Why Saving Money In Your 20s Is A Good Idea

Recently, I read Elite Daily’s article If You Have Savings In Your 20s, You’re Doing Something Wrong. There are so many things wrong with this article. The author in this article basically says that you should spend all of your money in your 20s, even if you have money to start saving in your 20s….

Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Last Updated: February 5, 2025

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Saving money in your 20s is a great idea and I don't want anyone to make you believe otherwise. Start saving in your 20s today!Recently, I read Elite Daily’s article If You Have Savings In Your 20s, You’re Doing Something Wrong.

There are so many things wrong with this article. The author in this article basically says that you should spend all of your money in your 20s, even if you have money to start saving in your 20s. Saving money in your 20s to her means that you are boring, lazy, and just planning for your death.

To state the obvious: I disagree with her article.

I believe that saving money in your 20s means you’re doing something RIGHT.

There are tons of horrible advice in her article such as:

What memorable experience does money in the bank give you? How well-rounded can people become sitting at home, watching their limited funds gain interest?

As well as…

When you’re 40, you’re not going to look back on your 20s and be grateful for the few thousand you saved. You’re going to be full of regret.

I read this article over and over again to see where the author would say “Gotcha, April Fools!” However, that never happens. I’m sure this article is mainly just click bait to get people to head on over to their website. I think the advice is horrible and I’m hoping no one is following the advice of this author. However, I’m sure at least a few people are taking her seriously…

There are so many reasons to start saving money as early as you can. I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone say “I regret all that money I saved when I was younger.”

In fact, it’s usually the exact opposite.

Considering the fact that 36% of people in the United States have absolutely NO MONEY saved for retirement (according to a survey done by Bankrate), I think there are many who probably wish they had savings.

There is absolutely no reason to spend all of your money just because you want to. It doesn’t make any sense to me to blindly spend everything just because it’s there!

Below are several reasons for why you should start saving money in your 20s.

 

You can learn good habits now.

One of the top reasons for why many don’t save and invest is because they claim that they don’t know how. Yes, the beginning of saving money and investing may feel like a whole new thing, but it is possible and it doesn’t have to be hard.

The sooner you start saving, the more it becomes more of a habit and the easier it will become. By saving money in your 20s, you will learn good financial habits that will help you well into the future.

Related articles:

 

Leading a good life doesn’t have to make you broke.

As you all know, I really dislike the myth that people who save money are boring. That’s just not true at all.

There is absolutely no reason to go broke and spend all of your money in order to have a good time. I believe that you CAN balance living a good life along with saving money in your 20s.

There are plenty of ways to live an awesome life while saving money. Yes, you can still see your friends, have fun with your loved ones, go on vacations, and more, all while staying on a realistic budget.

Related article: How To Have Frugal Fun

 

Compound interest is a powerful thing.

Saving in your 20s is a wonderful thing, especially due to the fact that time is on your side and due to the powerful impact of compound interest.

Compound interest is one BIG reason for why you should start saving money as early as you can (especially for why you should start saving in your 20s).

Compound interest is when your interest is earning interest. This can then turn the amount of money you have saved into a much larger amount years later.

Side note: I recommend you check out Personal Capital if you are interested in gaining control of your financial situation. Personal Capital is similar to Mint.com, but much better. Personal Capital is free and it allows you to aggregate your financial accounts so that you can easily see your whole financial situation, including investments.

 

Just because you don’t have “wants” doesn’t mean you won’t have “needs.”

One thing the author said in her article was that she doesn’t save money because she has no “wants” in life.

This is a horrible thing to say as you may have NEEDS that pop up that require savings. You never know if you may have a medical emergency, if you may lose your job, if your car may break, and so on. Having savings can help get you through hard times.

Plus, you never know how things may be in the future. Just because you don’t want to start saving money in your 20s now doesn’t mean that you won’t want to save later. You will most likely regret your past if you make the huge mistake of choosing not to save money.

 

Why not start saving money in your 20s if you can?

