I think the best money lesson I have learned is to live within my financial means. Sometimes that purchase that you want to make impulsively can cause a large ripple effect on your finances. You think well I can afford that no big deal, I have another pay coming it will be fine. But you do not think about the other expenses that are going to come up. Being a young adult and having parents that do help and support you means you can sometimes take things for granted. It is very easy to not realize how quickly gas, insurance, maintenance, and other things can add up. Because of this important lesson, I have been taught to always try to distinguish between wants and needs. You need to learn what are the essential expenses that I cannot do without versus the fun expenses that I want. In addition to just watching for what are my needs versus my wants, I also have been trying to learn how to save. Being a student is kind of a unique situation. You cannot always work as much as you want to during the school year and have to save up during the summer when you can. But let's face it when we are making good money in the summer it is so hard to save and not go out and have fun with our friends. I believe looking towards your future needs is also a very important lesson. Recently I wanted to go to a concert and found a great deal on tickets for me and my best friend so I went to ask my mom if it would be alright if I bought my ticket. Well, we talked about it and then started adding up all the expenses that would go along with it. First, the ticket was only one hundred dollars, but I did not consider the taxes and transfer fee. Then my mother pointed out that I would need to pay for gas, parking, food, and of course, we all know I would need to get a t-shirt at the concert. Also, just taking off of work to go to the concert would have financial implications. By the time it was all said and done that one-hundred-dollar ticket was going to cost roughly five hundred dollars. Well, that was quite a rude awakening. And yes, in life sometimes you can go to that concert, make that memory, and have a great time but you have to think it through, plan for it and maybe cut some other costs to make it more affordable. I will be at that concert this summer, but I will not be stopping to get my favorite iced latte for a while. Sometimes thinking it through and making small sacrifices can help you learn to manage your finances.