off the newly found lets-spend-cash-like-their-is-no-tomorrow crowd because most of the time you cannot really afford to even if the crisp notes in your pocket tell you otherwise. Save what you can.

A ten percent minimum is a good beginning. It is important to note that whatever percentage you decide to save from first salary is can be maintained easily because if you can do without that portion then eventually you will feel like you don’t need it.

As time goes, you might fall into more good fortune in terms of promotions, salary raises after probation or bonuses but if you got accustomed to your percentage saving it will be easier to put away the extra cash in the same pool.

However, financial discipline does not mean that you should not allow yourself the occasional treat.

Financial discipline should be attached to tangible rewards which when you achive should be the tangible benefits that encourages you to keep working.

Remember that your first salary does not mean that you are now bill gates. It is not end but the means to which your journey to financial freedom can become possible.

Ends