Saving money in your 20s is better than not saving anything.

What is the reasoning behind spending money just because you can? I see no point in actively trying to make sure you don’t have money leftover.

Like I said earlier, there is no reason to spend all of your money just because you are able to. It doesn’t make any sense to me to blindly spend everything just because it’s there. In my opinion, saving money in your 20s is always a great idea.

Even if you are only able to save a small amount, that is much better than not saving anything. Remember, time and compound interest are both on your side and this can turn the small amount of money you have saved into a much larger amount.

To summarize this whole post: You should start saving in your 20s if you have the ability to.

Are you saving money? Why or why not? What do you think of the Elite Daily article?


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Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Author: Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Hey! I’m Michelle Schroeder-Gardner and I am the founder of Making Sense of Cents. I’m passionate about all things personal finance, side hustles, making extra money, and online businesses. I have been featured in major publications such as Forbes, CNBC, Time, and Business Insider. Learn more here.

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  1. Sheesh! Sounds like ‘click bait’.

    If only I’d saved money in my 20’s!!! I’ve got lots of memorable experiences but I think I could have balanced those experiences with a good managed fund and not felt deprived.

    Compound interest is one of life’s nasty little jokes… you finally get it when you’re too old to make use of it! At least, that’s been my experience. I knew about compound interest and how important it was but I always figured I still had time to make the most of it. Ha! Too late now!!! 🙂

    You live and you learn – if you’re lucky!

    1. Haha I feel like everyone feels this way!

  2. Oh man, I wish I had thought about these things when I was in my 20s. Compound interest is a magical thing. Luckily, I think your advice still applies to people in their 30s (like me), and really of almost any age. I really believe that even if you’ve made irresponsible financial decisions in the past, it is possible to turn things around — that’s what I’m trying to do now, by consciously saving and investing and working towards paying off my student loans.

    1. Yes, it definitely applies to every age 🙂

      Yes, it is still possible to turn things around. I hope the author realizes that she can still change her ways.

  3. Crystal

    I totally agree with you. I started my first job when I was 18. I worked for a grocery store that had an employee stock buy-in program where they took so much out of each paycheck and bought stock with it. Even if it was fractional shares. I didn’t want to do it because I thought I needed as much as I could get. However, I had a manager that basically forced me to do it. It was the best thing I ever did.

    When I was 22 and just graduating college, I bought my first townhouse with that stock money!!! Not many 22 year olds can do that. And of course, I made money when I sold it a few years later when I got married. Kids and even adults don’t realize how important it is to save. I sold investments for a bank as my first job out of college, and I had to convince adults that if they took money from their paycheck to invest in a 401K that they wouldn’t miss it. Not to mention the fact that at a minimum they needed to invest in what the company matched. You can’t beat a 100% return on investment. My daughter’s dad and I are currently trying to convince her of that now. And she’s 21. I will be forwarding this article to her. Thanks so much for writing it!

    1. Nice! Sounds like you are doing well 🙂

  4. Esteban

    Hey,

    Great advice as usual. I also wrote a small blog about saving as early as possible.
    I first started investing 2-3 years ago and it’s incredible what compound interest can do.
    Definitely advise anyone to do the same!

  5. Total click bait. What a great way to get her name out there – the media is so weird in that way. I much prefer to listen to the opinions and wisdom of PF bloggers who seem to care about their credibility, not just clicks. Saving in your 20s is so important. Saving in your TEENS is possibly even more important. I feel like the attitudes we cultivate in college — and even earlier — are so hard to change. If you adopt that “pay yourself first” mindset as early as possible, it sets you up for a lot of success later. I try so hard to slide these topics into conversations with my students, even if it’s just us hanging out in the cafeteria!

