Smart Finance for the Latest Generations
2025-06-23 20:32
finance

Some aspects of the economy have been getting ridiculous, such as cost of housing. But it is still possible for an uneducated person to get ahead by taking advantage of certain situations.

1. Work a full-time job for several years if necessary, until you can afford the down payment on a house. Live with parents or a friend or roommate if necessary to reduce the bill. Pooling resources with others is the primary way to get ahead of the stupid high priced housing market.

2. Some urban areas just have poor economics for entry-level people and you should probably move somewhere else. To determine a good area, look at the pay of unskilled industrial type jobs and compare to the monthly rent. There are many places on the highway veins of civilization with good ratios of income to rent, and steady supplies of industrial jobs.

3. Be aware that the lowest house prices tend to have issues, so pay attention to what those issues are when buying. Try to take advantage of every government program possible with these loans.

4. Don't use loans or expensive credit on a car, a phone, an overpriced college, or any such luxury. Buy the cheap but good-enough alternatives, like used cars (do your research and be careful whom you buy from) and unlocked phones. If you want to do an educational route, look at community/state colleges and online courses.

5. Learn a profession. There are many of these and you get way better pay and way more control at these jobs, even as much or more so than jobs which require higher education. There are many toy degrees which now prove useless in the real world, yet still cost a hefty price; but plumbers and plumbing will never run out of business the way "social science" degrees do. If you play your cards right, you can even get paid (as an apprentice) while learning the trade.