    1. Yeah, that site is crazy to publish such a bad article.

  6. Oh man, what a terrible article! I hate to think that even one person took them seriously. Are you sure it wasn’t posted on the Onion?! Saving money in your 20s is the absolute best thing you can do to set yourself up for success. Save the money while you’re young and unattached. You’ll have more money to buy a house, comfortably raise kids, and take great family vacations. You should spend some of your money when you’re young too, though. There’s no reason you can’t both have fun and save!

    1. Haha I wish it was on the Onion!

  7. jackie

    wow I can’t believe someone wrote that article! i think starting to save in your 20s is such a good idea. and with compounding interest, you don’t need to go broke to do it. i started in my late 20s and wish i had started even earlier!

  8. Michelle,

    I went back and read the article too. This has to be the dumbest thing I have read about money:

    “Your 20s are not the time to save; they’re the time to gamble. $200 a month isn’t going to make the dent that a $60,000 pay raise will after spending all those nights out networking.”

    Don’t get me wrong, I like to have a few drinks and network. It’s important. But to put off saving money in your 20s to get smashed every night, pass out, wake up in a random’s apartment, isn’t going to make you $60k a year….it’s going to require a shot of Penicillin.

    If you read the bio of the author -you’ll see what I mean.

    The click bait worked – I clicked on it and there are many financial bloggers talking about it.

    Nice post Michelle!

    1. Haha yes, the click bait definitely worked!

  9. I think the first point, about the habits formed, is the key point. Did I save a lot of money in my 20s? Hardly. I started off making a quarter of what I make now, and so the opportunity wasn’t there. However, because I started saving, even as little as it was, I continued on as I got older and brought in more money. Does the author seriously think that someone who avoids saving in their 20s is all of a sudden going to reverse course and start socking money away once they hit 30? It won’t happen! By that point, the lifestyle and the bad habits are formed.

    Amazing that such a bad article got any attention at all. Thank you for doing your part to try to disarm this and provide perspective that actually makes sense!

    1. Yes, you hit my main point exactly! If someone is used to spending money, it would be very hard for them to reverse course.

  10. Valerie

    I am 40 and wish I would have saved in my 20’s! We started saving in my 30’s and recently we had to spend almost all of the money we saved just to make ends meet. Saving is so important. You never know when you are going to need it.

  11. Cassie

    I completely agree with this post. Compound interest just changes the way you look at things. My uncle is in his 50s and didn’t start saving until he was around 30 – he regrets his decision now. Sure, he got to do a lot of neat things in his 20s, but the prospect of trying to save enough for retirement and being unable to make it can be terrifying – especially in the world we live in today. When you think about it – we need well over 1 or 2 million to retire happily and comfortably and most of us will never make it there. So, the best we can do is start saving today in hopes for a happier tomorrow!

    And who is to say that you can’t be happy while living frugally and have a million experiences that you won’t regret? I’m writing a blog right now about how I’m trying to pay off my $200,000 in debt, how to live frugally, and a bunch of DIY crafts. I had a beautiful and memorable wedding and it didn’t break the bank. There are ways to have a great time without spending a ton and even a tiny bit in savings is better than nothing.

    1. Yes, you can definitely live frugally and have a great life – I agree 🙂

  12. Amy @ DebtGal

    I’m 40, and I wish I had saved more money in my 20’s. The point about compounding interest is a really important one. And now that I’m older and have more “adult” needs, wants, and expenses, I appreciate how much things cost – cars, house maintenance, propane, healthcare, activities for children – it adds up!!

  13. StephTheBookworm

    I’m in my 20s and trying my hardest to focus on savings and retirement. We don’t have a lot of extra money each month, but I’ve been contributing to my retirement fund at work since I was 22. Even though it isn’t much, it’s a start! I’m also working on debt repayment and trying to rebuild a regular savings account since we used a lot while I was on maternity leave.

    Great advice and article!

  14. If I were in my twenties, the only person I’m taking advice from would be someone successful in their thirties, forties, or beyond. The article felt like talking to a frenemy who is egging you self-sabotage yourself because they want to see you fail.

    Don’t save money! That’s for suckers! Go have fun! Hilarious.